Answer to the quiz of the week.

This is such a cool story, I just have to share...

A French man named Darrel Dupper, who later was called Du Perre. Rose to his feet during a town meeting and offered the name. He explained the Phoenix was a bird of beautiful plumage and exceptional voice, which lived for five hundred years and then, after chanting its death-song, prepared a charnel-house for itself and was cremated, after which a new and glorified bird arose from the ashes to live a magnificent existence forever. When Dupper finished his suggestion and explanation the meeting voted on the names and the Frenchman's choice was decided upon.

The story above is from an eyewitness account given by, John Cady in the book Arizona's Yesterday written in 1916 some more info about Dupper. He was originally Count Du Perre, and came of a noted aristocratic French family. His family was prominent in the court of Louis XIV, and in his youth had committed some foolhardy act in France and was banished by his people, who sent him a monthly remittance on condition that he get as far away from home as he could... And stay there. He learned English and Americanized his name to Dupper, once moving to Arizona to pioneer the territory.

Other names considered that day, Salt City and Aricopolis... Never thought I would thank a French man for his suggestion.



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My insanity on display www.pioneeringaz.blogspot.com