A lot of the history of the US of the past century and a half back to the 1850s runs through Kingman, where the Atlantic & Pacific Railroad (now the Burlington Northern Santa Fe) connect the east coast with the west. The stretch of the legendary Route 66 highway through Kingman is judged by many to be the longest remaining driveable stretch of the famous route of many a road trip west before freeways and interstates divided the land.
Lewis Kingman, a railroad engineer who led the surveying and laying of some 1325 miles of rails through what became the town that would bear his name. In 1880 Kingman’s team surveyed the route for the railroad and by 1883 the track was in place and locomotives traveled through on regular journeys from east to west across America
Although Kingman was officially founded in 1882 and eventually became the county seat in 1887 it was not incorporated as a city until 1951 when a ballot iniative passed after much debate. The Mohave County Miner newspaper moved to Kingman in 1886 after first being established in 1882 nearby in Mineral Park.
Some say it is ironic that Kingman started out and remained a transportation hub rather than a mining town, considering the rich minerals in the three mountain ranges surrounding the town. Mining went on around the Mohave County area of course, and Kingman benefited from the growth and commerce of the booming economy from the late nineteenth century into the early twentieth.
Cattle came into the rich grasslands of the valley around Kingman in the 1870s, helping to bring more settlements that developed into the town. The Alta Arizona, a newspaper in the area, is the first to mention the new city in June of 1882, noting that: “There is a new town on the tapis, at or near Beale Springs.” The coming railroad and growing settlement of the west had put the town on the map and in the news, mentioned again in November of that year in the Alta Arizona mentions that what had been called Middleton was now to be known as Kingman, and that the town featured a rooming house, some stores, and other buildings going up.
In the next five years, as the railway ran through town, Kingman grew and attracted new residents and new businesses until that fateful night in 1887 when the county records traveled with conspirators from Mineral Park to Kingman and the town became the new (and lasting) county seat of Mohave County. Throughout the coming decades the population swelled, from some 300 people in 1890 to more than 500 by 1900. A building boom followed the population growth, fueled even more by the discovery of Gold Road, a rich strike in the Black Mountains that added to Kingman’s economy as a growing mining center.
By 1919 the region’s main industry was in the yucca fiber business, weaving rope from the abundant yucca plants in the region. The city now boasted two drug stores, two churches, a picture show, and many hotels, saloons, and assorted local shops and businesses that grew from the population boom and the frequent visitors passing through on the railroad.
A famous visitor from the era now rests in Locomotive Park in Kingman. Santa Fe Locomotive Number 3759 logged some 2,585,600 miles on journeys along the Burlington Northern Santa Fe line through Kingman, and upon retirement came to rest as a monument to rail travel in the area at the local park. No. 3759 ran at top speed of 100 miles per hour on steam power, first from coal in 1927 through ’41 and then converted over to run on oil for the last years of service from 1941 through 1953. In 1957 the railroad donated old No. 3759 to the City of Kingman, and groups of schoolkids helped pull the caboose into place to celebrate the occasion.
As decades passed more modes of transportation arose, and not only did Kingman have a railroad junction and the most famous highway in America in Route 66 passing through town, but the city also welcomed air transportation as well in 1929. Famed pilot Charles Lindbergh selected the area for the new airport, Port Kingman, and Col. Lindbergh and his peer the legendary flier Amelia Earhart were both at the dedication on 8 June 1929 when Port Kingman became the first commercial airport in Arizona.
Power Generators
Work on the Kingman Powerhouse began construction in 1908 and over the next 29 years the source of electric power fueled the growth of mines, building, and commerce in Mohave County until the addition of Boulder (now Hoover) Dam in the mid 1930s. In fact the Kingman Powerhouse helped to provide the power needed for the massive construction project that was the dam building, and so even though the dam replaced the Powerhouse, the legend lived on.
A Santa Fe railroad spur was added to transport equipment and material to the building of the powerhouse. Two large dynamos arrived to power the oil-fired steam of the original 1500 watts of the plant.
Not only was Kingman the gateway to the west by land, rail, and air, but the city became known as the gateway to Boulder (now Hoover) Dam on the Colorado River near the Nevada border. Through the 1930s the excitement over the construction rippled through Kingman and the entire Mohave County area. Roads in the area improved as goods and materials for the project passed through and mining in the area boomed even more as electricity allowed further and faster progress in pursuit of the mineral riches in the hills of Mohave County and beyond.
Kingman’s Unlikely Star of the Silver Screen
Andy Devine was born 7 Oct. 1905 in Flagstaff Arizona, the son of a railroad worker and his wife, an educator. Following a tragic railroad accident when Tom Devine, Andy’s father, lost his leg, the family moved to Kingman where Tom purchased and ran the Beale Hotel. Young Andy grew up in Kingman and found his way to Los Angeles in the 1920s, where he got work as a movie extra in silent films of the time. The coming of the sound era for movies seemed it might end Andy’s work on the big screen, as a childhood accident back in Kingman had damaged his vocal cords and left him with a squeaky, two-tone voice.
As it developed, the quirky sound of his talking made him a hit as a side character in the talkies, and Andy Devine went on to star in over 400 films throughout his career. It was as a wagon driver on the set of Stagecoach that he met John Wayne; the two went on to be life-long friends as well as frequently appearing in the same movies. Will Rodgers introduced Andy to his future wife on the set of a film directed by Hollywood legend John Ford. Some teased him about the age gap, as Devine was 28 at the time and his love interest was 19, but they fell in love, married, and had five children together. His funeral in 1971 brought Jimmy Stewart and John Wayne to tears as they mourned the loss of dear friend and unlikely movie star Andy Devine. The main avenue through his hometown of Kingman has been renamed Andy Devine Way in honor of his work and contributions to the city.
Army Business in Kingman
In World War II the US Army Air Force developed the Kingman Army Airfield in the area as an aerial gunning training base. Over the course of the war more than 36,000 gunners received training at the base, and contributed to the history and vitality of the growing county seat of Mohave County, Kingman Arizona.
By 1919 the region’s main industry was in the yucca fiber business, weaving rope from the abundant yucca plants in the region. The city now boasted two drug stores, two churches, a picture show, and many hotels, saloons, and assorted local shops and businesses that grew from the population boom and the frequent visitors passing through on the railroad.
A famous visitor from the era now rests in Locomotive Park in Kingman. Santa Fe Locomotive Number 3759 logged some 2,585,600 miles on journeys along the Burlington Northern Santa Fe line through Kingman, and upon retirement came to rest as a monument to rail travel in the area at the local park. No. 3759 ran at top speed of 100 miles per hour on steam power, first from coal in 1927 through ’41 and then converted over to run on oil for the last years of service from 1941 through 1953. In 1957 the railroad donated old No. 3759 to the City of Kingman, and groups of schoolkids helped pull the caboose into place to celebrate the occasion.
As decades passed more modes of transportation arose, and not only did Kingman have a railroad junction and the most famous highway in America in Route 66 passing through town, but the city also welcomed air transportation as well in 1929. Famed pilot Charles Lindbergh selected the area for the new airport, Port Kingman, and Col. Lindbergh and his peer the legendary flier Amelia Earhart were both at the dedication on 8 June 1929 when Port Kingman became the first commercial airport in Arizona.
Power Generators
Work on the Kingman Powerhouse began construction in 1908 and over the next 29 years the source of electric power fueled the growth of mines, building, and commerce in Mohave County until the addition of Boulder (now Hoover) Dam in the mid 1930s. In fact the Kingman Powerhouse helped to provide the power needed for the massive construction project that was the dam building, and so even though the dam replaced the Powerhouse, the legend lived on.
A Santa Fe railroad spur was added to transport equipment and material to the building of the powerhouse. Two large dynamos arrived to power the oil-fired steam of the original 1500 watts of the plant.
Not only was Kingman the gateway to the west by land, rail, and air, but the city became known as the gateway to Boulder (now Hoover) Dam on the Colorado River near the Nevada border. Through the 1930s the excitement over the construction rippled through Kingman and the entire Mohave County area. Roads in the area improved as goods and materials for the project passed through and mining in the area boomed even more as electricity allowed further and faster progress in pursuit of the mineral riches in the hills of Mohave County and beyond.
Kingman’s Unlikely Star of the Silver Screen
Andy Devine was born 7 Oct. 1905 in Flagstaff Arizona, the son of a railroad worker and his wife, an educator. Following a tragic railroad accident when Tom Devine, Andy’s father, lost his leg, the family moved to Kingman where Tom purchased and ran the Beale Hotel. Young Andy grew up in Kingman and found his way to Los Angeles in the 1920s, where he got work as a movie extra in silent films of the time. The coming of the sound era for movies seemed it might end Andy’s work on the big screen, as a childhood accident back in Kingman had damaged his vocal cords and left him with a squeaky, two-tone voice.
As it developed, the quirky sound of his talking made him a hit as a side character in the talkies, and Andy Devine went on to star in over 400 films throughout his career. It was as a wagon driver on the set of Stagecoach that he met John Wayne; the two went on to be life-long friends as well as frequently appearing in the same movies. Will Rodgers introduced Andy to his future wife on the set of a film directed by Hollywood legend John Ford. Some teased him about the age gap, as Devine was 28 at the time and his love interest was 19, but they fell in love, married, and had five children together. His funeral in 1971 brought Jimmy Stewart and John Wayne to tears as they mourned the loss of dear friend and unlikely movie star Andy Devine. The main avenue through his hometown of Kingman has been renamed Andy Devine Way in honor of his work and contributions to the city.
Army Business in Kingman
In World War II the US Army Air Force developed the Kingman Army Airfield in the area as an aerial gunning training base. Over the course of the war more than 36,000 gunners received training at the base, and contributed to the history and vitality of the growing county seat of Mohave County, Kingman Arizona.
Precious Stones
Kingman later developed a legend as the “turquoise capital of the world” as one of the largest suppliers of the prized stones derives from a mountain in the area. L. W. Hardy of LW Hardy Company developed and sponsored a competitive local softball team that he called the Turquoise Kings. The team won trophies for their work on the diamond and awards for the unique and striking looks of their distinctive uniforms as the cagey capitalist got maximum public relations value of his investment in sporting endeavors for his company.
Big Leagues Come to Town
At the spot in Locomotive Park where the retired train now rests a major league exhibition game took place in Kingman. The Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago Cubs met in 1924 for a show game, as reported in the Kingman Daily Miner at the time. Big league clubs still come to Arizona regularly every year for spring training now, but the game in ’24 was a high point for the development of the young town at the time.
Mohave County Courthouse Overview and History
The current Mohave County Administration building is in Kingman at 700 West Beale Street and the county jail is adjacent at 501 South Highway 66, but previously the county administration was next to the old court house. Mohave County employs some 1350 people in municipal government centered in Kingman.
The old county court house was designed in Art Moderne style in 1927 ~
Mohave County Sheriff
The Mohave County Sheriff Doug Schuster oversees the department with main location at 600 West Beale Street and sub-stations in Mohave Valley at 9880 Vanderslice, Beaver Dam at 700 North Highway 91, and Lake Havasu at 3500 Highway 95. The Mohave County Sheriff is comprised of a Boating Safety division, criminal and civil, including civil tax and civil documents divisions, and Animal Control, among other duties in running the county jail and overseeing the county roads.
Kingman Police Department
The Kingman Police Department headquarters is located at 2730 East Andy Devine Ave. in town. The mission of the department is to promote quality of life for all citizens, visitors, and residents by means of participating actively in the community and working on a proactive basis to reduce crime and apprehend criminals so as to address community concerns and increase peace in the community. The department features a Bike Patrol, neighborhood officer patrols and community teams, school resource officers watching over and assisting in the safe education of local school children, animal control officers helping to address animal issues in the community, detectives investigating crimes, and much more
Kingman is served by the Kingman Area Regional Transit (KART) which operates four fixed routes in the area, logging some 190,000 miles traveled every year on the journeys to deliver 7000 to 10,000 passengers to destinations around town every month. The service is supported by users as well as Federal Transit Authority and Arizona State Department of Transportation, as well as Kingman city general funds and advertising revenue from the vehicles as they travel the area.
Lake Havasu City Police Department
The growing city of Lake Havasu is served by a police force that handles criminal investigation and apprehension, traffic control and response, animal control, school resource officers, bicycle registration and much more in the city. The department is located at 2360 McCulloch Boulevard, North Lake Havasu City.
Mohave County Jail
Serving the outlying areas of the county as well as the cities of the area including Kingman, Lake Havasu City, and Bullhead City the Mohave County Jail is in Kingman at 501 South Highway 66. The facility is 242,000 square feet, housing 688 inmate beds in pod arrangements. Most of the inmates are held for misdemeanor violations of Arizona law including driving under the influence, domestic violence crimes, and shoplifting. Some inmates face serious felony charges, either while awaiting trial or on supervised parole in the system after conviction
Distance and Direction From Kingman to Phoenix
The county seat of Mohave County, Kingman, is located in the northwest of the state of Arizona. The state capital, Phoenix, is located approximately 196 miles southwest of Kingman on US 93 or a combination of US 93 and Arizona Route 74 west, either of which is about three hours traveling time by car. Flights travel from Kingman to Phoenix as well as buses for public transportation.