Happy 110th Birthday, Arizona!
Dear Friend,
I wanted to take a brief moment to write about our beautiful state. As you may know, Arizona’s Statehood Day is tomorrow, which is the 110th since we joined the union on February 14th, 1912 as our nation's 48th state. To celebrate this milestone birthday for Arizona, I wanted to highlight a few of my favorite fun facts about the place we call home.
The Origin Story of Arizona's Flag
In 1910, the Arizona National Guard Rifle Team attended a competition held in Ohio. Among the team members were future Congressman and Senator Carl Hayden, and future Adjutant General Charles Harris. To prepare for the competition, Col. Harris created a design for a flag, and Mr. Hayden’s wife took on the job of sewing it together. They displayed this flag at the rifle competition and brought it back home where it garnered popular appeal. In 1917, the State Legislature adopted the rifle team's flag as the official flag for the State of Arizona.
The O.K. Corral
One of the most infamous events from the old Wild West happened right here in Arizona. On October 26th, 1881 in Tombstone, the gunfight at the O.K. Corral took place. The roughly 30 second shootout was between several outlaw Cowboys and a few Law Enforcement Officers.
If you visit the O.K. Corral today, you’ll take a step back in time as you walk through a Wild West town with an epic history.
USS Arizona
Near and dear to many of our hearts is the story of the USS Arizona. This battleship was in service to our nation from its commission in 1916 until its tragic sinking at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. On that fateful day, 1,177 officers and crewman lost their lives aboard the USS Arizona, and the ship remains at the bottom of Pearl Harbor to this day, serving as a memorial to all the lives lost that morning. Today, you can honor those who served aboard the battleship by visiting remnants of the famed USS Arizona across our state. For more information, please click this link: The Relics of the USS Arizona - Pearl Harbor
Before the events of Pearl Harbor unfolded, the USS Arizona had a resume of excellence. Among the missions the ship embarked upon, a few notable are:
- Escorting President Woodrow Wilson to the Paris Peace Conference
- At the beginning of the Greco-Turkish War, the ship was sent to Turkey in 1919
- In 1933, after an earthquake hit Long Beach, California, the battleship provided aid to survivors
- In 1934, the ship was featured in the film Here Comes the Navy
- In 1940, the USS Arizona was transferred to Pearl Harbor as a deterrent to any Pacific threats
10 Facts To Celebrate The 110th Statehood Day
- The Saguaro Cactus Blossom was adopted as the official State flower in 1931
- The Capitol Dome in Phoenix contains enough copper to make 4,800,000 pennies
- “Ditat Deus” is the state motto, which means “God enriches”
- The Grand Canyon is 277 miles long, up to 18 miles wide, and over a mile deep. Nearly 5 million people visit this Wonder of the World every year
- The diverse climate throughout Arizona can yield both the highest and lowest temperatures in the country within the same day
- Grand Falls and Havasu Falls are two of the top rated waterfalls in the United States
- Astronauts trained for the Apollo Moon missions on Meteor Crater
- Phoenix is the most populous state capital in the nation
- The former planet Pluto was discovered at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff in 1930
- Every American President from Herbert Hoover to George W. Bush has stayed at the Biltmore Resort and Spa in Paradise Valley
Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and please join me tomorrow in wishing Arizona a Happy 110th Birthday!
Sincerely,
David Schweikert
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