Pearce, Arizona

Pearce, Arizona, and Sunsites, Arizona, are adjacent unincorporated communities in the Sulphur Springs Valley of Cochise County, Arizona, United States. The two communities are often referred to as Pearce-Sunsites, Pearce/Sunsites, or Pearce Sunsites.

Pearce is best known as a historic ghost town. Sunsites, founded in 1961, adjoins Pearce, and the Sunizona and Richland developments are nearby. All of these communities share the Pearce, Arizona post office and ZIP code, 85625. The 85625 ZIP Code Tabulation Area, which includes the four communities named plus a large surrounding rural area, had a population of 2104 at the 2000 census. The Pearce-Sunsites economy is based on retirees and tourism.

Fittsburg was the site of the Commonwealth Mine and is located about one mile east of Pearce.

History

Pearce is a mining ghost town named for Cornishman James Pearce, miner and cattleman, who discovered gold nearby at what became the Commonwealth Mine in 1894. The Pearce Post Office was established on March 6, 1896. The railroad station opened in 1903. By 1919, Pearce had a population of 1,500. The town declined in the 1930s, and became almost a ghost town in the late 1940s, when the mine closed for the last time.

Arizona

Arizona (ⁱ/ɛrɪˈzoʊnə/; /ærɪˈzoʊnə/) (Navajo: Hoozdo Hahoodzo; O'odham: Alĭ ṣonak) is a state in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the Western United States and of the Mountain West states. It is the sixth largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is one of the Four Corners states. It has borders with New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, California, and Mexico, and one point in common with the southwestern corner of Colorado. Arizona's border with Mexico is 389 miles (626 km) long, on the northern border of the Mexican states of Sonora and Baja California.

Arizona is the 48th state and last of the contiguous states to be admitted to the Union, achieving statehood on February 14, 1912. It was previously part of the territory of Alta California in New Spain before being passed down to independent Mexico and later ceded to the United States after the Mexican–American War. The southernmost portion of the state was acquired in 1853 through the Gadsden Purchase.

Arizona (department)

The Arizona Department (1863−1865) was a department of the Second Mexican Empire, located in the present day state of Sonora in Northwestern Mexico.

It was directly south of the U.S. Arizona Territory, the present day state of Arizona.

Arizona (song)

"Arizona" is a song written by Kenny Young and recorded by former Paul Revere and the Raiders member Mark Lindsay, with L.A. session musicians from the Wrecking Crew, in 1969. The single was Number 10 on the Hot 100 on 14 February 1970 and was awarded a RlAA Gold Disc in April 1970.

Overview

The song is about a man telling his hippie girlfriend, referred to as Arizona (it is not clear if this is her real name or a hippie pseudonym) to stop acting like a teeny bopper and follow him instead. Lyrics in the song mention the girl to "get rid of her hobo shoes, rainbow shades, and Indian braids", plus Robin Hood, the Count of Monte Cristo, the Countess May, and Aesop. The song was also recorded in 1969 both by Clodagh Rodgers (an Irish singer who was arguably Kenny Young's muse), and the Family Dogg. In addition the song was later covered by French singer Eddy Mitchell.

Chart performance

Weekly singles charts

Year-end charts

References