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2017-03-05 09.08.10

Between the Grand Canyon and Utah lies the Arizona Strip, a sparsely populated area with few roads and fewer towns.  The Strip was originally in Utah territory, but the northern boundary of the Arizona Territory became a hotly debated issue in 1848.

From 1878 to 1928, Mormon couples traveled for weeks through the Strip along the “Honeymoon Trail,” a route blazed by Jacob Hamblin, from central Arizona through Lees Ferry and Pipe Springs to St. George, Utah, to have their marriages performed in the temple.

The final decision created a part of Arizona geographically separated from the rest of the state, posing some unusual challenges for residents.  For example, a visit to the Mohave County seat in Kingman means a journey through southern Utah, a tip of Nevada and back into Arizona.

In 1946, the grazing Service merged with the General Land Office to form the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), within the Department of Interior.  The Arizona Strip BLM manages 2.8 million acres of public lands for a variety of uses.

When folks at Wold Hole wanted their own post office, they generated a flurry of mail to themselves to convince the postal service of their need.