ROOTED HERE
Behind the downtown streets.
A whole city’s story.
Sedona is in Coconino and Yavapai counties, Arizona. The area along State Route 89A offers shops and restaurants beneath the red-rock backdrop. The arts-and-shopping village near Oak Creek offers galleries and places to eat.
People made the city.
These milestones are an introduction, not a complete local history. Follow the linked city and museum sources to explore the people and places behind them.Read the local historical account.
Watch the city’s history
FROM THE ARCHIVES
A Brief History of Sedona
A local history film shared by The Video Library.
Watch on YouTube ↗- 1891
A first school
The greater Sedona area’s first school was established at Red Rock, then the community’s social center.
Sedona Heritage Museum ↗ - 1902
The community is named
Postal authorities approved Sedona as the community’s name on June 26, honoring Sedona Miller Schnebly.
City of Sedona ↗ - 1923
Moviemaking begins
Sedona’s screen history began with the silent film The Call of the Canyon.
Sedona Heritage Museum ↗ - 1950
Volunteer fire service
Sedona’s first volunteer fire department was established, with Carl Richards as chief.
City of Sedona ↗ - 1988
City incorporation
Sedona incorporated as a city.
Sedona Heritage Museum ↗
See the history for yourself.
Walk downtown to see surviving commercial architecture, then explore the Historical Preservation Society’s museum and visiting information. Check current opening dates before setting out. Historical Preservation Society.
For deeper research, the Sedona library resources is a starting point for archival material and research help. Historic photographs have their own permissions; we link to the collection instead of treating every old image as free to reuse.
Selected milestones researched September 13, 2026. This is an introduction, not a complete account of the city’s history.