Joseph City
Joseph City, 13 miles east of Holbrook, is the oldest Mormon settlement in Arizona. It was named for Mormon prophet Joseph Smith.
The community was established in March 1876 as Allen's Camp. It became St. Joseph in 1878 and was then renamed Joseph City in 1923 to avoid confusion with St. Joseph, Mo. Joseph City has few remaining Route 66 sites. The most notable is the nearby Jack Rabbit Trading Post established in 1949. The tourist stop promoted itself with signs hundreds of miles away with a jackrabbit image on bright yellow billboards. It boasts of being the "Best known Trading Post in the Southwest." Joseph City is also home to the coal-burning Cholla Power Plant. Founded: 1876 Elevation: 5,043 Population: 1,465 |