Cottonwood, AZ (Sedona.biz) - Sometimes a plant tells us a lot about a place.  That's the case with the Populus Fremontii, the Latin name for the Fremont Cottonwood tree common to the Verde Valley and, of course, the namesake for the town of Cottonwood that sits 3500 feet above sea level.

The Cottonwood tree likes sunny, riparian (wet) areas below 6000 feet, making the banks of the Verde River that runs through the town of Cottonwood a perfect location.

The Cottonwood tree is a deciduous tree, meaning it sheds, and it can grow to be 100 feet high with its limbs spreading out almost as wide as it is tall.

The leaves are broad and triangular and there are many, leading to the Populus portion of its Latin name which means "people" because its many leaves resemble a crowd of people.

The Cottonwood's flowers are clustered in a cylindrical shape, or "catkin," and its seeds, of course, look like cotton when they shed each season.

So what about the Fremontii part?  Fremontti is named after John Charles Fremont (1813-1890), a Union General who was also a significant supporter of emancipation during the Civil War.  He was known as the "Pathfinder" for his hazardous journeys in the western United States where he collected and preserved plant specimens.

Brief History

Cottonwood is located in the Verde Valley, a 714 square mile area in the center of Arizona that was long occupied by Native Americans, particularly the Sinagua and later the Yavapai and Apache. 

Non-Native Americans settled in the Cottonwood area in the 1870s to farm and provide goods to soldiers in Camp Verde and miners in Jerome, Clarkdale, and Clemenceau.  In 1885 the post office was established and named Cottonwood.

During this time, mining companies regulated the towns of Jerome, Clarkdale, and Clemenceau and Old Town Cottonwood became a haven for those seeking to be free of the prejudice and regulation of these nearby towns.

Present

Today the Verde Valley Medical Center is located in Cottonwood and the town's objective is to continue to expand its state-of-the-art medical facilities to attract physicians to the area.  In 1990, the City constructed a water waste treatment facility and since 2001 has been pursuing the acquisition of private water companies.

Location

Cottonwood lies 100 miles directly north of Phoenix in the Verde Valley at an elevation between 3300 and 3900 feet above sea level.  Cottonwood is 20 miles southwest of Sedona along Hwy 89A.

[Home Page] [Top of Page]