Arizona: Places to See 1912-2012 Quiz

Answer: A 336-mile-long canal

In 1993, the twenty-year construction of the Central Arizona Project was completed -- a 336-mile canal delivering 1.5 million acre-feet of Colorado River water from Lake Havasu to Phoenix and Tucson. Native American tribes and agricultural customers each get about a third of the allocation, with the remaining third going to communities and industrial customers along the canal route.

Although fish are stocked in the canal to eat algae and the like, there is no fishing allowed along the canal; it is protected by a fence for its entire length to prevent people and animals from falling into the fast-moving water.

There are several bridges over the canal in various places to allow animals to cross (migration paths were studied to build the bridges at the appropriate places) and there are watering holes located in several places along the canal to help keep animals from being tempted by the canal waters.

Answer: Ski areas

These areas have ski shops and restaurants so they aren't merely spots that happen to get snow. Sunrise Park Ski Resort is operated by the Apaches in the White Mountains of eastern Arizona, Arizona Snowbowl is located in the San Francisco Peaks overlooking Flagstaff, Williams Ski Area (Elk Ridge) is located west of Flagstaff on Bill Williams Mountain, and Mount Lemmon Ski Valley overlooks Tucson. All of the sites have many runs and multiple ski lifts.

Incidentally, Mt. Lemmon is officially the southernmost ski area in the continental US and usually gets credit for being the southernmost in the entire US since Mauna Kea in Hawaii doesn't have lifts or a ski center.

Answer: Largest reservoir in the U.S.

Arizona shares the two largest reservoirs in the United States: Lake Mead (with Nevada) and Lake Powell (with Utah). Both reservoirs are along the Colorado River, with Lake Mead created by Hoover Dam in 1936 and Lake Powell created by Glen Canyon Dam in 1966.

The largest lake located entirely in Arizona is Theodore Roosevelt Lake northeast of Phoenix. It is also a reservoir, created by Theodore Roosevelt Dam in 1911. Mormon Lake in northern Arizona is the largest natural lake in the state.

Answer: Tubac

In 1752, the Spanish established Tubac, the first European settlement in Arizona. The town is located about twenty miles north of the Mexican border and fifty miles south of Tucson. The settlement suffered from raids by neighboring tribes over the years, and by the time the United States took possession of it a century later, it was essentially a ghost town. A mining boom followed, bringing in a new population that resulted in Tubac reportedly being the largest town in Arizona in 1860. The first newspaper in Arizona, the "Weekly Arizonian", was printed there in 1859. But the boom was short lived and only a small population remained in Tubac from then on. The town of Tubac evolved into an artist's colony in the 1940s, and they have an annual arts festival there in early February. The Tubac Presidio State Historic Park is operated by the Tubac Historical Society and although there is a fee to enter the park, the town of Tubac can be visited free of charge.

And yes, there is a Bloody Basin, AZ, along with American Flag, Big Bug, Bootlegger Crossing, Bumble Bee, Grasshopper Junction, Happy Jack, Hogeye, Nothing, Skull Valley, Total Wreck and Two Guns.

Answer: Meteor Crater

Meteor Crater east of Flagstaff is touted as the best preserved meteorite crater on earth. The one-mile wide, 550 feet deep crater is believed to have been created 50,000 years ago. The site was designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1967. There is a visitor center on the rim of the crater with a theatre and exhibits including an Apollo space test capsule.

The astronauts trained at the bottom of the crater; the public aren't allowed down into the crater.

Answer: Thousands of planes

"The Boneyard" is where old planes go to die. Also known as the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration center in Tucson, it has over 4,200 military aircraft, some of which are restored for use and others are cannibalized for parts before being smelted down. Tucson is a great place for aviation fans to visit; the Pima Air and Space Museum is also located there, and it is one of the largest aviation museums in the world with over 80 acres of aircraft.

Answer: London Bridge

There have been a few London Bridges over the years. The one in Lake Havasu City was built over the Thames River in 1831 and replaced in 1967. Businessman Robert McCulloch purchased the bridge as a tourist attraction for his fledgling city of Lake Havasu, which sits on the shores of the Colorado River.

The bridge itself doesn't cross the river; the bridge was built over land that was then excavated to create a waterway underneath it.

Answer: It's one of the world's largest municipal parks.

Depending on the definition of "municipal park", some sources list South Mountain Park as THE largest municipal park in the world. The park was created in 1924 when the federal government sold 13,000 acres to the city; it has since been expanded to over 16,000 acres.

The park has over 50 miles of desert trails for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding and trail running. Incidentally, the Lost Dutchman's treasure is allegedly buried in the Superstition Mountains east of Phoenix, Geronimo is buried in Oklahoma, and no wild snow leopards have ever been spotted in Arizona (at least within written history).

Answer: At the bottom of the Grand Canyon

Phantom Ranch officially came into existence in 1922 when the Fred Harvey Company received approval to set up a facility at the bottom of the Canyon. The site had been used for over a 1,000 years; Native American ruins have been found there. After President Theodore Roosevelt camped there in 1913, it became known as Roosevelt Camp.

The name was changed on the recommendation of famed architect Mary Colter who designed the original lodging. A swimming pool was built at the ranch in the 1930s but was filled in in the 1970s as the facility improved its environmental standards.

Answer: Kartchner Caverns

Kartchner Caverns is a living cave with some of the longest stalactite formations in the world. The cave was "discovered" in 1974 in the Whetstone Mountains of southeastern Arizona (although it likely had been known about in earlier times), but the two men who discovered it and the property owners kept the caverns a secret for several years. Discussions with the State Parks Board commenced in the 1980s, with an employee of the office being escorted blindfolded to the site so that he wouldn't know where the cave was located.

The site was purchased in 1988 and finally opened to the public ten years later.