Flagstaff in Coconino County, Arizona — The American Mountains (Southwest)

Beale Road

Historic Site

Photographed by Bill Kirchner, July 7, 2010

1. Beale Road Marker

Inscription.

In 1857 Congress authorized Navy Lieutenant Edward F. Beale to survey a wagon road along the 35th parallel from Fort Defiance, New Mexico Territory, to the Colorado River. A secondary mission was to test the feasibility of using camels in the Southwest. In the fall of 1857, the Beale survey party passed through what is now Flagstaff, Arizona, with approximately 50 men, 100 mules, 10 wagons, 22 camels, and over 300 sheep. The eventual route passed by this location, and later became Fort Valley Road. The first homesteaders in the Flagstaff area came from California on the Beale Wagon Road in the 1870s. From the end of the Civil War through the 1880s, the volume of travel may have been as great as on the more famous Oregon Trail.

Erected by Arizona Historical Society.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Animals • Exploration • Roads & Vehicles • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1857.

Location. 35° 13.407′ N, 111° 39.318′ W. Marker is in Flagstaff, Arizona, in Coconino County. It is on U.S. 180, on the right when traveling north. Marker is at the entrance the the Pioneer Museum. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Flagstaff AZ 86001, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Flagstaff & High Country

and in Hopi.

It is also in the American Southwest,

in the Mountain West,

in Colorado Plateau,

and at the Four Corners.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers

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are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Emerson School Bell (a few steps from this marker); "Bear" Howard's Chuck Box (within shouting distance of this marker); Julius Aubineau (within shouting distance of this marker); Logging Wheels (within shouting distance of this marker); Flagstaff Flag - Raising (approx. 1.1 miles away); Finding History and Wildlife at Frances Short Pond (approx. 1.2 miles away); Buffalo Park (approx. 1.3 miles away); Beale Wagon Road (approx. 1.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Flagstaff.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. To better understand the relationship, study each marker in the order shown.

Photographed by Adam Margolis, May 26, 2024

2. Beale Road Marker

Photographed by Bill Kirchner, July 7, 2010

3. Beale Road Marker

Photographed by Adam Margolis, May 26, 2024

4. Beale Road Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on December 28, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 20, 2010, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona. This page has been viewed 2,056 times since then and 82 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on July 20, 2010, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona. 2. submitted on December 17, 2024, by Adam Margolis of Mission Viejo, California. 3. submitted on July 20, 2010, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona. 4. submitted on December 17, 2024, by Adam Margolis of Mission Viejo, California. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.