Thatcher, Arizona

Thatcher was originally settled by members of the St. Joseph Stake of the LDS Church. Some of these earliest settlers had been members of the Mormon Brigade and had traveled across this part of Arizona on the Brigade's journey westward to California with General Steven Watts Kearny during the Mexican-American War. The town was named for Moses Thatcher, one of the early Mormon Apostles.

In 1892, the St. Joseph Stake Academy was moved from Central (now a virtual ghost town) to Thatcher. 1st year college courses were introduced in 1921, 2nd year courses in 1922. The name was soon changed to Gila Academy and the University of Arizona accredited the school for 2 years of college work beginning in 1926. Then in 1962, the LDS Church donated the college to the state of Arizona and the college became Arizona's first State Junior College as Eastern Arizona College. Today there are more than 3,600 students attending the school.