Arizona celebration marks state's 100th birthday

By Paul Davenport

Associated Press

Published: Tuesday, Feb. 14 2012 10:08 p.m. MST

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Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer smiles as the new Arizona statehood stamp is unveiled by the United States Postal Service during the celebration of the 100th anniversary of Arizona's statehood Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012, in Phoenix.

Ross D. Franklin, Associated Press

Summary

Arizona is celebrating its centennial and marking 100 years since becoming the 48th state.

PHOENIX — Arizona is celebrating its centennial and marking 100 years since becoming the 48th state.

Gov. Jan Brewer shouted "Happy birthday, Arizona" from a stage in front of the domed Old Capitol in Phoenix at the start of Tuesday's festivities.

The event included storytelling and pageantry amid recollections of the state's long independent streak.

Arizona shed its five-decade status as a U.S. territory when it became the last state in the contiguous 48 on Feb. 14, 1912.

The U.S. Postal Service issued a commemorative stamp based on a painting by Arizona artist Ed Mell that depicts Cathedral Rock, one of Sedona's red rock formations.

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