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Book on Benson published
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| Author: Kathy Suagee with a copy of "Images of America around Benson." (Thelma Grimes/Photo.) |
Thelma Grimes/San Pedro Valley News-Sun
A new book outlining Benson's growth over 100 years has hit the shelves as part of a project by Arcadia Publishing to share the history of hundreds of individual communities throughout the country.
Since 1993, the company has published hundreds of books that record a town or city's unique story through images. The book on Benson has 200 historical images.
Benson resident Kathy Suagee spent the last year working on the book titled "Images of America around Benson." The book is composed mainly of photographs that show Benson's growth from a stretch of dirt roads with travelers riding horseback in search of a home, to the train station that once was the focus of downtown.
The 127-page book also has numerous pages and information outlining the families and people who have transformed the town into a community over the years.
Suagee, manager of Singing Wind Bookshop, said she wanted to write the book to inform the public.
"I am frequently asked if there are books about Benson and the San Pedro Valley," she said. "Few materials exist in a format succinct enough to satisfy most readers. When I was asked to write the Benson book for Arizona Historical Foundation's Centennial Project, I accepted, not because I know Benson history, but because I feel this can be a starting point for others to record what they know of Benson's history."
Suagee said research for the book was time-consuming and she relied on a lot of resources and local historians to make it reality.
Suagee thanked Stan Benjamin for organizing the materials at the Benson Museum into files and displays.
She also thanked the individuals and families who have shared their pictures, their stories and their knowledge, especially the Comaduran family, Dora Ohnesorgen, W. Lane Rogers, Bob Nilson, Jim Kelly and Winifred Bundy.
Besides using many of the photos provided by the San Pedro Valley Arts and Historical Museum, Suagee also took numerous trips to Phoenix for research at Arizona State University and the Arizona State Library.
Suagee said she hopes the book has an immediate impact on the community, with a portion of all revenues going to the San Pedro Arts and Historical Museum.
"Beyond that, I have tried to provide a starting point for those who really know the history to begin recording their stories," Suagee said. "Benson has a multi-cultural heritage, and all aspects of this rich history should be recorded and all participants respected for laying down our history. Next year will mark Benson's 130th birthday, and it's time we understood our past better then we do today."
A lot of focus was paid to Benson's railroad heritage, as outlined in chapter three, "The Hub City."
"Benson became known as the hub city because three railroads met there," the book states. "From Benson, people turned south to the mining towns in Tombstone and Bisbee or to the international ports at Nogales and Douglas. Benson served the Tombstone, Bisbee, Dragoon, Yellowstone, Rincon, Huachuca and Whetstone mining districts, and ranching needed the railroad's services as well."
Suagee said when the railroad stopped being the town's anchor, and there was no anchor business, Benson could have faded away.
Thankfully, the town became the base for the Arizona Electric Power Cooperative, numerous small businesses, and a center point for highway travel in Southern Arizona.
"Because Benson's establishment and continued success as a community depends so much upon its topography, I have tried to give a geographic picture of Benson along with the historical account," Suagee said. "Natural forces that have shaped this valley both before human occupation, and since, continue to affect our daily lives. In addition, the rich railroad history should hold the readers' interest."
Other areas of interest in the book include the Territorial Industrial School, a boys' reformatory built in 1903 and vacated in 1913, information on ranching and rodeo, both vital parts of Benson's past dating back to 1930 and facts about the San Pedro Valley, the fastest eroding valley in the U.S.
In the future, Suagee said she hopes to publish more books on Benson, and really dig into family histories.
For more information on Suagee's book, visit Arcadia Publishing at www.arcadiapublishing.com.
A new book outlining Benson's growth over 100 years has hit the shelves as part of a project by Arcadia Publishing to share the history of hundreds of individual communities throughout the country.
Since 1993, the company has published hundreds of books that record a town or city's unique story through images. The book on Benson has 200 historical images.
Benson resident Kathy Suagee spent the last year working on the book titled "Images of America around Benson." The book is composed mainly of photographs that show Benson's growth from a stretch of dirt roads with travelers riding horseback in search of a home, to the train station that once was the focus of downtown.
The 127-page book also has numerous pages and information outlining the families and people who have transformed the town into a community over the years.
Suagee, manager of Singing Wind Bookshop, said she wanted to write the book to inform the public.
"I am frequently asked if there are books about Benson and the San Pedro Valley," she said. "Few materials exist in a format succinct enough to satisfy most readers. When I was asked to write the Benson book for Arizona Historical Foundation's Centennial Project, I accepted, not because I know Benson history, but because I feel this can be a starting point for others to record what they know of Benson's history."
Suagee said research for the book was time-consuming and she relied on a lot of resources and local historians to make it reality.
Suagee thanked Stan Benjamin for organizing the materials at the Benson Museum into files and displays.
She also thanked the individuals and families who have shared their pictures, their stories and their knowledge, especially the Comaduran family, Dora Ohnesorgen, W. Lane Rogers, Bob Nilson, Jim Kelly and Winifred Bundy.
Besides using many of the photos provided by the San Pedro Valley Arts and Historical Museum, Suagee also took numerous trips to Phoenix for research at Arizona State University and the Arizona State Library.
Suagee said she hopes the book has an immediate impact on the community, with a portion of all revenues going to the San Pedro Arts and Historical Museum.
"Beyond that, I have tried to provide a starting point for those who really know the history to begin recording their stories," Suagee said. "Benson has a multi-cultural heritage, and all aspects of this rich history should be recorded and all participants respected for laying down our history. Next year will mark Benson's 130th birthday, and it's time we understood our past better then we do today."
A lot of focus was paid to Benson's railroad heritage, as outlined in chapter three, "The Hub City."
"Benson became known as the hub city because three railroads met there," the book states. "From Benson, people turned south to the mining towns in Tombstone and Bisbee or to the international ports at Nogales and Douglas. Benson served the Tombstone, Bisbee, Dragoon, Yellowstone, Rincon, Huachuca and Whetstone mining districts, and ranching needed the railroad's services as well."
Suagee said when the railroad stopped being the town's anchor, and there was no anchor business, Benson could have faded away.
Thankfully, the town became the base for the Arizona Electric Power Cooperative, numerous small businesses, and a center point for highway travel in Southern Arizona.
"Because Benson's establishment and continued success as a community depends so much upon its topography, I have tried to give a geographic picture of Benson along with the historical account," Suagee said. "Natural forces that have shaped this valley both before human occupation, and since, continue to affect our daily lives. In addition, the rich railroad history should hold the readers' interest."
Other areas of interest in the book include the Territorial Industrial School, a boys' reformatory built in 1903 and vacated in 1913, information on ranching and rodeo, both vital parts of Benson's past dating back to 1930 and facts about the San Pedro Valley, the fastest eroding valley in the U.S.
In the future, Suagee said she hopes to publish more books on Benson, and really dig into family histories.
For more information on Suagee's book, visit Arcadia Publishing at www.arcadiapublishing.com.
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