Here are some interesting facts about December 29 in Arizona history:

1. In 1846, Lieutenant Colonel Philip St. George Cooke arrived in Tucson, Arizona, with 400 Mormon Battalion soldiers. They had marched over 2,000 miles from Iowa to California to fight in the Mexican-American War. The Mormon Battalion's service was significant in opening a southern wagon route to California, which became known as the Cooke's Wagon Road.

2. In 1863, the Arizona Territory created the Maricopa County, named after the Maricopa Native American tribe. The county seat was established in Phoenix in 1870, making it the state capital.

3. In 1890, the Phoenix Union High School officially opened its doors, becoming the first high school in Phoenix. It was then known as the Phoenix High School, and it served the city's 14 high school students. Today, the school district has 20 high schools and educates over 27,000 students.

4. In 1926, the longest running rodeo in the country, the Fiesta de los Vaqueros, had its first-ever event in Tucson, Arizona. The rodeo started as a way to promote Tucson's Old Pueblo Days celebration and has become a prominent event in the city, attracting thousands of visitors from all over the world.

5. In 1991, the Arizona Cardinals played their last game at Sun Devil Stadium before moving to their new home field in Glendale, the State Farm Stadium. The football team had played at Sun Devil Stadium since 1988 and had shared the venue with the Arizona State University football team. The move marked a new era for the Cardinals, as they moved into a state-of-the-art stadium and improved their game's overall attendance and revenue.