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GILA COUNTY
Gila County was created in 1881 from portions of Maricopa and Pinal
counties, and later included part of Yavapai County. The county covers
4,796 square miles and is a source of great mineral wealth. The Globe
Mining District, originally located on the San Carlos Indian
Reservation, was reallocated to Gila County.
Silver first attracted people to this area in were depleted, copper
emerged
and has seat.
Gila County is the home of the legendary Graham-Tewksbury
feud, which
began in the 1870s and lasted 15 years. It claimed dozens of lives and
ignited tempers between cattle ranchers and sheep ranchers for years to
come.
Some of the attractions in Gila County include the Salt River Canyon,
Tonto National Monument, the Mogollon Rim, Tonto Natural Bridge State
Park, Coolidge Dam, Roosevelt Dam and Roosevelt Lake. Both desert
terrain and mountain ranges spread across the county’s landscape.
Elevations range from 2,000 to 7,000 feet above sea level. This stark
difference of 5,000 feet enables the county to support ranching as well
as tourism and recreation. These three areas of commerce, in addition
to copper production, comprise the county’s major industries. Portions
of Gila County including parts of Payson, Hayden and Winkelman have
been designated as an Enterprise Zone.
The U.S. Forest Service owns 56 percent of the land in Gila County.
Approximately 38 percent belongs to the Apache Tribe. Individuals and
corporations own 2 percent of the land; the U.S. Bureau of Land
Management, 2 percent; and the state of Arizona, 1 percent of the land;
and other public lands comprise the remaining 1
percent.
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