The two events that included the land which would become the state of Arizona are:
Arizona was part of the state of Sonora Mexico from 1822 but the population settling there were small. Twenty- six later, under the Mexican Cession, the United States took ownership of Arizona above the Gila River after the Mexican- American war, which will become part of the Territory of New Mexico. By means of the Gadsden Purchase, the United States secured the northern part of the state of Sonora, what is now Arizona south of the Gila River in 1853. In 1863, Arizona was split off from the Territory of New Mexico to form the Arizona Territory. The remoteness of the region was eased by the arrival of railroads in 1880. Arizona became a state in 1912 but was primarily rural with an economy based on cattle, cotton, citrus and copper. Dramatic growth came after 1945, as retirees who appreciated the warm weather and low costs emigrated from the northeast.