How Maricopa, AZ Got Its Name: Maricopa Wells and the Railroad

Maricopa, Arizona takes its name from Maricopa Wells, a desert oasis and stagecoach stop near the Gila River. Settlers named the stop after the O'odham word for the Pee-Posh (Maricopa) people, and the town then moved twice to follow the railroad before settling where it sits today.

When people ask me about Maricopa, they usually want to know about the new neighborhoods, the commute up State Route 347, or the Amtrak stop. Very few know that the town has lived in three different places. The story of how it got here is one of my favorite pieces of Pinal County history, and it explains a lot about why Maricopa sits where it does.

The First Maricopa: An Oasis Called Maricopa Wells

Long before there was a city, there was water. Maricopa Wells was a string of watering holes on the south side of the Gila River, roughly eight miles north of today's city and just west of Pima Butte. The city's own history page says the wells were fed by several rivers: the Gila, the Santa Cruz, the Vekol and the Santa Rosa.

The Akimel O'odham (Pima) and Pee-Posh (Maricopa) people lived and farmed along the Gila, and they sold food and supplies to the travelers passing through. According to the local news site InMaricopa, settlers called the stop Maricopa Wells after the O'odham word for the Pee-Posh people. That is where the name we use today comes from.

A Busy Stop on the Southern Trail

In the 1850s and 1860s, Maricopa Wells was a major relay station for the San Antonio and San Diego Mail Line and then the Butterfield Overland Mail. Thousands of people heading west to the California gold fields stopped there for water and rest. InMaricopa notes that when Arizona became a territory in 1863, Maricopa Wells was one of only three communities of real size, along with Tucson and Prescott.

The city says the wells had their most prosperous years in the 1870s, serving travelers going both east-west and north toward the Salt River Valley. Then the railroad arrived, and everything changed.

The Second Maricopa: Boom and Bust at Maricopaville

In 1879, as the Southern Pacific Railroad pushed across southern Arizona, the settlement dropped the "Wells" from its name and moved its post office and telegraph office south to meet the tracks. The new spot became known as Maricopaville.

For a few years it was a true boom town, with hotels, saloons, warehouses, restaurants and even theaters. People expected a branch line to run from Maricopaville north to Phoenix, and some thought the town could grow into something big. It didn't work out that way. Tempe pushed for the Phoenix line to come through its town, and the railroad agreed. The route shifted, and Maricopaville's dream of being the gateway to Phoenix faded.

The original railroad stop did not disappear completely. Wikipedia notes that the old Maricopa Station location was later renamed Heaton, and the name Heaton is still listed as a small place in Pinal County today.

The Third Maricopa: A Railroad Junction Is Born

The town moved one more time, about three miles east, to the junction of the Southern Pacific and the new Maricopa and Phoenix Railroad. That line ran north through the Kyrene area and Tempe into Phoenix. The first train left Maricopa for Phoenix on July 4, 1887. For decades after that, rail travelers bound for Phoenix came through here, and the place became known as Maricopa Junction.

A 2009 InMaricopa history piece describes a busy little town with a train station, a water tower and pump house, and hotels near the tracks. The largest, the Hotel Williams, burned in 1913, and a later fire in August 1931 took the store, hotel and station.

Once a more direct line was built into Phoenix, Maricopa lost its importance as a junction. Southern Pacific pulled up the old Maricopa and Phoenix track in 1935.

Cotton Fields and a Quiet Farm Town

For the next several decades, Maricopa was farm country. The city's history page says the desert became farmland, with cotton fields in bloom from about 1948 into the 1960s, along with cattle, alfalfa, peas, melons, citrus and pecans.

From Junction to City

State Route 347, known inside the city as John Wayne Parkway, became the main road north to Interstate 10. InMaricopa notes that the highway, finished in 1995, runs roughly along the path of the old Maricopa and Phoenix branch line, so in a way people still follow the old railroad route to Phoenix.

Maricopa officially incorporated on October 15, 2003, as Arizona's 88th city. Trains still matter here too: the Maricopa Amtrak station opened in 2001 and is the closest Amtrak stop to Phoenix, served by the Sunset Limited and Texas Eagle.

The city also points out that Maricopa is bordered by two Native American communities, the Gila River Indian Community and the Ak-Chin Indian Community. If you want to see that deeper history for yourself, the HuHuGam Heritage Center and the Ak-Chin Him Dak Eco Museum are both worth a visit.

If you are curious what living in Maricopa looks like today, start with my Moving to Maricopa, AZ guide or browse homes for sale in Maricopa. Comparing nearby Pinal County towns? My Casa Grande guide is a good next stop. And since Tempe played a big part in this story, you may enjoy how Tempe got its name.

Questions People Ask

Why is the city called Maricopa?
Maricopa is named after Maricopa Wells, a 19th century stagecoach stop. Settlers named the wells after the O'odham word for the Pee-Posh, also known as the Maricopa people, who lived along the Gila River.

Is Maricopa, AZ in Maricopa County?
No. Even with the shared name, the city of Maricopa is in Pinal County, south of the Gila River Indian Community.

When did Maricopa become a city?
Maricopa incorporated on October 15, 2003, becoming Arizona's 88th incorporated city. The settlement itself dates back to the Maricopa Wells stage stop of the 1800s.