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The history of Sedona
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 who shaped Sedona
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 Jordan Historical Park on Jordan Road, the Jordan family’s former apple-orchard farmstead. Check current opening hours before visiting the Sedona Heritage Museum.
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.