Arizona History

Looking for Wyatt Earp's mines?

Want to know why Uncle Jake got hanged?

The Arizona Collection contains about 105,000 books, pamphlets, manuscripts and periodicals relating to Arizona and its many peoples. Researchers will find information on almost any topic ranging from Arizona's geography and wildlife to Native Americans and ostrich ranching, from literature to religion, and from biographies of outlaws to collections of Western yarns. Because of Arizona's historical associations with surrounding areas, the collection also includes materials relating to New Mexico, southern California and Mexico.

For information on titles, authors and subjects, search the Agency's on-line catalog, ASLAPRCat.

For additional information about the Arizona Collection, contact Ellen Greene at (602) 926-3720 or via email.

Many resources on Arizona and Western history are available on the internet.

Government Records

Want to know where the phrase "you
have the right to remain silent" came from?

Are you researching public policy?

Government records protect the right of citizens, promote accountability for government officials and provide continuity. Records in the Arizona State Archives were created by individuals or agencies within state or local government. Agency records include those from boards, commissions and departments, as well as executive, legislative and judicial branches and date from 1863 to the early 1990s. Local records include those from county and city governments and date from 1863 to the 1940s. The Archives also has over sixty private manuscript collections.

Government records contain a wealth of information for historians, genealogists and others interested in a variety of topics. Many of the records overlap or complement published materials in the Arizona Collection. Primary sources, such as these, are invaluable in conducting research on Arizona and its peoples.

Because researching in an archives is so different from researching in a library and the collection comprises millions of pages, one of our experienced staff will be happy to help you get started.

The State Archives currently has 143 record groups and 61 manuscript collections plus local government records.