The Barrel Cactus sometimes goes by the name “Compass Cactus” because they usually lean in a southerly direction.  They actually grow slower on the side that faces the sun causing the plant to tip slightly towards the south.

Although they are typically short, topping out at 2 to 4 feet, the can reach heights of over 10 feet.  Like most cacti, these are slow growing plants and may only be 3 inches tall when they are 4 years old.  They can live for more than 100 years. 

These hardy plants can survive long periods of drought using the water stored within them. According to “The Great Southwest Nature Factbook” one barrel cactus, which had been removed from the ground, was able to survive 6 years, using only the water stored inside it.

Can you use the water in these cacti as an emergency water source?  Experts say no.  The fluid in most cacti contains bitter alkaloids and other chemicals.  These can cause you to vomit or have diarrhea, neither of which you want to do if you are already dehydrated.

“Wilbur the Wildcat,” the mascot for the University of Arizona’s sports teams made his first appearance in November 1959 during a U of A vs.. Texas game.  Wilbur’s was originally designed to look like a cowboy, wearing a cowboy hat, holster and carrying two guns. In recent years he lost some of the the cowboy image and guns were removed.

Arizona State’s Mascot “Sparky” first appeared in 1948. Sparky was designed by a former Walt Disney illustrator.  According to some sources, Sparky’s face was drawn to resemble Walt Disney, who had fired the illustrator.

One of the more popular “Mexican” foods is the chimichanga.   The chimichanga, or chimi, is like a deep fried burrito. Probably not the healthiest food item, but very tasty.  However, the chimichanga is not from Mexico, it is an Arizona original.  Chimi historians seems to agree that it was invented by a Tucson restaurant decades ago.  Which restaurant it was is unclear.  Several Tucson restaurant have claimed that they came up with the original chimichanga. 

During the 1800s, the town of Wickenburg decided that instead of building a jail they would just chain prisoners to a Mesquite tree located on a street corner in town.  One night they arrested a rather burly drunkard who was “tearing up the town.” The “Jail Tree” was already full of other prisoners so they chained him to a huge log nearby.  The next morning the  prisoner and the log was missing.  They found both of them in a nearby saloon. 

This being Flag Day I thought I’d provide you with some trivia about the Arizona State Flag.

The Arizona state flag was officially adopted on February 17, 1917. It was designed in 1910 by Colonel Charles W. Harris. It was originally meant to be the flag of Arizona Rifle Team and they flew it when competing.

Some sources say that the 13 rays at the top represent the original 13 colonies of the U.S. Other sources say it was meant to represent the original 13 counties in Arizona. The rays are meant to portray the setting sun. The large copper colored star in the center was included as a tribute to Arizona’s once powerful copper industry. The shades of red and blue are supposed to be the exact same color as the official colors in the U.S. Flag. It has also been stated that the red and yellow colors are the same colors as those flown by the Spanish Conquistadors when they explored the area that became Arizona.

Not everyone was pleased with the flag’s design. When the vote was held to approve the flag there were many dissenting votes and the Governor Campbell even refused to sign the bill, which became law without his signature.

In a 2001 poll conducted by the North American Vexillological Association, the Arizona flag was identified as one of the “10 best flags on the continent.” (Vexillology is the study of flags)

In 1917, anti-union vigilantes rounded up about 2,000 members of Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) labor union. This action was in response to a strike against the Phelps Dodge copper company. The nation was at war and many believed that a strike,during wartime, was unpatriotic. Some of the men were freed but 1,200 were loaded on to boxcars, shipped to New Mexico, and dropped off in the desert without food or water. Later many of the vigilantes were charged with kidnapping, although a local Arizona court acquitted them.

When Engineers designed Coolidge Dam to form San Carlos Lake behind it, they dramatically underestimated the flow of the Gila River and other regional runoff. They had assumed that the water flow would be about 460 thousand acre feet per year. They based their calculation on runoff they had observed in recent years. However rainfall was unusually plentiful during this time.  As the dam was being built, rainfall in the region decreased. The actual flow was closer to 200 thousand acre feet per year. When the dam was dedicated in March 1930, San Carlos Lake, which was supposed to be a massive 1,3000,000 acre-foot reservoir, looked more like a shallow, weed-choked swamp. 

Humorist Will Rogers, who attended the ceremony, looked out over the lake and quipped, “If this was my lake, I’d mow it.

It would take almost 50 years for the lake to reach capacity.

Source: Arizona, A History – Thomas Sheridan. Photo credit:  US Bureau of Reclamation

In theory, that could have been the name of Phoenix’s Pro Basketball team.  When the City of Phoenix was being founded, several  suggestion for the name were considered. Among the top picks were:

• Pumpkinville
• Millville
• Selinas
• Stonewall

Luckily, none of these names was chosen.  Instead the founders decided to call the city “Phoenix” after the mythical bird that rose from its own ashes. As you may know, Phoenix is located on the site where the Hohokam civilization once flourished before mysteriously vanishing. 

Historians disagree on the person that suggested “Phoenix.”  Some say that it was a colorful character name Bryan Phillip Darrell Duppa, or as he called himself, “Lord” Duppa.  Other historians credit Jack Swilling with coming up with the name.  Regardless of who suggested it, we should be thankful he did.  Phoenix sounds much better than Pumpkinville.

More than 1,000 years ago the Hohokam tribe built 315 miles of irritation canals throughout the Phoenix area. These people, numbering between 20,000 and 50,000 at their peak, flourished in the area before mysteriously disappearing around the year 1400. The name Hohokam is a Pima Indian word meaning “all used up.” There are several theories to explain their disappearance. Some speculate that the area was subject to a series of flood and droughts. This diminished their ability to provide food and a reliable water source for their large population. The central government or authority probably lost control of the tribe as a result. The population may have just packed up in small groups and move to other areas. Some may have formed other small communities in the local area.

The Arizona Territory capital was moved 5 times between 1864 and 1889. The first location was at Fort Whipple, in Chino Valley. In a few months the fort, and the capital, were moved to Granite Creek. This location would soon become the city of Prescott. Tucson’s growing political power enabled it to have the capital moved there in 1867. Ten years later, in 1877, the capital returned to Prescott. After many legislators complain about the difficulty traveling to Prescott, the capital was moved to Phoenix, where it remains today. (Photo: Arizona Capitol Museum)