Hannagan Meadow, Arizona

Hannagan Meadow is an unincorporated community in Greenlee County, Arizona, elevation 9,071 feet (2,765 m).[1]

History

The explorer Coronado and his expedition passed through the area in the 1540s on their way from Mexico to Zuni,[2] but it is unknown whether they passed by this particular site, although some have speculated that they may have.[2]

The meadow was named after Robert Hannagan, a miner and cattle rancher from Nevada. One local legend is that Hannagan was chained to a tree near the meadow until his debt of $1,200 was paid off. Fortunately it was promptly paid by his son, but the name stuck.[3] Another story suggests that Toles Cosper, a rancher from over to Luna, was riding with the young Hannagan when they came across the meadow during the 1870s. They flipped a coin to see which man they would name it after, and Hannagan won.[4]

In 1909, while surveying for US Route 191, John D. Guthrie observed that "there was neither fence nor cabin at Hannagan Meadow."[2] However with the advent of road construction on the Coronado Trail Road (later Coronado Trail Scenic Byway) tourism became a possibility, and Toles Cosper's son, DeWitt Cosper, built a lodge there in 1926.[4] The Hannagan Meadow Lodge provided tourists and travelers with rental cabins, single rooms for rent and a general store. As of 2011, the Lodge is still there and still serving tourists and travelers.[5]

Climate

Hannagan Meadow has a hemiboreal mountain climate, and during the winter season, it is of the coldest inhabited places in Arizona.[6] In January, the mean high temperature is 37 degrees, with a mean low of 2 above 0. In July, the mean high temperature is 78 degrees with a mean low of 43. Annual precipitation is around 40 inches.

References

  1. "Hannagan Meadow". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
  2. 1 2 3 Tucker, Edwin A. and Fitzpatrick, George (1972) Men who matched the mountains: the Forest Service in the Southwest (p. 153-155), United States Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Washington D.C., citing a paper read by John D. Guthrie at the dedication of the Coronado Trail Road.
  3. Youman, Becky (2006) Open Road's Best of Arizona Open Road, Cold Spring Harbor, New York, page 122, ISBN 1-59360-084-4
  4. 1 2 Waite, Tessa (2003) "History of Hannagan Meadow Lodge" pages 12
  5. "Hannagan Meadow Lodge"
  6. Rustic Comfort at the Hannagan Meadow Lodge, The American West Travelogue.

External links

Coordinates: 33°38′32″N 109°19′26″W / 33.64222°N 109.32389°W / 33.64222; -109.32389

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