What I'm Reading This Month
By Linda Carpenter
May 2006
Being new to the area, I decided to learn something about the history of Sierra Vista. At the public library, I obtained a copy of a book called Sierra Vista; Young City With a Past, by local writer Ethel Jackson Price. You can also buy it at the Landmark Restaurant.
The history goes back well before the date in 1956 when Sierra Vista officially became a city. You probably already know that this area was once part of Mexico and then was part of a territory that included present day Arizona and New Mexico. But did you know that the territory was annexed by the Confederacy in 1862? The United States reclaimed it ten days later. However, the efforts of the Confederate governor to exterminate the Apaches continued past that time.
Sierra Vista’s story can not be told without including the story of Fort Huachuca, an army post that that was established in 1877. The post might have ended up at a place called Camp Wallen, which had been abandoned after an outbreak of malaria. Although the danger of malaria was over, the party scouting for a location for the post found that Camp Wallen had been left as a trash dump. It’s possible that Sierra Vista would not be here if not for malaria.
These are just a couple of examples of many interesting facts revealed in Price’s book. I would recommend it even for long-time Sierra Vistans, who will be fascinated by the breadth of information offered in this short history.
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