Maricopa

The Hohokam built an extensive network of canals with sticks and stone hoes, but mysteriously disappeared in 1450. Later, the Pima and Maricopa Indians occupied their farmlands near the Gila River, and Maricopa took on the name of the latter. In 1858, Maricopa became an isolated little town in the middle of the desert. It served as the major stage station for the Butterfield Overland Stage Station and became a beacon of light for trappers, traders, and immigrants brave enough to travel its unkno