Binghampton Farm Village:
All That is Left
Source: www.library.arizona.edu
On
December 14, 1846, a group
called the Mormon Battalion pioneered a route through southern Arizona,
through
present day Tucson, and on into California. Erastus Bingham liked what
he saw
and would eventually return to Arizona to settle and help found the
Binghampton
farm village. Erastus' sons, Dan, Jacob, and Nephi would also notice
the area
as they ran their freight business from New Mexico through Arizona, and
in 1893
would come to Tucson to stay. Nephi would first settle in Ogden, Utah
while
Jacob and his parents homesteaded 220 acres of land near the McGee
Ranch
located at the intersection of Gardner Canyon and Sonoita Highway.
Jacob
cleared the mesquite,
creosote and cats claw using their team, plows, picks and shovels.
There the
family farmed pinto beans on what they called the Bean Ranch. Jacob
also
homesteaded 420 acres called Empire Ranch near where Vail is today. It
wasn't
until Jacob's children were in need of a high school education that
Jacob
traded his farm for Hall Ranch, just north of the Rillito River in
1904. Jacob
traded with Ephraim Thompkinson for the ranch, sometimes called Bayless
Place
and a little grocery store on Ft. Lowell Road. This ranch was located
on
present day sight of Christopher City, family student housing for the
University of Arizona. Jacob and his family started a diary farm and
raised
prize-winning Ayrshire cattle. Jacob's son, Millard Bingham remembers
that he
and his eight brothers and sisters loved the ranch and were responsible
for
keeping the irrigation ditch free of weeds. Millard was 6 years old
when he
caught the flu and was very sick. His mother eventually also came down
with the
flu and died as a result of that illness. She was buried in the small
pioneer
cemetery Millard's uncle Nephi had founded when their friend John
Harris had
died May 4, 1899
Nephi
had moved from Utah and
had settled in Casa Grande because of his rheumatism. He farmed and
raised cows
there until 1899 when he moved to Tucson. After his move they lived in
Davidson
Place and built adobe houses around a central square the children used
as a
playground. This property is on the land currently known as 3701 E.
River Rd.
This home was first the home of Nephi Bingham and later became known as
the
Castro Place, because Raul Castro, who subsequently was elected
governor, lived
at this location. The Castro Home is currently being transformed into a
Montessori School. Shortly following Nephi's move to Tucson, Erastus
Bingham
and his wife moved to Mesa, living Nephi to lead the family.
Around
1909, Nephi took his
two daughters to Colonia Juarez, Mexico to attend Juarez Academy. While
he was
in Juarez, Nephi convinced Heber Farr, his five brothers, and his
brother-in-law Charles Hurst to move to Binghampton. December 15, 1909,
Heber
and his family bought a 60-acre plot of land, which is now Richey Rd on
the
West, Kleindale on the north, and Alvernon to the east and Ft. Lowell
to the
south. Farr would subdivide the land into 12 blocks with 4 square lost
to a
block. He sold them for $125.00 each. With this large influx of people
a Branch
of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was formed May 21,
1910 and
Heber Farr became the branch president.
The
Binghampton Branch built
the Davidson school, where the children learned during the week and
the branch attended church on Sunday. On September 15, 1927 the Mormons
would
begin to build the building that still stands at 3700 E. Ft. Lowell.
The Church
was the center of activity for the Binghampton settlement. The families
gathered for fun, swimming, and dancing, as well as their Sunday
meetings at
the church.
Due
to
a decreasing water
table, and other economic factors, many of the Mormons lost their farms
north
of the river and were forced to resettle south of the river. As Tucson
grew in
the 1920's and as the depression hit Tucson in the 1930's the
community's
economic base began to shift. The saints began to assimilate into the
larger
community and Binghampton became part of the greater Tucson area. All
that
remains of the bustling Mormon farm village, Binghampton, is the church
building, the small pioneer cemetery and a few of the original homes.