Arizona republican., 1915-01-19
Etorical importance connected with the


 In addition to these indexes I have started series of scrap books into which have been pasted newspaper clippings found in the office when I 1 took charge, and other newspaper i clippings gathered since that time. | Y is my intention to continue the making of these scrap books, past ing therein from day to day such articles relating to persons or events Tn Arizona as are now of importance, and which will be, as matter of course, of much more importance in time to come, thus furnishing ma terial not only for the history of Arizona, but also for set of ar chives of Arizona such as are printed and published by the States of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and other States of the Union
 1 In addition to this work I have i been continually interviewing old timers, and securing their personal narratives of persons and events. In many cases where l have not been able to secure a personal in terview, l have taken up the matter t% correspondence. and, with but one or two exceptions, have found the people of Arizona to whom I have applied for data not only willing, but glad to assist me in this branch of my work. 1 am particularly in debted to MT. Ben Weaver, of Pres colt, who owns the only complete file of the Miner, the oldest news paper in the Territory, which covers the first eight years of Arizona his tory under Territorial government This file could be purchased at a very moderate price, and the State should do so, because in fifty years from now it would be invaluable. 1 My work for the first thirteen months in the office was devoted ex- clusively to gathering data, indexing and classifying it, after which time the actual writing of the History was commenced.
 1 On the 18th day of the present month I had the honor and pleasure of presenting to you the first two volumes of the History of Arizona | III lNptWTIlttIl lOIlIl, lntSe two VOL umes containing something more than 100000 words, and covering the history of our state from the earliest times down to December 1863. the date of the organization of the Ter ritory of Arizona, which event it is my intention to use in commencing Volume of the History.
 ! If O parnittaA In AiSOrQc 1. little from the making of a mere formal report, l would like to say here that the history of Arizona is unique. one with which the history of no other state can compare. No other state has such a background of romance and adventure Ken lucky is called the Dark and Bloody Ground.' but the daring and enter prise of her pioneers are insignifi- cant when compared with the trials, sufferings and heroic endurance of the early settlers of Arizona who laid, firm and deep, the solid foun- cations of great and prosperous commonwealth. Illustrative of the trials and sufferings of the early settlers of this state is the fact that ! in the year 1871. in petition to | Congress asking for military pro- 1 lection. the names of over four hun dred persons who died at the hands of the Apaches during the preced- ing seven years, were given. This number represented over ten per cent of the voting populatioV of the territory during those years. In ad dition to this several millions of property belonging to the white set tiers were destroyed by the Indians.
 The history of Arizona is in two parts: One, the story of a van isned race, who left behind them a record of achievement in cavate dwellings, the ruins of pueblos and Qualifications, abandoned irrigation canals. and hieroglyphics on the Painted Rocks which, it is claimed, antedate the Conquest of England by William the Conqueror and record the activities of a civilized. culti- verted the desert into gardens, caus- ing its waste places to contribute to the comfort and happiness. The other, beginning with the Spanish explorers of the sixteenth century, land followed by the successive gov ernments under the Spanish Mexi- can and American flags, is the mar rative of the building up great state, the redemption of an empire from savagery to civilization.
 The writing of the first two vol umes of the History, above men, tioned, have developed many curious and interesting facts, not the least interesting being that the records show that the first white man (par- adoxicaly speaking), to enter what is now the State of Arizona was a negro slave. Estevan by name, who preceded Fray Marcos de Niza into Arizona, and had the misfortune tt
 meet his death at the hands of ont of the native tribes. These two vol umes contain other historical facts which were new to me, and which am confident, will be a revelation to the oldest citizens of Arizona.
 In regard to the name of Arizona II have not attempted in the history to give it's derivation, which is uncer- tain and has been the subject O. dispute for many years; all that is known of it is that in the latter part of the seventeenth century this name | ,roc oivap tn n rapOo of rpnunto iDS