After Arizona became a U.S. territory in 1863, four counties
were created—Mojave, Pima, Yuma and Yavapai. A fifth county,
Pah-Ute, was claimed — and taxed — by both Arizona and Nevada,
with Nevada emerging as the winner. Maricopa County was created
in 1871, and others came along over time when need arose. It
took Robert John Miley more than a decade to turn guns into art.
The result is a sculpture that rises above a small park at the
corner of Roosevelt Street and Central Avenue in downtown
Phoenix. Miley spent 11 years acquiring the land, material and
manpower needed to create the work. The statue, which resembles
a man lifting his arms skyward, is made of steel and weighs
17,000 pounds. Four tons of the material came from guns that
were once used in the commission of violent acts. Early day
settlers Corydon E. Cooley and Marion Clark had been neighbors
for a short time, living among the lush, green ponderosa
forestland along Arizona’s Mogollon Rim. The two became
concerned about one encroaching on the other