Sonoita Creek is a stream in Santa Cruz County, Arizona. It originates near and takes its name from the abandoned Pima mission in the high valley near Sonoita. It flows steadily for the first fifteen miles of its westward course past Patagonia, its bird sanctuary and Patagonia Lake, but sinks beneath the sand seven to eight miles before joining the Santa Cruz River a few miles north of Nogales. This confluence provides water for Tumacácori and Tubac and collects in the marsh lands around San Xavier del Bac to the north. The Santa Rita Mountains lie to the north and the Canelo Hills, Red Mountain and the Patagonia Mountains lie to the south. Harshaw Creek is a southern tributary which joins the Sonoita near Patagonia. Harshaw Creek drains the area between the Patagonia Mountains to the west and the high San Raphael valley grasslands to the east. The old mining area and ghost towns of Harshaw, Mowry, Washington Camp, and Duquesne lie within its watershed. Butchers Creek, Omeo, Victoria A stream, brook, beck, burn or creek, is a body of water with a detectable current, confined within a bed and banks. ... Santa Cruz County is located in the south of the U.S. state of Arizona. ... Official language(s) English Spoken language(s) English 74. ... The Akimel Oodham or Pima are a group of Native Americans living in an area consisting of what is now central and southern Arizona (USA) and Sonora (Mexico). ... Sonoita is a census-designated place located in Santa Cruz County, Arizona. ... Patagonia is a town located in Santa Cruz County, Arizona. ... ... Patagonia Lake State Park, located near Patagonia, Arizona, contains the two-and-a-half mile long, 250-acre Patagonia Lake, which is a popular southern Arizona site for fishing, camping, boat rental, picnicking, hiking, and birding. ... The Santa Cruz River is a river in southern Arizona, United States. ... Nogales is a city in Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States. ... Tumacacori-Carmen is a census-designated place located in Santa Cruz County, Arizona. ... Tubac is a census-designated place located in Santa Cruz County, Arizona. ... San Xavier del Bac (Papago Va:k) is a historic Spanish mission about 10 miles (16 km) south of downtown Tucson, Arizona on the Tohono Oodham Reservation. ... The Santa Rita Mountains is a mountain range extending 42 km (26 mi) from northwest to southeast, located 65 km (40 mi) southeast of Tucson, Arizona. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

On November 17, 1856, the United States Army established Fort Buchanan along its banks in an effort to control the newly acquired Gadsden Purchase. 17 November is also the name of a Marxist group in Greece, coinciding with the anniversary of the Athens Polytechnic uprising. ... 1856 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The United States Army is the largest and oldest branch of the armed forces of the United States. ... Fort Buchanan, Arizona was located 3 miles west of present day Sonoita, Arizona in what is now called Hog Canyon. The Fort was located on the East slope of the canyon and under constant attack by Indians. ... The Gadsden Purchase (shown with present-day state boundaries and cities) The Gadsden Purchase (known as Venta de La Mesilla in Mexico) is a 45,535 mi² (76,770 km²) region of what is today southern Arizona and New Mexico that was purchased by the United States from Mexico in...

In the 1890s several stone artifacts were discovered a few feet beneath the surface near the beginning of the river. The 1890s were sometimes referred to as the Mauve Decade, because William Henry Perkins aniline dye allowed the widespread use of that colour in fashion, and also as the Gay Nineties, under the then-current usage of the word gay which referred simply to merriment and frivolity, with no...

The New Mexico and Arizona Railroad paralleled the Sonoita Creek for a portion of the Railroad's route. The route ran from a connection with the Southern Pacific Railroad at Benson, Arizona, then south to Fairbanks (about 13 km or 8 miles east of Tombstone, Arizona) then west to Sonoita - Patagonia and Calabassas (today known as Rio Rico, Arizona), then south to Nogales. The railroad was constructed 1881-1882 and was abandoned in 5 phases between 1927 - 1962. Only 15.74 km (9.78 miles) of track remains in place today, from Calabassas (Rio Rico) to Nogales and is operated by the Union Pacific Railroad. Benson is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, in the United States, 45 miles east-southeast of Tucson. ... Tombstone in year 1891 Tombstone is a city located in Cochise County, Arizona, USA, founded in 1879 in what was then the Arizona Territory. ... The Union Pacific Railroad (AAR reporting marks UP) (NYSE: UNP), headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. ...

See also

• List of Arizona rivers

This is a list of rivers in the U.S. state of Arizona Black River Colorado River Gila River Little Colorado River Salt River White River Verde River See also List of rivers in the United States Categories: Lists of rivers | U.S. rivers | Arizona rivers ...

External links

• Patagonia Lake State Park and Sonoita Creek State Natural Area
• Map of Santa Cruz County