Douglas, Arizona

The Douglas area was first settled by the Spanish in the 18th century. Presidio de San Bernardino was established in 1776 and abandoned in 1780. It was located a few miles east of present-day Douglas. The United States Army established Camp San Bernardino in the latter half of the 19th century near the presidio, and in 1910 Camp Douglas was built next to the town.

Douglas was founded as an American smelter town, to treat the copper ores of nearby Bisbee, Arizona. The town is named after mining pioneer Dr. James Douglas[4] and was incorporated in 1905.[5] Two copper smelters operated at the site. The Calumet and Arizona Company Smelter was built in 1902. The Copper Queen operated in Douglas from 1904 until 1931, when the Phelps Dodge Corporation purchased the Calumet and Arizona Company and took over their smelter. The Calumet and Arizona smelter then became the Douglas Reduction Works. Douglas was the site of the Phelps-Dodge Corporation Douglas Reduction Works until its closure in 1987. The smoke stacks of the smelter were not taken down until January 13, 1991. The town was a site of the Arizona Copper Mine Strike of 1983.

The "Cowboys Home Saloon" was the location of the fatal shooting of bar owner Lorenzo "Lon" Bass. The accused was Arizona Ranger William W. Webb. The date was February 8, 1903.[6]

In 1916, the Mexican revolutionary leader Pancho Villa threatened to attack Douglas, believing Americans responsible for his defeat at the Second Battle of Agua Prieta.[7]

On June 23, 1926, missing evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson was found collapsed near a road at the adjacent Mexican town of Agua Prieta. She was driven into Douglas and told a story of kidnap, torture and escape as she convalesced at Calumet Hospital. There, large crowds gathered, anxious to see the famous Canadian-American celebrity minister. She had earlier disappeared from a beach near Los Angeles and was believed drowned. For a period of several weeks, Douglas enjoyed a brisk tourist boom as police, reporters and others visited the town and the nearby desert to investigate her story. The Los Angeles Times wrote, "Mrs. McPherson put Douglas square on the map and the citizens here appear grateful that it was in Douglas she sought refuge."[8][9]

Panoramic view in 1904

In 1989, the Sinaloa Cartel dug a 300-foot (91-metre) tunnel between a house in Agua Prieta to a warehouse located in Douglas that it used to smuggle drugs across the international border. It was discovered in May 1990.[10][11] Following its discovery, the Cartel refocused their smuggling operations towards Tijuana and Otay Mesa, San Diego where it acquired a warehouse in 1992. Other tunnels would also later be built in Arizona including sites at Naco and Nogales.

The town has been physically divided from Agua Prieta with a tall border wall built under President George W. Bush. Further construction was completed under President Donald J. Trump along the border.[12][13]

Douglas is located near the southeastern corner of Arizona on the U.S.-Mexico border, across from the city of Agua Prieta, Sonora.

U.S. Route 191 leads north from Douglas 69 miles (111 km) to Interstate 10 near Willcox. Arizona State Route 80 leads west 26 miles (42 km) to Bisbee and northeast 80 miles (130 km) to Interstate 10 in New Mexico.

As of the census of 2010, there were 17,509 people, 4,986 households, and 3,662 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,750.9 inhabitants per square mile (676.0/km²). There were 5,652 housing units at an average density of 565.2 per square mile (218.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 68.2% white, 2.8% black or African-American, 1.7% American Indian or Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, 24.2% some other race, and 2.6% two or more races. 82.6% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.[17]

There were 4,986 households, out of which 45.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.9% were headed by married couples living together, 24.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.6% were non-families. 23.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.3% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.98, and the average family size was 3.56.[17]

In the city, the age distribution of the population was 28.2% under the age of 18, 10.4% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 120.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 127.4 males.[17]

For the period 2008–12, the estimated median annual income for a household in the city was $28,548, and the median income for a family was $33,117. Male full-time workers had a median income of $25,853 versus $31,222 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,376. About 25.1% of families and 30.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 36.8% of those under age 18 and 29.0% of those age 65 or over.[18]

City management

• Mayor: Donald Huish (2020– )
• City Council:
  • Ward 1: Margaret Morales
  • Ward 2: Mitch Lindemann
  • Ward 3: Danya Acosta
  • Ward 4: Ray Shelton
  • Ward 5: Jose Grijalva
  • Ward 6: Michael Baldenegro
• City Manager: Ana Urquijo
• Finance Manager: Luis Pedroza
• City Clerk: Alma Andrade

The City of Douglas operates Douglas Rides, which provides local transportation.[20] The city also operates Cochice Connection, which provides connections between Douglas, Bisbee, and Sierra Vista.[21] Private shuttle services connect Douglas with Tucson and Phoenix.[22]

Douglas is connected to Agua Prieta by the Douglas, Arizona Port of Entry. Also, Douglas Airport is located here. There are no airline services at this airport.

• John D. Driggs, 50th mayor of Phoenix
• Manny Farber, stylist, film critic, and painter
• Evelyn Finley, actress and Hollywood stuntwoman
• Harold L. Humes (1926–1992), novelist and founder of The Paris Review literary magazine[24]
• Stan Jones (1914–1963), musician
• Robert Krentz, rancher who was murdered in 2010 by a suspected undocumented immigrant. His murder is credited for bringing about Arizona's SB1070 immigration law.
• Gil Lefebvre (1910–1987), football player
• Lorna E. Lockwood, first female chief justice of a state supreme court
• Bill Melendez, animator, film producer, and film director; best known as the voice of Snoopy and Woodstock
• Mike Pagel, former NFL quarterback
• Jack Lund Schofield, Nevada state legislator
• "Texas John" Slaughter, Cochise County Sheriff (1841–1922), rancher, gunfighter, businessman, and a champion for Arizona's statehood
• Effie Anderson Smith (1869–1955), impressionist painter of desert landscapes
• Thornton Wilder, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and novelist[25]

• The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972)
• Arizona Dream (1993)
• Pontiac Moon (1994)
• Terminal Velocity (1994)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Douglas, Arizona.

Wikisource has the text of a 1921 Collier's Encyclopedia article about Douglas, Arizona.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Douglas (Arizona).

• City of Douglas official website
• The Douglas Daily Dispatch
• Greater Douglas Chamber of Commerce Archived 2016-11-23 at the Wayback Machine
• CityData
• "The Smelter City of the Southwest", National Magazine, July 1905 (with historic photos)