Hannagan Meadow, Arizona

Hannagan Meadow is an unincorporated community in Greenlee County, Arizona, elevation 9,071 feet (2,765 m).[1]

History

The explorer Coronado and his expedition passed through the area in the 1540s on their way from Mexico to Zuni,[2] but it is unknown whether they passed by this particular site, although some have speculated that they may have.[2]

The meadow was named after Robert Hannagan, a miner and cattle rancher from Nevada. One local legend is that Hannagan was chained to a tree near the meadow until his debt of $1,200 was paid off. Fortunately it was promptly paid by his son, but the name stuck.[3] Another story suggests that Toles Cosper, a rancher from over to Luna, was riding with the young Hannagan when they came across the meadow during the 1870s. They flipped a coin to see which man they would name it after, and Hannagan won.[4]

In 1909, while surveying for US Route 191, John D. Guthrie observed that "there was neither fence nor cabin at Hannagan Meadow."[2] However, with the advent of road construction on the Coronado Trail Road (later Coronado Trail Scenic Byway) tourism became a possibility, and Toles Cosper's son, DeWitt Cosper, built a lodge there in 1926.[4] The Hannagan Meadow Lodge provided tourists and travelers with rental cabins, single rooms for rent and a general store. As of 2016, the Lodge is still there and still serving tourists and travelers.[5]

Climate

Hannagan Meadow has a hemiboreal mountain climate, and during the winter season, it is of the coldest inhabited places in Arizona.[6] In January, the mean high temperature is 37 degrees, with a mean low of 2 above 0. In July, the mean high temperature is 78 degrees with a mean low of 43. Annual precipitation is around 40 inches.

References

  1. ↑ "Hannagan Meadow". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
  2. 1 2 3 Tucker, Edwin A. and Fitzpatrick, George (1972) Men who matched the mountains: the Forest Service in the Southwest (p. 153-155), United States Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Washington D.C., citing a paper read by John D. Guthrie at the dedication of the Coronado Trail Road.
  3. ↑ Youman, Becky (2006) Open Road's Best of Arizona Open Road, Cold Spring Harbor, New York, page 122, ISBN 1-59360-084-4
  4. 1 2 Waite, Tessa (2003) "History of Hannagan Meadow Lodge" pages 1–2
  5. ↑ "Hannagan Meadow Lodge"
  6. ↑ Rustic Comfort at the Hannagan Meadow Lodge, The American West Travelogue.

External links

Coordinates: 33°38′32″N 109°19′26″W / 33.64222°N 109.32389°W / 33.64222; -109.32389

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