The Great Pyramids Of… Arizona??

Arizona is full of strange and bizarre history. From the supposed "Red Devil" that terrorized the southwest frontier to the more modern "Phoenix Lights" that convinced an entire city Mars was attacking, we're one of the weirder states in the union.

None of that comes anywhere close to the final wish of Arizona's first governor.

Governor George Hunt

After 10 years of climbing the political ladder, a young man by the name of George Wylie Paul Hunt was sworn in as Arizona's first official governor in 1911. Hunt was burdened by the brewing Mexican-American War during his run for reelection, and worked with the Federal government to bring U.S. troops into Arizona to rectify the conflict.

His terms were shrouded in controversy and plagued by political issues, but his work with the federal government led then-president Woodrow Wilson to look favorably upon him. Little did they know what this partnership would lead to.

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What is Hunt's Tomb?

Under President Wilson, Hunt became the foreign minister to Siam. He spent about a year and a half there before being replaced by Warren G. Harding. He kept in constant contact with friends in Arizona, and in 1923, he returned as governor of Arizona, lasting for six consecutive years.

In the time he was in Siam, King Tut's tomb had been unearthed, creating a frenzy around ancient Egypt and their pyramids. In honor of that, Hunt requested to be buried in something similar, and thus, Hunt's Tomb was born.

Located in Papago Park in Phoenix, Hunt's Tomb is an aboveground graveyard for Hunt and his family. It was initially built for his wife, who passed in 1931, before he joined her just three short years later.

[Salt River Stories][George Hunt via Wikipedia][Hunt's Tomb via Wikipedia]