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FlorenceFlorence, one of the oldest white settlements in Arizona, dates back to the arrival of Levi Ruggles in 1866. Ruggles noted a safe fording place on the Gila River nearby and through the valley suitable for farming. He laid out a townsite that soon became a trade center and stage stop for surrounding Army posts. Not everybody comes to Florence by choice - the Arizona State Prison sits just outside of town. Convicts completed the prison in 1909 to replace the territorial prison at Yuma. Inmates now make up nearly half of the town's 6,800 inhabitants. Tom Mix Monument October 12, 1940 was a sad day for fans of movie hero Tom Mix. Speeding north from Tucson in his beg Cord, he lost control and rolled over in a ditch, now called Tom Mix Wash. A roadside monument, topped by a riderless horse, marks the spot, 17 miles south of Florence on US 89. |
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