by Betty Barr (Author)
Located at the foot of the majestic Santa Rita Mountains in southeastern Arizona, Sonoita is known for its rolling grasslands, grazing cattle, and working cowboys in well-worn jeans. Ranching blossomed in the early 1880s when the Southern Pacific Railroad linked Benson to Nogales, allowing local cattlemen to ship their livestock to market by train. It would be another 30 years before the first Sonoita Post Office was established, with postmistress Clara Hummel dispensing the mail from her home. The area would remain unincorporated--the closest pioneer neighbors were miles away over dirt roads--but the citizenry grew in friendship and cooperation, developing a community spirit that still exists today. Locals and visitors alike enjoy Sonoita's neighboring communities of Patagonia, where a historic train depot evokes memories of the town's role as a distribution center for area mines and ranches, and Elgin, where old-time cattle ranches now share fence lines with the lush vineyards of Winery Row.