Santa Cruz County
"On March 15, 1899,  the smallest of Arizona's counties was created outof parts of Pima and Cochise Counties. It was Santa Cruz County, with Nogales as its seat of government. Names which has been proposed for the new count included Papago County and Grant County, but both were set aside in favor of the name taken from that of the Santa Cruz River, which traverses the county. The area of the county is 797,240 acres.

Historically, Santa Cruz County is interesting, for it encompasses early explorations and missionizing by the Spaniards as well as later explorations by Americans in the mid-nineteenth century. Emigrants hustling to the West Coast during the California Gold Rush left their imprint on the future Santa Cruz County. Its story is replete with tales of mining and Apache warfare. Santa Cruz County counts agriculture and mining among its industries. Its county seat, Nogales, is the major Arizona port of entry from Mexico."

Barnes, Will C.; Granger, Byrd (ed.). Arizona Place Names. University of Arizona Press. 1960
P. 312
 

"Created by Legislature March 15, 1899 out of Pima and Cochise Counties. Nogales county seat. Name, of course, came from river."

Barnes, Will C. Arizona Place Names. University of Arizona Press. 1997
P. 389
 

Websites

County Profile-Arizona Department of Commerce
http://www.commerce.state.az.us/pdf/county/santacruz.pdf

Local Government Website
http://www.cityofnogales.com/

Arizonan.com-Santa Cruz County
http://arizonan.com/SantaCruz/

Sites to See

Santa Cruz Public Library District
http://www.santacruzpl.org/

Pimeria Alta Historical Society
136 North Grand Avenue  Nogales, Arizona
(520) 287-4621
http://www.dakotacom.net/~museum/main.htm

Tubac Presidio State Historic Park
P.O. Box 1296  Tubac, Arizona 85646
(520) 398-2255
http://www.pr.state.az.us/parkhtml/tubac.html

Tumacácori National Historical Park
520-398-2341
http://www.nps.gov/tuma/
 

Cities of County

Green Valley
Nogales-County Seat
Patagonia
Rio Rico

Books/Manuscripts found in the ASU Library Catalog

Open range and hidden silver; a saga of cattlemen and miners and other men who madeArizona's Santa Cruz County. [Words and pictures by Alma Ready]
F817 .S3 R42


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