Superior

History

Like nearby Globe, Ray, and Clifton, Arizona, Superior was once part of a huge Apache reservation, but after silver and copper deposits were discovered, those areas were withdrawn from the reservation and returned to the public domain. In 1872, at the height of the American Indian Wars, a band of raiding Apache horsemen were ambushed by a United States Cavalry force from Picket Post Mountain. After losing 50 men, the Apache retreated up the mountain later named "Apache Leap". According to local legend, in the face of defeat, the remaining Apache leapt to their death rather than being captured by the cavalry, thus giving the mountain its name. Superior was originally called Queen, then Hastings, and under the latter name was platted in 1900. Queen had a population of around 100 circa 1880. There was a general store, 2 hotels, numerous saloons, and a post office. The Queen post office closed September 15, 1881. The Superior townsite was laid out in 1902, and named after the Lake Superior and Arizona Copper Company (LS&A). The Superior post office opened on December 29, 1902.

Geography

Superior is located approximately east of Phoenix and the same distance north of Tucson. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,632
• Verdin

  Auriparus flaviceps (Sundevall, 1850) · Aves
  3,020
• Gila Woodpecker

  Melanerpes uropygialis (S.F.Baird, 1854) · Aves
  2,817
• Anna's Hummingbird

  Calypte anna (R.Lesson, 1829) · Aves
  2,628
• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  2,623
• Phainopepla

  Phainopepla nitens (Swainson, 1838) · Aves
  2,575
• Common Raven

  Corvus corax Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  2,366
• Abert's Towhee

  Melozone aberti (S.F.Baird, 1852) · Aves
  2,266

Largest nearby schools

• John F Kennedy School
  Elementary · Superior · 179 students · 25.6:1 ratio
• Superior Junior/Senior High School
  High · SUPERIOR · 156 students · 13:1 ratio
• CVIT - Superior High School
  High · SUPERIOR

Most recent

• M 2.6 — 2022-02-25
  1 km S of Roosevelt, Arizona
• M 2.5 — 2022-02-15
  6 km S of Roosevelt, Arizona
• M 2.5 — 2022-02-12
  2 km ESE of Roosevelt, Arizona
• M 3.2 — 2016-12-10
  11 km ENE of Rio Verde, Arizona
• M 3.2 — 2014-09-20
  6 km WNW of Rock House, Arizona
• M 2.9 — 2014-09-09
  6 km SE of Roosevelt, Arizona