Kingman, county seat of Mohave County in northwestern Arizona, owes its beginning and subsequent prosperity to the building of the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad in 1882. The city was named for the project's chief engineer, Lewis Kingman. The initial railroad siding quickly became a supply center for mining and ranching operations that dotted the beautiful surrounding valleys and mountain ranges. Through the years, Kingman has been at the crossroads of rail, highway, and air transportation routes. A B-17 bomber gunnery training base brought changes by exposing the area's potential to thousands of soldiers during World War II, many of whom would later return. Actor Andy Devine grew up here, Clark Gable and Carole Lombard were married here, and Charles Lindbergh would establish a route for Transcontinental Air Transport through here. Today Kingman is the "Heart of Historic U.S. Route 66" and is located in the middle of the longest remaining stretch of the "Mother Road," making it a must-see destination for thousands of tourists each year.
Dan W. Messersmith, author, educator, and Mohave County historian, working with the vast collection of photographs of the Mohave Museum of History and Arts, has compiled a volume of historical imagery and information that gives the reader a glimpse of a true Western town.