Barnes, Will C. Arizona
Place Names University of Arizona Press. 1997.
p. 416
"A travler in 1859 said that the entire Sonoita Valley was golden with grain, one field having one hundred and fifty acres of corn, hence the name ("place where corn will grow"). It is an old one, having been known to Fr. Eusebio Kino, who in 1698 visited the Sobaipuri chief Coro at a settlement called Los Reyes or Los Reyes de Sonoydag. Coro said his people had just moved about two or three miles southwest of present-day Patagonia because of their victory over Apaches, whose vengeance they feared. A half century later during the 1750 Pima revolt ninety-one were living at what was called San Miguel of Sonoitac. In 1768 the community of Sonoita became a visita of Tubatama, Sonora. It was deserted by 1790. On May 15, 1825 Leon Henores bought a small Mexican land grant called San Jose de Sonoita, lying on both sides of Sonoita Creek. Following the Gadsen Purchase, the United States Land Court confirmed 7,592 acres of the grant. In 1856 Col. Gray called the stream running through the grant the Sonoita or Clover Creek.
Hinton also visited this region where the corn was growing as lushly as ever and noted it did as well there as in Missouri bottomlands and that the Sonoita River surfaced several times within twelve miles of Camp Crittenden. Because of increasing Apache harrassment in the period 1861-1876, the Sonoita Valley was nearly uninhabited by white men.
The present community of Sonoita came into existence in 1882 on the newly constructed railroad line. The town, established east of the old Sobaipuri rancheria, had a post office. Associated names include Sonoita Creek, Sonoita Land Grant, Sonoita River, and Sonoita Valley. PO est May 8, 1912, Clara L Hummel PM ( a notation on the postal records in the National Archives said that there was a railroad station but no village.)
Barnes, Will C.; Granger, Byrd (ed.) Arizona's names : X marks the place Falconer Pub. Co. : distributed by Treasure Chest Publications, c1983. P. 576
Websites
Local Government Website, Sonoita Arizona
http://sonoitaaz.com/
Arizonan.com Sonoita Arizona
http://arizonan.com/Sonoita/
Items on the Arizona and Southwest Index
The Military Posts on Sonoita Creek
FE EPH DMM-3
Kazzan Nature Center, Sonoita, Arizona
CE EPH SZ-130
Last Updated: July 26, 2002
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