Who Was Oliver Fry?

I grew up knowing that Sierra Vista was once named Fry, but I never stopped to ask why. It’s one of those things that just kind of floats around in local history until one day you get curious enough to dig a little deeper. It all started with a single homestead located near Fort Huachuca, and a family who helped shape the early identity of a community that would eventually grow into the Sierra Vista we know today!

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Entrance to Sierra Vista. / Photo by Val Davidson/TSM.

The Fry Family

Back in 1912, Oliver Fry and his two oldest sons packed up a boxcar with supplies and livestock and made the journey by rail, arriving in what we know now as Huachuca City. From there, they traveled out to their homestead, right around where a Family Dollar stands today. Not long after, Oliver’s wife and their eight other children joined them, turning that small homestead into the start of something much bigger.

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Cecil Fry was born in Texas. he came to Cochise County with his dad, Oliver Fry. / Photo by Val Davidson/TSM.

The Development of the Town

As Fort Huachuca began to grow, so did the population outside of it. What started as one homestead eventually turned into multiple, scattering the dirt road that is now called Fry Boulevard. By the 1930's, the town had developed a post office that adopted the name Fry, Arizona.

When the town's population had become large enough, people wanted a rebrand, and the town received the name Sierra Vista. The Fry family was not happy, but eventually, they decided that the road where it all began would be named Fry Boulevard to honor the family that helped build the town, literally.

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FRY BLVD, named after founder Oliver Fry. / Photo by Harley Noble/TSM.

The Pioneer Cemetery

In 1919, Elizabeth Fry's burial established the Fry Pioneer Cemetery. This graveyard is the last remaining piece of the Fry Family's homestead. The half-acre site is home to dozens of graves. Many of them are unmarked, and a lot of them are Hispanic and Yaqui families who helped build the town alongside the Fry Family. This cemetery was in use until 1958, and today it stands as an important monument to early residents.

Entrance to the Fry Pioneer Cemetery. / Photo by Harley Noble/TSM.

The Fry Family Legacy is etched into the land. Even though the city grew far beyond its initial homestead, the family's contributions made the town we have today possible. If you are ever driving down 7th Street, take a moment to observe the cemetery and appreciate the historic building along Fry Boulevard.

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