In October 1857, Lt. Edward Fitzgerald Beale and his experimental Camel Corps trudged across the present site of Kingman, Arizona surveying a wagon road along the 35th parallel.

After the first travelers encountered hostile Indians in the area, Fort Mojave was established on the Colorado River. Off-duty soldiers scouted the hills and found gold and silver.

Mining camps sprang up in the years to come and in the early 1870's cattle were driven in to take advantage of the lush grasses.

Located in a natural basin, surrounded by basaltic hills it is ironic that Kingman was not established as a mining town but as a railroad town.

In 1880, Lewis Kingman surveyed along the Atlantic and Pacific right of way between Needles and Albuquerque. By 1883 the track was completed.

The first reference found of Kingman is from the Alta Arizona, a newspaper published in Mineral Park. The issue of 10 June 1882 states, "There is a new town on the tapis at or near Beale Springs."

In October 1882, the Alta Arizona refers to the sampling works at Kingman, also saying that Middleton is to be hereafter named Kingman, where in November 1882, a rooming house, stores and other buildings were going up.

Conrad Shenfield, contractor for the track laying for the railroad, was an entrepreneur of sorts, obtaining land at various locations along the route of the railroad. He established and sold lots in Kingman before clear title of the land was obtained. It appears that Shenfield ran afoul of the law and some finagling went on. The town site location was not railroad land, but belonged to the United States.

The town of Kingman, located on the railroad, grew rapidly in the first few years. More growth was encouraged  by the move of the Mohave County Miner in 1886 to Kingman. The Miner was originally established at Mineral Park in 1882.

Further evidence of growth came in 1887 when the County Seat was moved from Mineral Park to Kingman. The story told by old timers is that in the dark of night, a group of Kingmanites stole all the county records from the Mineral Park courthouse and moved them to a temporary courthouse in Kingman. Mineral Park shouted "thieves" but a county election that had been held in November of 1886 had legally given Kingman the county seat.

By 1888 most of the original town site lots had been sold. On the north side of the Santa Fe line, on Front Street, now called Andy Devine Avenue, the business district grew, while the south side, South Front Street, now called Topeka Street, became Kingman's best district for homes.

Kingman sustained a steady growth through the late 1880's and 1890's. In 1890 the population was 300 and in 1900 it was about 500. There is evidence of a building boom around the turn of the century. Despite a major economic depression in 1893 when the price of silver fell from $1.29 to $.78 oz., the comparative increase in the value of gold, plus the cyanization separations process introduced into Arizona in 1895 resulted in an influx of miners and promoters. The discovery, in May 1900 of Gold Road, a rich gold strike in the Black Mountains, helped to make Kingman a center for the mining activities of the county.

Kingman was lively and bursting its seams in the first decade of the new century. The Fourth of July was the big event of the year, complete with Indians, orators, dances, a rodeo and the drilling contest, a test of skill and strength so dear to the miners. Circuses and wild west shows played to enthusiastic audiences, and the Mohave County Miner interrupted its devotion to mining articles to call for the building of more hotels and to castigate the county for its lousy roads.

At the end of the First World War mining was still not operating at the peak production and Kingman was feeling a pinch. In 1919 there were seven garages, three meat markets, two drug stores, two churches, a Western Union, two lumber yards, a picture show and numerous hotels and saloons. Kingman's one industry was the Yucca Fiber Factory which made rope from the yucca plant. Kingman, in an effort to promote the area, put out numerous brochures touting the excellent climate and healthful area.

The next few years saw the revival of the mines, good roads and the excitement over the coming of Boulder Dam (now the Hoover Dam). Kingman had the advantage of being located on the railroad and on U.S. 66.

The first airport, laid out by Charles Lindberg, was dedicated on June 8, 1929. Kingman Army Air Field, constructed in 1942, is the site of the present airport.

Kingman and the surrounding area has a population of about 40,000 people and is currently experiencing a growth rate of about 6% annually. Kingman has a highly rated hospital and several medical facilities as well as major shopping areas (with more being added). The public school system offers several elementary schools, a junior high school, two high school campuses and there are also charter schools in the area. Post-secondary education is provided by Mohave Community College and a branch of Northern Arizona University. Kingman is a site for industry with the Kingman Airport Industrial Park and other industrial sites located off of Interstate 40 just south of Kingman.

Recreational opportunities include golf courses, parks and trail systems. The Hualapai, Cerbat and Black mountains that surround Kingman offer numerous recreational opportunities. Mohave County boasts 1,000 miles of shoreline on the Colorado River, which includes Lake Mead, Lake Havasu, and Lake Mohave. These areas provide fishing, boating, swimming, and other water sports.

Fourteen miles southeast of Kingman is beautiful Hualapai Mountain Park, which is at an elevation of 6,700 feet. Offered there is overnight camping, picnicking, hiking and other activities.

Near Kingman there are ghost towns and old mining town sites including Oatman and Chloride. These places are interesting to visit and they help preserve the heritage of the area.

(History page courtesy of Wikipedia)