Benson, Arizona
| Benson, Arizona | |
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| City | |
Station in Benson
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 Location in Cochise County and the state of Arizona |
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 Detailed map of Benson |
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 Benson, Arizona
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| Coordinates: 31°57′20″N 110°18′24″W / 31.95556°N 110.30667°WCoordinates: 31°57′20″N 110°18′24″W / 31.95556°N 110.30667°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Arizona |
| County | Cochise |
| Founded | 1880 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Tony King |
| Area | |
| • Total | 41.5 sq mi (107.4 km2) |
| • Land | 41.4 sq mi (107.3 km2) |
| • Water | 0.04 sq mi (0.1 km2) |
| Elevation | 3,586 ft (1,093 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 5,105 |
| • Estimate (2014) | 4,927 |
| • Density | 123/sq mi (47.6/km2) |
| Time zone | MST (no daylight saving time) (UTC-7) |
| ZIP code | 85602 |
| Area code | 520 |
| FIPS code | 04-05770 |
| Website | City of Benson |
Benson is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States, 45 miles (72 km) east-southeast of Tucson. It was founded as a rail terminal for the area, and still serves as such. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city was 5,105.
The city was founded in 1880 when the Southern Pacific Railroad came through. It was named after Judge Barry B. Benson, a friend of Charles Crocker, president of the Southern Pacific. The railroad, coming overland from California, chose the Benson site to cross the San Pedro River. Benson then served as a rail junction point to obtain ore and refined metal by wagon, in turn shipping rail freight back to the mines at Tombstone, Fairbank, Contention and Bisbee. For example, the railhead in Benson was about 25 miles (40 km) from Tombstone, and was the closest rail connection to it until 1882, when a feeder line was laid from Benson to Contention City.
The railhead in Benson was founded about a mile from a traditional crossing of the upper San Pedro River (known also as the Middle Crossing), used by the Southern Emigrant Trail and San Antonio-San Diego Mail Line. It was the site of the San Pedro Station of the Butterfield Overland Mail and a wagon depot, the San Pedro River Station, run since 1871 by William Ohnesorgen. In 1878 he had erected a toll bridge over which mining supplies were transported to the new mining camps such as Fairbank and Tombstone. Two years later this bridge marked the location of the railroad bridge that became the terminal site of Benson.
The city today is perhaps best known as the gateway to Kartchner Caverns State Park. It is also home to the acclaimed Singing Wind Bookshop, which specializes in books about the Southwest.
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Wikipedia