Patagonia, AZ is a hamlet of a little over 800 people situated in the valley grasslands near the Patagonia Mountains. It was officially founded by a Pennsylvanian Rollin Richardson in 1896. He'd made his fortune in oil Back East and bought the San Rafael de la Zanja land grant in 1880. Three years later Rollin went into business with some friends as the San Rafael Cattle Company. They were a big deal back in the day. Rollin originally named the town after himself, but residents weren't impressed with that bit of ego. In 1899 they petitioned the Postmaster General for a post office, and decided it was the opportune time to change the town's name to Patagonia, after the beautiful mountains that dominate the valley. The name stuck. Like most places in this part of Arizona, Patagonia's heyday was a ways back. The railroad, mining, and cattle businesses have disappeared over time. It's now a quaint village with an expansive town square in the middle of it, flanke...
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