Welcome to Arizona State Parks

Time Travel

Historic Courthouses

· The town to tough to die is indeed alive and well. Tombstone, in southeast Arizona, made famous in books and movies, keeps the history alive through beautiful historic buildings and characters of the past. Spurs and cowboy boots echo off the wooden sidewalks and shoot-outs are replayed in the streets but it is the stately courthouse that holds the history intact. Actual pieces of history are held here in the museum at Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park. Lean on the old wooden bar from the saloon where Wyatt and Doc threw a few back. Wander through thousands of items on display in the 1883 two story, brick building that depict the "Real" story of the old west and the people that brought it fame. Upstairs in the courtroom hear the story of another shootout at the OK Corral while you gaze out the windows down onto the gallows. Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park is on the corner of Toughnut and 3rd Street in Tombstone.

· The main building at McFarland State Historic Park was the original 1877 courthouse in Pinal County, just south of Phoenix. This adobe brick territorial style building is filled with stories of the days when Florence was called the "garden city" and Cottonwood trees lined the dirt streets. There were 27 saloons and no churches and the gold and payroll from the mines passed through almost daily. The rooms inside the museum are filled with artifacts from the jail, sheriff's office, judges chambers and exhibits portraying the many stages of the old building's use. An exhibit on the WW II Florence POW camp portrays personal accounts with photographs of Arizona's largest WW II prisoner of war camp. McFarland State Historic Park is in Florence on the corners of Ruggles and Main Streets.

The Old Prison, Arizona Territory, 1876 - 1909

Their crimes ranged from murder to polygamy and they were sentenced to the only prison in the territory in a town where summer temperatures reached well over 110 degrees, Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park. But they had fans and electric lights, a public library (the first in the territory) and schooling was available for convicts to learn to read and write. Though modern for its day, it is an eerie place to be. Visitors can walk through the adobe, stone and strap iron cells to see the prisoners' bunks and ankle chains. In the museum, exhibits tell the stories of the convicts (both men and women), their crimes, and how they passed their time. There is a selection of videos for visitors to view and even an opportunity to wear the stripes and take a mug shot. Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park is in Yuma off Interstate 8 and Giss Parkway.

Forts

· It is called a presidio, the Presidio de San Ignacio de Tubac. Literally translated presidio means a military encampment. We would know it as a fort. Tubac Presidio State Historic Park is a unique showcase of another time. It's roots travel back to the Jesuit, Eusebio Pimeria Kino, who established a mission there in 1691. The presidio was established by the Spanish in 1752 when fifty cavalrymen were garrisoned there to control the Pima Indians and protect the settlers from the Apaches and Seris. Juan Bautista de Anza was the second commander at the presidio. It was de Anza that led an expedition from Tubac that led to the founding of San Francisco. A walk through the grounds reveals the remains of the fort's walls, an underground archaeological exhibit, outdoor displays of early cooking and gardening techniques and the historic one room schoolhouse. The museum houses artifacts and exhibits from the Spanish, Pima, Apache, Seri, and European settlers that called Tubac home. Tubac Presidio State Historic Park, off Interstate 19 near Nogales, is in Tubac at the end of the two main streets.

· Fort Verde State Historic Park is the best preserved Indian Wars (1871-1891) military fort in Arizona with four remaining adobe buildings from the Indian Wars era. The floorboards still creek as you walk on the Commanding Officer's porch, just as they did back in 1873. On that porch, Tonto Apache Chief Chalipun, with 300 of his followers in attendance, officially surrendered to General George Crook. The Administration Building is now a museum filled with the uniforms and weapons that served the soldiers in everyday life on the post. The three officers' buildings are furnished with period settings from that bygone era. Fort Verde State Historic Park, 3 miles east of Interstate 17 in Camp Verde, is just off Main Street and Hollamon.

Museums on the Old West

· Jerome State Historic Park is the former estate of the Douglas family. Built in 1916 of adobe blocks by "Rawhide Jimmy" Douglas, it was used to house investors and entertain mining officials. It is an impressive mansion filled with the stories of the Jerome miners that gained and lost fortunes by the week. While fire was a miner's most feared enemy, whiskey was his beloved friend. Historic photographs and mining equipment from those early days are on display in the two story building and around the grounds. Jerome State Historic Park is located in Jerome off Highway 89A on Douglas Road.

· It was the substantial social, economic and political impact of the Riordans during Arizona's territorial days that helped developed the city of Flagstaff and northern Arizona. A tour of the Riordan mansion is a tour of luxury in the Arizona Territory. Unique stone arches flank the porch of this rough hewn log, plank and shingle home. The mansion is actually two of the most elegant historic homes in Arizona. Built in 1904, the homes were connected by a special room creating one imposing mansion for the families of Michael and Timothy Riordan. Only Timothy's side is toured as the park ranger "introduces" you to the families that once lived in the 13,000 square foot mansion. Much of the building remains the same as when the family lived there in the early 1900's. Stained glass windows provide a warm and colorful contrast to the rustic exterior. Riordan Mansion State Historic Park, just off Interstate 17, is in Flagstaff at Riordan Ranch Street next to Northern Arizona University.

· It is called a presidio, the Presidio de San Ignacio de Tubac. Literally translated presidio means a military encampment. We'd know it as a fort. Tubac Presidio State Historic Park is a unique showcase of another time. It's roots travel back to the Jesuit, Eusebio Pimeria Kino, who established a mission there in 1691. The presidio was established by the Spanish in 1752 when fifty cavalrymen were garrisoned there to control the Pima Indians and protect the settlers from the Apaches and Seris. Juan Bautista de Anza was the second commander at the presidio. It was de Anza that led an expedition from Tubac that led to the founding of San Francisco. A walk through the grounds reveals the remains of the fort's walls, an underground archaeological exhibit, outdoor displays of early cooking and gardening techniques and the historic one room schoolhouse. The museum houses artifacts and exhibits from the Spanish, Pima, Apache, Seri, and European settlers that called Tubac home. Tubac Presidio State Historic Park, off Interstate 19 near Nogales, is in Tubac at the end of the two main streets.

· Their crimes ranged from murder to polygamy and they were sentenced to the only prison in the territory (1876-1909) in a town where summer temperatures reached well over 110 degrees, Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park. But they had fans and electric lights, a public library (the first in the territory) and schooling was available for convicts to learn to read and write. Though modern for its day, it is an eerie place to be. Visitors can walk through the adobe, stone and strap iron cells to see the prisoners' bunks and ankle chains. In the museum, exhibits tell the stories of the convicts (both men and women), their crimes, and how they passed their time. There is a selection of videos for visitors to view and even an opportunity to wear the stripes and take a mug shot. Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park is in Yuma off Interstate 8 and Giss Parkway.

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