HISTORY2 - How Arizona Got its Shape
In my first group of history articles on this blog, I want to provide a flavor of my recent writing that I collected and self-published in three electronic books available for reading on my website, ringbrothershistory.com , under “Bob’s Projects.” This article is adapted from Arizona Reflections - Living History from the Grand Canyon State. On February 24, 1863 President Abraham Lincoln signed legislation dividing the New Mexico Territory into two approximately equal pieces, creating the Arizona Territory out of the western half. But did you know that for years leading up to Lincoln’s action, most proposals to create a separate Arizona Territory wanted to do it out of New Mexico Territory’s southern half? The Shape We Know Today The story begins in 1845 when the United States annexed the Republic of Texas as a state. At the time, Texas claimed lands to the west that included much of present day New Mexico. At the end of the Mexican-American Wa...