ARIZONA: 100 Years and Counting

One hundred years of statehood. As milestones go, that's not going to impress many people in Virginia, Maryland or Massachusetts. And even if you convert the number to days (36,500) or hours (876,000), it still feels insignificant. Nevertheless, a lot can happen in 10 decades, including the emergence of war heroes such as Frank Luke Jr. and the Navajo Code Talkers, an "attack" on California by the "Arizona Navy," a prisoner-of-war escape from a scenic park in metropolitan Phoenix, an unprecedented population boom and an unlikely World Series victory over the storied New York Yankees.

At approximately 9 a.m. on February 14, 1912, word reached Arizona that President William Howard Taft had finally signed the longawaited statehood bill. Arizonans immediately demonstrated an independence that would define the next 100 years.

That same year, the controversial “recall of judges,” which had delayed statehood for Arizona, was reinstated. Ironically, despite officially making Arizona the 48th state in the Union, Taft finished fourth in a field of five among state voters in the presidential election of 1912.

In 1917, Americans went off to fight the “War to End All Wars.” Most prominent among Arizona’s many heroes was Lieutenant Frank Luke Jr., the famed “Balloon Buster,” who executed 18 aerial victories before dying in combat. Luke was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, becoming the first aviator in history to receive the nation’s highest award for valor in combat against an enemy force.

Despite the horrors of World War I, the silver lining was a positive effect on Arizona’s economy, primarily because of the demand For cattle, cotton and cop-per. Around the state, min-ing towns were operating around the clock. How-ever, boom turned to bust by war’s end, and Arizona faced a business recession led by a “cotton bust,” a severe drought and the curtailment of mining operations. The state’s copper mines, which had produced 382,000 tons of metal in 1918, produced only 92,500 tons in 1921.Gradually, the economy improved, and the cop-per industry in particular got a boost from the introduction of the installment plan, which allowed Americans to make monthly payments and go on buying sprees. Products such as automobiles, toasters, radios, refrigerators and washing machines all used copper in their manufacturing. By 1929, business was thriving again, and the “Roaring Twenties” was living up to its reputation as a decade defined by sports heroes, bootleggers, gangsters and “flapper girls” - independent women who bobbed their hair, raised their hemlines, drank bathtub gin, smoked cigarettes and passed their nights in steamy jazz clubs. But in late October 1929, the stock market crashed. Almost overnight, the Roaring Twenties were silenced.

THE GREAT DEPRESSION that defined the 1930s was slow in coming to Arizona, but its effects lasted longer here than they did back East. Most of the state's mines closed as copper prices tumbled. Many farms failed, and cotton was down to 5 cents a pound. Livestock and agriculture, which had boomed during the previous two decades, went bust. Private construction was at a standstill, too, with the exception of dam construction on the Colorado, Salt and Verde rivers.

To help jump-start the economy, President Franklin D. Roosevelt launched the New Deal, which included many stimulus programs. One of the more successful programs in Arizona was the Civilian Conservation Corps. Beginning in 1933, it promoted a nationwide program of conservation, and at the same time offered vocational training to young men. By 1936, Arizona was home to more than 40 CCC camps, which provided jobs for approximately 9,000 corpsmen. Much of their handiwork is still intact at places such as Grand Canyon National Park and South Mountain Park in Phoenix.

Although the economy in Arizona was slowly improving in the 1930s, the fight with California over Colorado River water was get-ting worse. The battle began in the 1920s, but by 1934, it flared into a small “naval war” when construction workers started building a dam at Parker to divert water to California. Arizonans were furious, prompting Governor Benjamin Moeur to send the Arizona National Guard to the banks of the river. The guardsmen borrowed a couple ofancient ferryboats from Nellie Bush, a colorful ferryboat pilot, in their effort to reconnoiter the “enemy shore.” Unfortunately, the mission went south when the two boats got hung up in some cables and the guardsmen's worst nightmare came true: The “desert sailors” had to be rescued by “enemy” Californians. Understandably, the national media had a field day poking fun at the “Arizona Navy,” but that wasn't the first local news of the decade to make headlines.Earlier, in 1931, a young woman named Winnie Ruth Judd com-mitted one of the state's most notorious murders. Judd, who would become known as “The Trunk Murderess,” had gotten into an argu-ment with two friends, Hedvig “Sammy” Samuelson and Anne Le Roi. The incident turned violent, and somehow, the much smaller Judd was able to kill the larger women. Some historians believe there's no way that Judd could have committed the crime herself, much less pulled off what happened next. After the women were murdered, their bodies were dismembered, stuffed into a trunk and shipped by rail to Los Angeles. Judd was tried, convicted and sentenced to death for the murders, but days before her hanging, she was declared insane. In subsequent years, Judd became somewhat of a folk hero after escap-ing seven times between 1939 and 1962. Once, she eluded capture for seven years. It was later revealed that Judd had a key to the front door the entire time she was incarcerated. She was released in 1971 after serving 39 years.

THE UNITED STATES entered World War II on December 7, 1941, when Japanese planes attacked Pearl Har-bor in an attempt to disable the U.S. Navy in the Pacific. The battle-ship USS Arizona was the worst hit. Nearly half of those killed at Pearl Harbor were lost when bombs struck the giant vessel, marking the worst naval disaster in American history.

Among the most famous of Arizona's WWII war heroes were Ira Hayes, John C. Butler, Art Van Haren, Grant Turley and Medal of Honor recipients Max Thompson and Silvestre Herrera, as well as the storied Navajo Code Talkers, who, using a code based on their native language, saved the lives of thousands of Marines. Another unit of dis-tinction was the 158th Arizona National Guard, the "Bushmasters," of whom General Douglas MacArthur said, "No greater fighting combat team has ever deployed for battle."

Although the war was fought overseas, one of the most unlikely prisoner-of-war camps was based in Phoenix at Papago Park. The camp is perhaps best known for what turned out to be the largest prisoner escape during the war. It occurred on December 23, 1944, when 25 Germans tunneled out of the camp and headed for the U.S.Mexico border. Three of the escapees assembled a boat with plans to float down the Gila River, which they'd seen on a map. Much to their dismay, when they arrived at the river, it was dry. Within a few weeks, all of the prisoners were captured and returned to Papago Park. With hindsight, the incident was almost comical. But that wasn't the case with the Japanese-American internment camps.

The West Coast hysteria caused by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor - and fueled by anti-Japanese sentiment among farmers who competed against Japanese labor - prompted the U.S. government to establish internment camps for nearly 120,000 Japanese-Americans. Even though most of the detainees were American citizens, they were nonetheless uprooted, forced to leave their homes, forced to sell their businesses and taken to camps in remote regions of the West,where they remained until the end of the war. The internment camp in Poston, Arizona, became the state's third-largest city during the war. Ironically, many young Japanese men, whose families were living behind barbed wire, enlisted in the military as the legendary 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the most decorated unit in the war.

As a result of World War II, Arizona's economy began a shift from mining and agriculture to manufacturing and technology. The advent of the aerospace industry in the state began in 1941, when Goodyear Aircraft established a large plant in the West Valley to build combat aircraft. In addition, the Garrett Corp. moved to Phoenix and became a leading manufacturer of parts for B-17 bombers. A few years later, in 1949, Motorola opened the first of several electronics plants in Arizona. Other corporations followed, including General Electric, Hughes Aircraft, Honeywell and Sperry Rand.

The postwar years changed the state dramatically. Subdivisions, shopping centers and gas stations began springing up in urban areas, and the population of Phoenix grew from 106,000 in 1950 to nearly a half-million a decade later. Agriculture and mining had given way to air-conditioning, aerospace and automobiles. In 1950, gas sold for 27 cents a gallon, a new car cost less than $1,500, and $9,000 could put you in a new home. Televisions became a must for all who could afford them.

Sadly, those years were also marked by tragedy. One of the worst occurred at the Grand Canyon on June 30, 1956, when a United Airlines DC-7 with 58 people aboard collided with a TWA Super Constellation with 70 people on board. Both planes had veered off their courses to give passengers a better view of the Canyon, and both fell into the natural wonder, killing all 128 people. At the time, it was the worst aviation disaster in history.

POLITICS TOOK CENTER

Stage in Arizona in the 1950s. For the first time in state history, a woman was chosen as a major party candidate for governor - Ana Frohmiller won the Democratic nomination in 1950. In the 1940s, 87 percent of the registered voters in Arizona were Democrats. Despite the overwhelming margin, Republican Howard Pyle, a popular radio personality, defeated Frohmiller. Still, the Democrats continued their dominance of the Legislature, winning all 19 Senate seats and 61 of 72 House seats. Two years later, Governor Pyle persuaded Barry Goldwater to run against Senate Majority Leader Ernest W. McFarland. Considering voter registration at the time, it seemed like a long shot. However, it was 1952, and the immensely popular Dwight D. Eisenhower was the Republican candidate for president. Goldwater mounted a grassroots campaign by flying around the state. Meanwhile, Washington business kept McFarland busy, and he wasn't able to mount a strong campaign. When the results were in, Goldwater had pulled off the most stunning political upset in state history. The event marked the rise of the Republican Party in Arizona.

In 1960, U.S. Representative Stewart Udall was appointed secretary of the interior by President-elect John F. Kennedy, thus becoming the first Arizonan to serve in a cabinet post. Four years later, Goldwater won the Republican nomination, becoming the first Arizonan to run for president. As significant as those milestones were, the most important political event in Arizona history occurred in 1966, when a federal court reapportioned the state Legislature on a basis of “one man, one vote.” Prior to that ruling, agriculture and mining interests in the rural areas controlled most of the state's politics. With the realignment, Republicans gained control of the Legislature for the first time, prompting one plainspoken Democrat to lament, “We didn't have any damn Republicans in Arizona until we got air conditioning.”

While Republicans were taking control of Arizona, U.S. servicemen and women were entrenched in the Vietnam War. Although the effects of that conflict were felt all over the state, no community was affected more than the small mining town of Morenci. The story of the legendary “Morenci Nine” continues to invoke sad and poignant memories. It began on July 4, 1966, when nine recent graduates of Morenci High School joined the U.S. Marine Corps. Of the nine, six died in battle.

The headlines were more encouraging in Northern Arizona, which played a critical role in NASA's first trip to the moon. Turns out, the area offered a tremendous variety of geologic features similar to what astronauts might find on a lunar surface. And so, the area around Flagstaff proved to be an excellent training ground for the Apollo astronauts.

As they were preparing for their voyage to the moon, an elderly Navajo man announced that the astronauts wouldn't be the first men in outer space. According to an interpreter who spoke on behalf of the elderly man, Navajos had already visited the moon while on a journey to the sun. NASA saw this as a great public relations story, and asked the Navajo to provide some words of wisdom for the astronauts should they encounter any of his ancestors on the moon. The old man agreed and spoke into a tape recorder using his native tongue.

“What did he say?” NASA officials anxiously asked the interpreter.

“He said, 'Don't make any treaties with these guys.” DURING THE 1970S, the governor's office in Arizona started to resemble a game of musical chairs. Raul Castro, a former judge and foreign ambassador, became the state's first Hispanic governor. Castro, who was born in Mexico and raised in Pirtleville, near Douglas, rose from poverty Horatio Alger-like to become the state's chief executive. He left office before his term expired to accept another ambassadorial appointment, and was replaced by Secretary of State Wesley Bolin.

Bolin died a few months after taking office, and was replaced by Attorney General Bruce Babbitt. Babbitt was subsequently elected to two terms. Thoughtful and intelligent, Babbitt was arguably one of the best governors in the state's history. He elevated the office to one of high profile. He worked well with the Republican-controlled Legis-lature and earned respect on both sides of the aisle, as did Sandra Day O'Connor, one of Babbitt's colleagues in the law profession. O'Connor,who grew up on a ranch in Southeastern Arizona, made history in 1981 when President Ronald Reagan appointed her as the first woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court (see related story, page 4).

Five years later, the election of Evan Mecham as governor kicked off one of the most contentious political periods in Arizona history. Mecham was a feisty and strong-willed fiscal conservative, and many of his cost-cutting measures were considered sound, but his inability to work with the Republican-dominated Legislature turned what should have been an amicable relationship into all-out war. And in the process, Mecham managed to offend nearly every segment of society. Within months of his election, the governor faced recall, impeachment and a criminal trial, something unprecedented in American history at the time. Eventually, Mecham was indicted on six felony charges, initiating a chain of events that led to his ouster. He was replaced by Secretary of State Rose Mofford, who became the first female chief executive in state history.

Ironically, three years after legislators removed Evan Mecham from office, some of those same lawmakers were themselves caught in a sting operation called “AzScam,” during which an undercover agent, posing as a lobbyist for legalized gambling, offered bribes to several elected officials. Hidden video cameras recorded the event.

Unfortunately, controversy within the governor's office continued into the 1990s. Real estate developer J. Fife Symington III took office in 1991 and earned good marks as governor, winning a second term in 1994. Three years later, however, he was indicted on seven felony counts involving real estate deals not related to the governor's office. He was convicted of bank fraud and later resigned. Secretary of State Jane Dee Hull was sworn in as Arizona governor.

THE PHOENIX SUNS joined the

In 1968, and with that move, the capital city was on its way to becoming a major sports mecca that would eventually include the Phoenix Cardinals (the name was later changed to the Arizona Cardi-nals), the Phoenix Coyotes and, in 1998, the Arizona Diamondbacks. That first year for the Diamondbacks was pretty rough, but just three years after becom-ing a major league team, the D'Backs beat the storied New York Yankees in the 2001 World Series.

Arizonans rode that wave of victory and a strong economy for several years, but in 2008, the state's economy went into a freefall, bringing on the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Banks failed, the housing market went bust and unemployment skyrocketed.

That same year, John McCain became Arizona's second major-party nominee for president, and like his predecessor, Barry Goldwater, he lost the general election, prompting one comedienne to jest, “Arizona's the only state in the nation where a mother can't tell her child they might someday grow up to be president.”

WHEN STATEHOOD came in 1912, the population

The population of Arizona was only 250,000, and Phoenix was the thirdlargest city in the state after Tucson and Bisbee. Speaking in Tempe following the dedication of the dam that now bears his name, Theodore Roosevelt predicted the population of the Salt River Valley would one day reach 100,000. He missed the mark.

After harnessing the Salt River, Phoenix began a period of phenomenal growth, surpassing Tucson by 1920. Phoenix went from being the 95th largest city in the U.S. in 1950 to the fifth by 2006. The state as a whole also enjoyed unprecedented growth, going from 500,000 people in 1940 to almost 6.5 million just 60 years later. And the people are still coming.

Why? It's mostly about lifestyle.

Arizona is a great place to live, work and play. The state is blessed with a moderate climate, open spaces, a lower cost of living, natural beauty, an abundance of natural resources, respected institutions of higher learning, and a lower risk of natural disasters. Topographically, Arizona ranges from alpine mountains to lush deserts with every life zone in between. And despite the heat, even the desert can boast of having four seasons: 1) almost summer, 2) summer, 3) still summer and 4) Christmas Day.

Yes, it does get a little warm in the Sonoran Desert, but remember: It's a dry heat.