Papago Park is a hilly desert park covering some 1200 acres in its Phoenix extent, and some 296 acres in its Tempe extent (the latter is also referred to specifically as Tempe Papago Park). The park is surrounded by the cities of Phoenix, Tempe, and Scottsdale.
Papago Park is notable for its many distinctive geological formations and its wide variety of typical desert plants, including the giant saguaro cactus. The park also features a desert botanical garden, a large zoo (the Phoenix Zoo), picnic areas, several small lakes, hiking trails, bicycle paths, a fire museum, and Hunt's Tomb, the pyramidal tomb of Arizona's first governor, George W. P. Hunt.
Tempe Papago Park includes baseball and softball fields, picnic ramadas, a small lake, and other features. Rolling Hills Golf Course is within the park between its Phoenix and Tempe extremities.
The distinctive red sandstone geological formations of Papago Park were formed some 6-15 million years ago. One such formation, Hole-in-the-Rock, is a major landmark, thanks to the openings eroded in the formation over time.
There is some evidence that the Hohokam-a now-extinct aboriginal tribe that once lived in the Phoenix area-used the openings and sunlight to track the solstices. There are also some signs of Precambrian granite in the park. The bedrock is concealed by only a thin layer of topsoil.
Papago Park was designated a reservation for the local Maricopa and Pima tribes of aboriginal Americans in 1879. It became the Papago Saguaro National Monument in 1914, but this status was abolished by Congress in 1930; divided amongst the State of Arizona, the City of Tempe, Arizona National Guard, and the Salt River Project.
During WWII, the park housed a POW camp, and after the war it served as a government hospital and then an Army Reserve facility. The state owned portion of the park was sold to the city of Phoenix on February 25, 1959. A portion of the Tempe park was conveyed to that city in 1935, and a parcel within that portion was conveyed to the Salt River Project in 1955. The park was also the finish line in the fourth season of The Amazing Race.
Papago Park is notable for its many distinctive geological formations and its wide variety of typical desert plants, including the giant saguaro cactus. The park also features a desert botanical garden, a large zoo (the Phoenix Zoo), picnic areas, several small lakes, hiking trails, bicycle paths, a fire museum, and Hunt's Tomb, the pyramidal tomb of Arizona's first governor, George W. P. Hunt.
Tempe Papago Park includes baseball and softball fields, picnic ramadas, a small lake, and other features. Rolling Hills Golf Course is within the park between its Phoenix and Tempe extremities.
The distinctive red sandstone geological formations of Papago Park were formed some 6-15 million years ago. One such formation, Hole-in-the-Rock, is a major landmark, thanks to the openings eroded in the formation over time.
There is some evidence that the Hohokam-a now-extinct aboriginal tribe that once lived in the Phoenix area-used the openings and sunlight to track the solstices. There are also some signs of Precambrian granite in the park. The bedrock is concealed by only a thin layer of topsoil.
Papago Park was designated a reservation for the local Maricopa and Pima tribes of aboriginal Americans in 1879. It became the Papago Saguaro National Monument in 1914, but this status was abolished by Congress in 1930; divided amongst the State of Arizona, the City of Tempe, Arizona National Guard, and the Salt River Project.
During WWII, the park housed a POW camp, and after the war it served as a government hospital and then an Army Reserve facility. The state owned portion of the park was sold to the city of Phoenix on February 25, 1959. A portion of the Tempe park was conveyed to that city in 1935, and a parcel within that portion was conveyed to the Salt River Project in 1955. The park was also the finish line in the fourth season of The Amazing Race.
© 2006 by "DiscoveringArizona Inc." · All Rights Reserved · E-Mail: jayq@discoveringarizona.com
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