If there is anything photography is able to showcase better than any other art, it is the passage of time. One look at any photograph will give you a sense of the year it was taken and the lives it depicts. Today, we’re going to take a look at some photos that show off the state in its early years as Arizona Territory. It’ll give you some insight into how much this land has changed in nearly 150 years.

1. A group of Navajo wagons sit outside Hubbell’s Trading Post in Ganado (ca. 1870).
Ashley Van Haeften/Flickr
2. Boats drift into the Colorado River from Camp Mohave, near present day Bullhead City (ca. 1871).
Snapshots of the Past/Flickr
3. A young man stands next to a new train track at Johnson Canyon near Ash Fork (ca. 1871).
Wikimedia Commons
4. A member of the Powell Expedition poses in Glen Canyon (1872).
U.S. Geological Survey/Flickr
5. A member of the Wheeler Expedition sketches White House ruins in Canyon de Chelly (1873).
Marion Doss/Flickr
For those curious, these expeditions were conducted to survey the land and create maps of the western portion of the United States.
6. A Navajo mother and her child sit for a photo in Canyon de Chelly (1873).
Wikimedia Commons
7. A group of Apaches and others stand outside a wikiup near Camp Apache (1873).
Wikimedia Commons

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8. The moments before a soldier’s execution in Prescott (1877).
Marion Doss/Flickr
Unfortunately, there’s no information provided on the reason for hanging.
9. Members of the Aztec Land and Cattle Company of Holbrook pose for a photo (ca. 1877).
Marion Doss/Flickr
10. A look at one of the shafts of the Toughnut Mine in Tombstone (1880).
Bienecke Library/Flickr
11. Here’s a look at Tombstone as its population was growing (ca. 1881). At the time of this photo, it had a population of 4,000!
Wikimedia Commons
12. A team of oxen transport people and supplies through a portion of Arizona (1883).
Marion Doss/Flickr
13. A diverse group stands outside Hovey’s Dance Hall in Clifton (1884).
Marion Doss/Flickr
14. An infantry crosses the Gila River near San Carlos, located about 21 miles east of Globe (ca. 1885).
Marion Doss/Flickr
15. A military parade marches down a street in Phoenix (ca. 1888).
Wikimedia Commons

Wow, those were incredible!

If you want to check out more photos of Arizona in its early statehood days, you will love looking through the collection in 25 Rare Photos Taken In Arizona During The Great Depression.

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