Frequently Asked Questions

Once upon a time Flagstaff was a tiny settlement that sat in the shadow of the San Francisco Peaks. In the mid-1800s the only white settlers were sheepherders and ranchers. All that changed when the Atlantic Pacific Railroad powered its way through in 1882. Like all areas where men toiled at laying the tracks for the great trains, a thriving community popped up around them. Saloons, cafes, gambling halls–there was no end of people ready and willing to help the workers spend their money! Many of these little settlements collapsed as the railroad workers moved on with their work, but Flagstaff had something those towns didn’t. Less than three weeks after the first train chugged through town the whistle on E.E. Ayers sawmill blew. It was open for business–and it was good, steady work for any man who wanted it. Where there was employment you usually found men with families–and where there were families, you usually found churches, schools, merchandising–in other words, the beginnings of a civilized town! The saloons and gambling halls and the women of the night didn’t go away completely–but the town quickly took on a different flavor than most of Arizona.

Outside of its rich history with Native American tribes– which would require several books to document– Flagstaff was first settled by sheep herders and ranchers in the mid-1800s. It was the laying of track for the Atlantic Pacific Railroad in 1882 that sparked the growth of a real town. Wherever the railroad went, men were needed. They worked long days and were paid real money that saloon keepers and grocers and ladies of the evening were only too happy to help them spend! Most small railroad settlements disintegrated as the track layers moved on, but Flagstaff had something most towns didn’t–the largest contingent Ponderosa Pine forest west of the Mississippi. Pine meant lumber and lumber was used by almost everyone in those days–in making railroad ties, building homes–you name it! No sooner after the first train went through than the Ayer’s lumber mill opened, offering good paying jobs and steady work for men and their families. The lumber mills, as well as the availability of the railroad, allowed Flagstaff to grow and continued to provide opportunities for the town’s people.