"This entry refers to the community only. See Picacho Pass. PO est July 10, 1907, O.W. Allison PM; disc Nov 15, 1928; reest Feb. 21, 1929 (local name Picacho City)"
"This pass, about forty-five miles from the Gila River and the same distance from the civic center of Tucson, was an important place for travelers in the early days inasmuch as tinajas (natural rock tanks) here were filled with water at tiems when other tanks were bone dry. Furthermore, the peak above the pass was visible for many miles. The mail road passed through here, as did the Butterfield Overland route. The Mormon Battalion camped in this pass on December 17, 1846. The first Picacho station was also in the pass, as might be expected, for it was the place where emigrants and other travelers could change horses, rest, and water stock.
In this pass on April 15, 1862 occurred the only Civl War battle in Arizona. Sixteen Confederates under Lt. Jack Swilling were returning from the Pima country after confiscating provisions intended for Union troops at Fort Yuma. Coming from the opposite direction, unknown to the Swilling party, was a company under Capt. William P. Caloway of the First California Infantry. From that group Lt. James Barret with a detachment of cavalry detoured and struck Swilling's men on the flank in Picacho Pass. Lt. Barrett, Private George Johnson and Private William S. Leonard were killed, two Confederates were wounded, as were three Union men, and three Confederates were taken prisoner.
Picacho Peak was sometimes called the Great Pocatcho. As the word picacho means "peak", the name Picacho Peak if translated would read Peak Peak. The present town of Picacho is not at the same location as the old Picacho Station. Picacho Lake borrows its name from the pass."
Barnes, Will C.; Granger, Byrd (ed.) Arizona's names : X marks the place Falconer Pub. Co. : distributed by Treasure Chest Publications, c1983. P. 478-479
Websites
Arizona Department of Commerce Community Profile- Picacho, Arizona
http://www.commerce.state.az.us/pdf/commasst/comm/picacho.pdf
Arizonan.com- Picacho, Arizona
http://arizonan.com/Picacho
Arizona State Parks, Picacho Peak, Arizona
http://www.pr.state.az.us/parkhtml/picacho.html
Desert USA- Picacho Peak, Arizona
http://www.desertusa.com/azpicacho/azpicacho.html
Battle of Picacho Peak
http://www.wtj.com/articles/picacho/
Newsclippings Picacho-Peak-State-Park
CE EPH DM-32
Picacho-Peak-State-Park Historic-Scene of Civil-War Engagement, 1969 CE EPH DM-32
Picacho
CE EPH DTO-PICACHO
Picacho-Pass Battle
CE EPH HMIII-18
Skirmish of Picacho.
CE EPH HMIII-7
Picacho-Pass War
CE EPH HAIV-52
Battle-Of-Picacho-Pass: Turning Point for Southwest in War of the Rebellion; 1969
CM MSM-5
Picacho Life & Death of A Great Gold Mining Camp; 1973
CE EPH MMG-15
Picacho, Arizona: Community Profiles Varied Dates from 1975
CE EPH DTO-PICACHO.1
Subsidence in the Eloy-Picacho Area, 1964.
FM MSM-234
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