Founded in 1866, Florence is the 6th oldest non-Native American settlement in Arizona. With its location just south of the Gila River, early citizens re-dug the abandoned prehistoric canals of the ancient Sonoran Desert People and used them to irrigate their fields. That, combined with its situation on fertile flood plains, established Florence as an agricultural center.
In 1875, when the Territory of Arizona formed Pinal County, Florence became the county seat. That same year, the Silver King stake was claimed about 30 miles away. Florence soon became the boom town for a very productive silver mine, bringing both prosperity and trouble.