, native_name_lang = ood , settlement_type = CDP , image_skyline = Sacaton-Cook Memorial Church-1870-1.JPG , imagesize = 250px , image_caption = The C. H. Cook Memorial Church, listed in the National Register of Historic Places , image_map = Pinal County Arizona Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacaton highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250px , map_caption = Location in

Pinal County Pinal County is in the central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. According to the 2020 census, the population of the county was 425,264, making it Arizona's third-most populous county. The county seat is Florence. The county was founded in 187 ...

and the state of

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States. It is the list of U.S. states and territories by area, 6th largest and the list of U.S. states and territories by population, 14 ...

, image_map1 = , mapsize1 = , map_caption1 = , pushpin_map = USA , pushpin_map_caption = Location in the United States , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_type1 =

State State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * '' Our ...

, subdivision_type2 =

County A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

, subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_name1 =

, subdivision_name2 = Pinal , government_type = , leader_title = , leader_name = , established_title = , established_date = , area_magnitude = , area_total_km2 = 24.06 , area_total_sq_mi = 9.29 , area_land_km2 = 24.06 , area_land_sq_mi = 9.29 , area_water_km2 = 0.00 , area_water_sq_mi = 0.00 , elevation_ft = 1283 , elevation_m = 391 , population_as_of =

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in ...

, population_footnotes = , population_total = 3254 , population_metro = , population_density_km2 = 135.23 , population_density_sq_mi = 350.27 , timezone = MST (no

DST Daylight saving time (DST), also referred to as daylight savings time or simply daylight time (United States, Canada, and Australia), and summer time (United Kingdom, European Union, and others), is the practice of advancing clocks (typicall ...

) , utc_offset = -7 , coordinates = , website = , timezone_DST = , utc_offset_DST = , postal_code_type = ZIP code , postal_code = 85147 , area_code = 520 , blank_name =

FIPS code The Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) of the United States are a set of publicly announced standards that the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed for use in computer systems of non-military, American ...

, blank_info = 04-61720 , blank1_name =

GNIS The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is a database of name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features throughout the United States and its territories, Antarctica, and the associated states of ...

feature ID , blank1_info = , footnotes = , pop_est_as_of = , pop_est_footnotes = , population_est = , unit_pref = Imperial , area_footnotes = Sacaton (

Pima Pima or PIMA may refer to: People * Pima people, the Akimel O'odham, Indigenous peoples in Arizona (U.S.) and Sonora (Mexico) Places * Pima, Arizona, a town in Graham County * Pima County, Arizona * Pima Canyon, in the Santa Catalina Mountains ...

: Geʼe Ki:) is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, su ...

(CDP) in

, United States. The population was 3,254 at the 2020 census. It is the capital of the

Gila River Indian Community The Gila River Indian Community (GRIC) (O'odham language: Keli Akimel Oʼotham, ''meaning "Gila River People"'', Maricopa language: Pee-Posh) is an Indian reservation in the U.S. state of Arizona, lying adjacent to the south side of the city o ...

Geography

Sacaton is located at (33.079911, −111.745784). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy An economy is an area of th ...

, the CDP has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2000, there were 1,584 people, 378 households, and 303 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 387 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 2.0%

White White is the lightness, lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...

, 95.0% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. 7.1% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race. There were 378 households, out of which 40.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 26.2% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 41.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.6% were non-families. 15.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.80 and the average family size was 4.12. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 38.4% under the age of 18, 11.7% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 16.0% from 45 to 64, and 5.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.6 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $18,276, and the median income for a family was $20,766. Males had a median income of $25,882 versus $23,750 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the CDP was $6,425. About 36.4% of families and 39.9% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 45.4% of those under age 18 and 31.1% of those age 65 or over.

History

Sacaton is one and one-quarter miles west of the 1858–1861 location of the Socatoon Station of the

Butterfield Overland Mail Butterfield Overland Mail (officially the Overland Mail Company)Waterman L. Ormsby, edited by Lyle H. Wright and Josephine M. Bynum, "The Butterfield Overland Mail", The Huntington Library, San Marino, California, 1991. was a stagecoach service i ...

. The station was named for the nearby Maricopa village of Sacaton, four miles down the Gila from the station. It was an adobe building established in 1858 on the Little Gila river also known as Capron's Rancho and was also a trading post.

Notable people

Ira Hayes Ira Hamilton Hayes (January 12, 1923 – January 24, 1955) was an Akimel O'odham Native American and a United States Marine during World War II. Hayes was an enrolled member of the Gila River Indian Community, located in Pinal and Mari ...

–

Native American and

United States Marine The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through co ...

who assisted in raising the flag on Iwo Jima on February 23, 1945, was born and raised in the Sacaton area. * Mary Thomas – Governor of the Gila River Indian Community (1994–2000)

Historic structures and monuments

The following is a short description of the historic structures, cemetery and monuments pictured: *Side view of the C. H. Cook Memorial Church, a historic church on Church Street. It was built in 1918 and added to the National Register in 1975. The church is named after Charles Cook, a young missionary who arrived in Sacaton on December 23, 1870. The funeral of

was held here. The church was listed in the National Register of Historic Places as of August 28, 1975, reference # 75000359. In March 2019, an arsonist burned the church to the ground. The church was destroyed as a result of that fire. *The grave of Charles Cook's son, Franklin, who died on February 22, 1884, at the age of three months and six days. Lying next to the baby is Cook's wife, Annie M. Cook (Coates), who died on December 18, 1889. The grave is located in the C. H. Cook Memorial Church Cemetery on the northwest edge of the C. H. Cook Memorial Church. *The grave of Mathew B. Juan whose body was interred in the cemetery on April 9, 1921. Juan's first name was misspelled; it is "Matthew". Juan was killed in World War I, as the first Native American from Arizona to die while fighting for the United States in a war. The grave is located in the C. H. Cook Memorial Church Cemetery, on the northwest edge of the C. H. Cook Memorial Church. *The grave of

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...

veteran and Confederate Colonel James Patton Perkins, who died in Sweetwater, Arizona in 1896. The grave is located in the C. H. Cook Memorial Church Cemetery, on the northwest edge of the C. H. Cook Memorial Church. *The Matthew B. Juan-

Ira H. Hayes Ira Hamilton Hayes (January 12, 1923 – January 24, 1955) was an Akimel O'odham Native American and a United States Marine during World War II. Hayes was an enrolled member of the Gila River Indian Community, located in Pinal and Maricop ...

Veterans Memorial Park. The Memorial Park commemorates Matthew B. Juan, a Pima Indian who was the first Native American from Arizona to be killed in World War I. Historic marker
/ref> Ira Hayes was a Pima Indian who served in the United States Marine Corps, and is best known for his participation in the U.S. flag-raising at Iwo Jima in 1945. The park is located on West Casa Blanca Road in Sacaton. *The Pvt. Matthew B. Juan Monument built in 1928 by stonemason Michael Sullivan, in the Mathew B. Juan-Ira H. Hayes Veterans Memorial Park. *The Ira H. Hayes Monument in the Mathew B. Juan-Ira H. Hayes Veterans Memorial Park. *The First Pima Baptist Church a.k.a. "The first Southern Baptist Church", was built in 1925 and is located at N Voak AT W Casa Blanca Road. *Early 20th Century House, located on Casa Blanca Road in the Gila Indian Reservation.

Historic structures pictured

The Gila River Japanese War Relocation Center

*The Gila River War Relocation Center was an internment camp built by the War Relocation Authority (WRA) for the internment of Japanese Americans during the Second World War. The Gila River War Relocation Memorial is located at Indian Route 24, Sacaton, Az. *The Gila River War Relocation Memorial on Butte Mountain. *Ruins of the Gila River Japanese Relocation Internment Camp. *A concrete slab foundation of the Gila River War Relocation Center.

References

{{authority control Gila River Indian Community Seats of government of American Indian reservations Census-designated places in Pinal County, Arizona