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Kingman, Arizona, is located on Interstate Highway 40 in the northwestern corner of the state. A spring in present day Kingman was important to the Apache Indians that roamed that part of the country prior to the arrival of Anglo-Europeans. Spanish explorers passed through the area but did not establish any permanent communities. Early in the nineteenth century, a few trappers worked in the area and in 1857 Lieutenant Edward F. Beale passed through with his camels while surveying the 35th parallel wagon road. U.S. military personnel from nearby Fort Mojave discovered gold and silver in the area in the 1860s and cattle ranching was established in the 1870s. A small community grew up and was called Middleton. In 1880 Lewis Kingman surveyed the Santa Fe Railroad line through the area and the track was laid in 1883. At that point the name of the community was changed to Kingman. In 1887 Kingman became the county seat for Mohave County. In 1926 Route 66 brought increased automobile travel through town and, in 1929, Charles Lindberg laid out Kingman's first airport.
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