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History · Seligman

Seligman’s post office opened in 1886, and 33% of its homes were built before 1940

2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 24 buildings. Below: 1 old photo or paper from 1995 on.

1886first post office
2on the National Register
33%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Seligman began

When was Seligman founded?

1886

The Seligman post office opened in 1886, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 446140 years
Founding year: the first Seligman post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Seligman’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.A historic districtThe Seligman Commercial Historic District takes in 24 historic buildings.Old housesHalf of Seligman’s homes were built before 1958.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Seligman’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Seligman’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewAngel Delgadillo, the founder of the Hi…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the National Register

2 listings protect 25 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
25
each building in a district counts
first listed
1998
Cottage Hotel
Cottage HotelSeligman Commercial Historic District
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Late 19th and 20th Century American Movements1
Commercial1
Prairie1
Spanish Colonial Revival1
Colonial Revival1
Eclectic1
Cottage HotelBuilding
Seligman Commercial Historic DistrictLate 19th and 20th Century American Movements

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

The story

How Seligman came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Seligman.

Read it all →

The region was in the longtime homeland of the Havasupai people, who had a settlement in the present-day Seligman area. The town site was on Beale's Wagon Road, and a stage stop on the Mojave Road.

ChaptersHavasu Harvey HouseSeligman Commercial Historic DistrictSeligman Depot

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Seligman, 1886 to 1995

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1886Post officeThe Seligman post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1927Born hereAngel Delgadillo is born here
  5. 1995In the archiveAngel Delgadillo, the founder of the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona, at work in…
By decade

Seligman, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1990s1 item
Angel Delgadillo, the founder of the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona, at work in his barber shop in Seligman (…1995Angel Delgadillo, the founder of the Historic Route 6…
Today5 recent
Aztec Motel2009Aztec MotelRoaming Horses Near2008Roaming Horses NearNear2008NearEast from west2008East from westArizona Wild Flowers2008Arizona Wild Flowers

Questions about Seligman’s history

What year was Seligman founded?

The Seligman post office opened in 1886, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Seligman?

Two places: the Cottage Hotel (listed 1998) and the Seligman Commercial Historic District (2005).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (6), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.