Springerville, Arizona

Springerville, Arizona
Town
Aerial view of Springerville
Flag
Motto(s):  Respect for our past Confidence in our future
Location of Springerville in Apache County, Arizona
Springerville, Arizona Location in the United States
Coordinates: 34°8′11″N109°16′45″W / 34.13639°N 109.27917°W / 34.13639; -109.27917
Country	United States
State	Arizona
County	Apache
Government
• Mayor	Phil Hanson Jr[ citation needed ]
Area [1]
• Total	11.67 sq mi (30.22 km2)
• Land	11.50 sq mi (29.79 km2)
• Water	0.16 sq mi (0.42 km2)
Elevation [2]	6,907 ft (2,105 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	1,717
• Density	149.27/sq mi (57.63/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (MST)
ZIP Code	85938
Area code	928
FIPS code	04-68990
GNIS feature ID	2413323 [2]
Website	Town of Springerville

Springerville is a town in Apache County, Arizona, United States, within the White Mountains. Its postal ZIP Code is 85938. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 1,961. ^[3]

Springerville sits at an elevation of 6,907 feet (2,105 m) above sea level. Along with its neighbor Eagar, the communities make up the place known as Round Valley, which is in the central-eastern part of Arizona close to the New Mexico border.

History

Springerville Town Hall in 2009

The town that grew around Henry Springer's trading post was officially given its name on May 10, 1876. ^[4] Before that time it had gone by names such as Colorado Chiquito, Milligan Settlement, and Valle Redondo (Round Valley).

Outlaw Cowboy Ike Clanton, who was present at the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, was shot dead in Springerville on June 1, 1887, by detective Jonas V. Brighton when he resisted arrest on charges of cattle rustling. ^{[5] [6]}

Springerville is the home of Arizona's Madonna of the Trail statue, unveiled on September 29, 1928. ^[7]

The town was incorporated in 1948.

In 1951, Twentieth Century Fox filmed an adaptation of Fred Gipson's novel The Home Place titled Return of the Texan at several locations in and around Springerville. ^{[8] [9]}

In June 2011, most of the town was evacuated due to a nearby wildfire some stayed and met with each other alongside residents of Eagar in the round valley dome. ^[10]

Further information: Rudd Creek Pueblo

Geography

Springerville is located at 34°8′11″N109°16′45″W / 34.13639°N 109.27917°W / 34.13639; -109.27917 (34.136342, -109.279227). ^[11]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 11.7 square miles (30 km²), of which 11.6 square miles (30 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²), or 1.4%, is water. ^[3] Springerville has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb).

Climate

Climate data for Springerville, Arizona (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1911–present)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	71 (22)	73 (23)	79 (26)	87 (31)	91 (33)	100 (38)	98 (37)	94 (34)	95 (35)	88 (31)	86 (30)	76 (24)	100 (38)
Mean maximum °F (°C)	61.9 (16.6)	65.5 (18.6)	72.0 (22.2)	77.9 (25.5)	84.6 (29.2)	92.3 (33.5)	93.3 (34.1)	89.4 (31.9)	86.0 (30.0)	80.5 (26.9)	71.4 (21.9)	63.7 (17.6)	94.4 (34.7)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	50.2 (10.1)	54.3 (12.4)	60.8 (16.0)	67.9 (19.9)	75.8 (24.3)	84.8 (29.3)	85.4 (29.7)	82.6 (28.1)	78.7 (25.9)	70.3 (21.3)	59.6 (15.3)	50.3 (10.2)	68.4 (20.2)
Daily mean °F (°C)	33.1 (0.6)	36.8 (2.7)	42.1 (5.6)	48.4 (9.1)	56.0 (13.3)	64.6 (18.1)	68.7 (20.4)	66.6 (19.2)	60.9 (16.1)	50.9 (10.5)	40.7 (4.8)	33.1 (0.6)	50.2 (10.1)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	16.1 (−8.8)	19.3 (−7.1)	23.4 (−4.8)	29.0 (−1.7)	36.3 (2.4)	44.5 (6.9)	51.9 (11.1)	50.6 (10.3)	43.1 (6.2)	31.5 (−0.3)	21.8 (−5.7)	16.0 (−8.9)	32.0 (0.0)
Mean minimum °F (°C)	−1.7 (−18.7)	2.1 (−16.6)	7.7 (−13.5)	13.6 (−10.2)	22.4 (−5.3)	32.1 (0.1)	41.6 (5.3)	41.8 (5.4)	29.1 (−1.6)	15.8 (−9.0)	3.9 (−15.6)	−2.7 (−19.3)	−6.8 (−21.6)
Record low °F (°C)	−25 (−32)	−22 (−30)	−13 (−25)	5 (−15)	12 (−11)	15 (−9)	29 (−2)	32 (0)	20 (−7)	3 (−16)	−17 (−27)	−28 (−33)	−28 (−33)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	0.49 (12)	0.49 (12)	0.41 (10)	0.28 (7.1)	0.40 (10)	0.41 (10)	2.56 (65)	2.87 (73)	1.45 (37)	0.90 (23)	0.53 (13)	0.57 (14)	11.36 (289)
Average snowfall inches (cm)	1.0 (2.5)	0.9 (2.3)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.4 (1.0)	0.4 (1.0)	0.5 (1.3)	3.2 (8.1)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 inch)	4.1	4.0	3.8	2.4	3.4	3.0	12.6	12.5	6.7	4.2	3.3	3.7	63.7
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in)	0.5	0.2	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.2	0.5	1.6
Source: NOAA [12] [13]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	364		—
1890	443		21.7%
1910	296		—
1920	479		61.8%
1930	565		18.0%
1950	689		—
1960	719		4.4%
1970	1,151		60.1%
1980	1,452		26.2%
1990	1,802		24.1%
2000	1,972		9.4%
2010	1,961		−0.6%
2020	1,717		−12.4%
U.S. Decennial Census [14]

Springerville Post Office with postal code 85938

As of the census ^[15] of 2000, there were 1,972 people, 753 households, and 499 families residing in the town. The population density was 170.8 inhabitants per square mile (65.9/km²). There were 896 housing units at an average density of 77.6 per square mile (30.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 79.5% White, 0.2% Black or African American, 6.5% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 10.2% from other races, and 3.0% from two or more races. 25.2% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 753 households, out of which 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.6% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.7% were non-families. 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.18.

In the town, the age distribution of the population shows 29.2% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $30,769, and the median income for a family was $36,331. Males had a median income of $32,313 versus $19,519 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,830. About 14.7% of families and 21.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.4% of those under age 18 and 26.1% of those age 65 or over.

A Madonna of the Trail monument in Springerville

Education

The town is served by the Round Valley Unified School District. The school's mascot is the elk and its school colors are black and gold. The St. Johns Redskins are the school's biggest rival.

Round Valley Primary School is located in the town and serves the town.

Round Valley Intermediate School, Round Valley Middle School, and Round Valley High School serve the town, but are in nearby Eagar. In addition, White Mountain Academy, a K–12 charter school, is located in Eagar.

The high school's football stadium, The Round Valley Ensphere located in Eagar, is the eighth biggest geodesic dome in the world with a diameter of 440 feet / 134 m. The school board voted to give the Dome a pinkish looking color, and it was completed in 1992. It was used as a shelter for evacuees from the Rodeo–Chediski Fire in 2002. Round Valley is the only high school in the world to have a domed stadium.

The first Springerville School House was dedicated September 3, 1884.

In 1969—the Springerville, Eagar, Vernon, Nutrioso, Greer, and Colter Schools consolidated with each other to form the Round Valley Unified School District.

Transportation

The Springerville Municipal Airport is a town-owned public-use airport located one nautical mile (1.85 km) west of the central business district of Springerville. ^[16]

BNSF Railway provides freight service to the Springerville generating station on its Springerville subdivision. ^[17]

Economy

Tucson Electric Power operates the Springerville Generating Station in Springerville. ^[18]

Attractions

The Kiva at Casa Malpaís

Casa Malpaís is located near Springerville. It is a nationally recognized archeological site. ^[19]

The name Casa Malpais means "House built from Malapai", which describes the type volcanic vesicular basalt from which the ancient village was constructed. It is thought that the name was given to the village by early Basque sheepherders. The Springerville volcanic field contains over 400 volcanoes within a 50-mile (80 km) radius of Springerville, making it the third largest volcanic field in the continental United States.

The first visit to Casa Malpais by a professional anthropologist was in 1883, when Frank Cushing, living at Zuni, visited a site at "El Valle Redondo on the Colorado Chiquito", and was impressed by what he termed "the fissure type pueblo" he found there. In his journal he sketched dry masonry, bridging fissures, upon which the pueblo is constructed.

Unique and unusual features characterize the site. The Great Kiva, painstakingly constructed of volcanic rock, is the centerpiece. A steep basalt staircase set into a crevice of the high red cliff wall leads to the top of the mesa.

Both the Hopi and Zuni people still consider Casa Malpais a sacred ancestral place.

The town contains one of the twelve Madonna of the Trail monuments created by sculptor August Leimbach. ^[20]

The town is close to the Apache–Sitgreaves National Forests, which run along the Mogollon Rim. It is also close to the Sunrise Ski Resort.

The El Rio opened in 1915, making it the oldest movie theater in Arizona. It was originally called the Apache Theater, until it was changed in 1937 to the El Rio. ^[21]

Notable people

• Mark Gastineau, former football player for the New York Jets
• Alex Madrid, baseball player for the Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies
• Billie Maxwell, credited with being the first female singer to record country music ^[22]
• Jerry D. Thompson, historian of the American Southwest, was born in Springerville.
• Daniel I. J. Thornton, the governor of Colorado from 1951 to 1955, operated a ranch near Springerville in the late 1930s.

Quotes

"I was the one who had Apache county separated from Yavapai. Everything was very high at that time, and I used to haul my goods from Albuquerque to live on. I was hauling goods one time from Henry Springer's store in Albuquerque, and I told Henry Springer he had better come into Round Valley, as it was called then, and put in a store; that the people were coming in and we would name the postoffice and little village after him, Springerville, and that was old Henry Springer."

——James G. H. Colter from History of Arizona, Volume VI

See also

• Transfer Station Fire
• Wallow Fire

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Springerville, Arizona
3. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Springerville town, Arizona". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved April 17, 2013.
4. Becker, Jack A (2005). "Round Valley As It Was". roundvalleyaz.com.
5. "Apache County Critic". June 1887.
6. "Joseph Ike Clanton".
7. The Madonna of the Trail Monument" NSDAR Memorial to the Pioneer Mothers of the Covered Wagon Days, pamphlet revised July 2002
8. "Return of the Texan". IMDb .
9. "Tucson Daily Citizen from Tucson, Arizona on August 9, 1951 · Page 22". August 9, 1951.
10. Arizona Wildfire Threatens Electrical Grid, The New York Times , June 9, 2011.
11. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
12. "NOWData – NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration . Retrieved August 15, 2022.
13. "U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Springerville, AZ". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
14. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
15. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
16. FAA Airport Form 5010 for D68 PDF . Federal Aviation Administration. Effective July 29, 2010.
17. https://azdot.gov/sites/default/files/media/2021/03/state-rail-plan-update.pdf ^{[ bare URL PDF ]}
18. "SRP: Springerville Generating Station".
19. Arizona Travel and Tours delange.org
20. "Madonna of the Trail Monuments - Arizona". Archived from the original on August 14, 2002. Retrieved June 4, 2006.
21. "El Rio Theatre | el Rio Theatre".
22. "Amoeba Music | the World's Largest Independent Record Store".

External links

• Town of Springerville official website
• Round Valley History
• Springerville News
• "Springerville, Arizona", at City-Data.com
• Springerville & Eagar Scenic Attractions
• Madonna of the Trail | August Leimbach website