Benson tourist information
Benson serves as the western gateway to the scenic and historic attractions of Cochise County and has copyrighted the name "Home of Kartchner Caverns". Our 3,585-foot elevation creates a moderate climate, with summer highs around 96 degrees and winter days about 62 degrees. Located in the historical San Pedro Valley, we offer proximity to both Tucson (45 miles northwest) and Sierra Vista (30 miles south).
The City of Benson was founded in 1880, when the Southern Pacific Railroad came through southern Arizona. Until 1910, Benson was the railroad hub of southern Arizona. It was named for judge William B. Benson, a friend of Charles Crocker, then-president of the railroad.
In 1849, when Minnesota became a territory and people were going to California to strike it rich, the land on which Benson is now situated was the home of the Dakota Indian. No white settlement had occurred in the area even though the Santa Fe Trail, first traversed in 1821 and the Oregon Trail in 1842 were used by thousands as they sought out new homes in the west. It wasn't until after the Indian Outbreak in 1862 and the Homestead Act of the same year that the area began to be populated by other than the American Indian.
The first white settler in the Benson area is thought to be Ole Corneiliusen, a Norwegian who arrived on foot from Olmstead County in 1866. A month or so later, Lars Christianson came with a group of settlers from Wisconsin by ox team, some of which settled at Camp Lake and others along the Chippewa River which they called Six Mile Timber.
The first railroad built in Minnesota was in 1862, the St. Paul & Pacific Railroad had reached as far west as Willmar, some thirty miles east of Benson. That same year, A.W. & W.V. Lathrop were among a few who built stores next to the Chippewa River assuming that a trading center would be established there upon the arrival of the railroad only to rebuild when the railroad determined the location of the town site to be where it is today. From 1870, when the railroad reached Benson, until 1871, when more rails were laid farther west, Benson served as a market center for a 100 mile radius. It was also the stopping point for the famous Red River Ox Carts, whose unoiled wheels could be heard for miles. Goods were transported from Benson to Fort Abercrombie, about 15 miles downstream from Wahpeton and shipped on the Red river to Fort Gerry Winnipeg. Benson is where the Hudson Bay Company had a warehouse.
The first stores in Benson were made of sod. In 1870 Meldahl and Sunde opened a general mercantile store and Thomas Knudson a bar. With the number of immigrants arriving by train, hotels were a necessity. In May, the first hotel was built. Soon after, the Benson House was opened in a temporary railroad building which was later rebuilt. Other hotels were the Aldrich House built in 1880 and destroyed by fire in 1930; the Emigrant House later known as the Columbia was located on the corner of Pacific Avenue and 14th Street South. In 1900, half of the Columbia was moved to one block south of the present City light plant so that a three story brick building, the Paris Hotel, could be constructed in its place. The Paris remained in use until September of 1976 when it too was destroyed by fire. Another hotel, the Merchants, was demolished in 1992 to make room for the new Benson Public Library. Benson no longer has hotels but does provide excellent lodging by its three motels, the most recent built in 1996.
Within five years the population of Benson had grown to 300 with four general stores, two drug stores, two machinery houses, three hotels, one bank and two saloons. In one of the general stores, A.N. Johnson and Co., the sales ran up to $60,000 in the last eight months of 1875. During the same period there were sold in Benson almost one and one-half million feet of lumber, 1,260,000 shingles, 170,000 laths, 380 reapers, mowers and harvesters, 240 seeders, 10 threshing machines, 160 plows, 137 wagons and 61 sulky hay racks. It was distinctly a boom period.
Benson continued to expand more rapidly than any other trading center in the county. In 1880, its population was 457 with the business interests numbering 30 stores and shops. Its growth can be partially due to the decision of the legislature in the spring of 1876 when it authorized the construction of a courthouse to be built in Benson at a cost of $3,000, making Benson the county seat. This frame building served the county until 1898 when the present courthouse was completed. In the fall of 1876 the land business was further stimulated by the removal of the US Land office from Litchfield to Benson which resulted in more people using Benson as a market place.
In 1877, 100 carloads of gravel were put on the streets and a system of drainage to the Chippewa River was completed. In the same year the village had been incorporated by a special act of the legislature. The waterworks was constructed in 1895. The city's water tower has been located just south of West Pacific Avenue. The most recent water tower was constructed in 1998 and can be seen for miles. Quite different in appearance from the first wooden tower. In 1894, 4,000 feet of sewage pipe was laid down. Cement sidewalks began to be constructed in 1901. The first telephone was operated between the office and home of Dr. C.L. Scofield in 1893, three years before the original Bell patent expired. In 1904, after 10 years of development as a local exchange, the Benson Telephone Company incorporated, taking the name "Swift County Telephone Company". The power and light plant was built by private investors just before the turn of the century and was purchased by the City in 1902. Streets in Benson were paved in the 1920's.
The first school classes were held in the Emigrant House in 1870, with Mrs. Charlotte Knowlton as teacher. The following year a one story frame structure was erected on the northeast corner of the courthouse block to serve as the school. This building is now one of Benson's attractions and is located at Ambush Park. In 1879 the Benson School District decided to build a new school on 13th Street North. It was built of Chaska brick, two stories high, for $4,994. This building was torn down and a new school was built in 1904. In 1929, $135,000 was spent on an addition. In May of 1963 construction began on the present high school. In 1975, the 1904 building was torn down and work began on a new complex that included an indoor swimming pool. In 1888, the first wood frame southside school was built. An addition was made in 1891. In 1913 it was torn down and a new brick school was constructed. Benson's most recent Southside School building was demolish in 1995 to make room for a new motel and restaurant. In 1958 the present Northside Elementary School was built with an addition completed in 1994.
Benson, North Carolina is a unique community where the downtown still thrives and bustles with traffic. Storefronts are 90% filled and one can walk anywhere to shop, eat or just visit in this town.
A railroad still runs through the center of town carrying products from Florida to the Northern States. Interestingly enough, towns were built around the railroad junctions as Benson was back in the 1800's.
A depot was erected and passengers would board the train and supplies were loaded or unloaded to maintain the farm life many lives and kept the storekeepers in merchandise. Today the depot is gone but the train still comes through whistling it's presence as it rambles down the tracks warning the travelers to stop.
Benson sits at the intersection of I95 and I40 and a primary location for those wishing to live a quiet quality way of life while having access to Raleigh, Fayetteville, and the Research Triangle Park, all within one hour drive. The beach is one and one-half hours away and the mountains approximately three so one is never very far from great vacation spots. There are over thirty churches which shows a strong spiritual value in the Benson community and the Benson Area Chamber of Commerce is very active in promoting the area through activities for the family and encouraging businesses to prosper.
Benson is Americana- a small town, quiet and safe to raise children. Neighbors know neighbors, people walk and jog the streets and the historical district is very attractive. It is a community dedicated to family and a way of life children can safely grow up.
by Benson North Carolina Chamber of Commerce
Benson aerial map
Please click on any icon on the Benson aerial tourist map, to find close by places, offering hotels and tourist information. You can zoom in and zoom out our touristical map as well as switch between satelite and map view of Benson.
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