10 Top Discoveries in Arizona
There are many mysteries about Arizona. Before it was officially established as the 48th state in 1912, and far before colonization, there was life here. Archaeologists and investigators have been discovering ancient life and civilizations across the state, telling stories about the land before it became what it is today — as well as helping us learn about our potential future. Here are 10 of the top discoveries made that have changed Arizona as well as the world that we know.
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Ruins of 10 Villages Found — 1924Byron Cummings, a professor of anthropology at University of Arizona, and his students discovered villages over 1,000 years old near Tucson. Read More >> |
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700-Year-Old Relic Found — June 22, 196521-year-old Lynda Bird Johnson, President Lyndon Baines Johnson’s daughter, helped uncover remains in eastern Arizona during a two-week vacation study at the University of Arizona archaeological camp on the Fort Apache reservation. Read More >> |
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20,000-Year-Old Butcher Shop — 1931The discovery of large elephant-like mammoth bones in Yuma County, hacked with flint knives, indicates that America has been inhabited for at least 20,000 years. Dr. Harold J. Cook of the Cook museum of natural history explains this and the significance to the finding. Read More >> |
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Hohokam Village of Pueblo Grande — 1920sThe site which can be viewed by the public at the Pueblo Grand Museum, includes an 800-year-old platform mound — where ancient buildings were constructed — and excavated prehistoric ballcourt. The central part of what is now the museum was first preserved in 1924. Read More >> |
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Rich Uranium Ore Found — April 7, 1950Three new high-grade uranium minerals — which were used in building atomic bombs — were reported by the Geological Survey. The minerals were discovered by Dr. Charles A. Anderson in the Hillside Mine in Yavapai County. Read More >> |
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Columbian Mammoth Found — 2005Now known as Tuskers, the remains of a Columbian Mammoth were discovered in a construction site when one of the workers found the first cervical membrane of the mammoth. The area located in Gilbert is now known as Discovery Park as a result. Read More >> |
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Dinosaur Tracks Found — 1929It was reported to be one of the most important discoveries of dinosaur tracks, with a group of 300. They were found near Tuba City and the largest print was found to be nine inches long. Visitors are now invited to walk where these ancient reptiles did. Read More >> |
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Winona Meteorite — 1928This meteorite was found near the ruins of the prehistoric Elden pueblo. It was in a stone cist on the ancient burial ground, suggesting that the people of the area treated it like a living being and buried it after witnessing it fall. Read More >> |
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Oldest Dinosaur Found — 1985A 200-pound, plant-eating creature’s remains were discovered in the Petrified Forest by paleontologist Robert Long. The almost-intact skeleton was 225 million years old, four million years older than any previous dinosaur fossil discovered at the time. Read More >> |
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Las Capas Canals — 1998-2009Irrigation canals built as early as 1200 B.C. were discovered in the Tucson area. They are the oldest known canals north of central Mexico. This site has revealed much about ancient irrigation and agriculture. Read More >> |
