The town of Kingman, Arizona was established in 1882. Lieutenant Beale's Camel Corps came through the area in 1857, surveying a wagon trail along the 35th parallel.

Fort Mohave was established to defend the area from the hostile Indians.

The off-duty soldiers scouted the hills and found gold and silver. Mining camps sprang up everywhere and in the 1870s cattle were driven in to the area to take advantage of the ample grass and brush. In 1880, Lewis Kingman surveyed the area between the Atlantic & Pacific right-of-way between Needles California and Albuquergue, New Mexico. The survey was completed and in 1883 the new track was completed.

The town of Kingman, sprawled out along the railroad tracks, grew rapidly the first few years. It ultimately became the County Seat of Mohave County in 1887.

In 1906, Thomas Devine and his family migrated to Kingman from Flagstaff and purchased the Beale Hotel. Son Andy, who was one year at the time, would grow up to become one of the best known character actors of the Silver screen. Kingman's 'Front Street', was renamed Andy Devine Avenue on his behalf.

Then in 1909, Desert Power & Water Company built 'The Powerhouse'. On July 31, 1909, electricity flowed through the lines powering Kingman and the local businesses. Residences followed soon after and the Desert Power & Water Company remained viable through 1938. The Hoover (Boulder) Dam had been completed by this point and with the new hydroelectric power plant online, Tthe Desert Power & Water Company's Powerhouse was put on standby as the Hoover Dam powered the much of the area of Southern California, Nevada and Arizona.

1927 saw the advent of the National Highway System and in 1937, Route 66 was completely paved from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, California. Kingman of course marked a significant stopping off point for East, West travelers. However, faster cars and a more direct route to the West saw Route 66 give way to the Interstate 40. The more streamline, faster and wider highway bypassed many of the Route 66 towns. Kingman was no exception.

By the time World War II rolled around Kingman saw a new economic boom as the Federal Government tapped Kingman as a gunnery school for the B17 Bomber. Kingman's wide open area and easily navigatable air space along with its proximity to Nellis Air Force base made Kingman a logical choice for the Flying Fortress to call home. Kingman's Airport and Industrial Park areas, was once the home to the Kingman Army Airfield.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Kingman's copper and mining industries took a significate economic hit and saw the closeure of the DuVal Mine. Gold and Turquoise mines also closed or slowed its production during this time. Kingman was feeling the squeeze of the mid 1980s recession.

Location, location, location. Kingman was forced to redifine itself economically. Kingman literally sits at the crossroads of the I-40, I-11 (proposed), Highway 93, Highway 68, and Historic Route 66; along with railway transportation as well as commercial-passenger air transportation, Kingman has become a diverse transportation powerhouse. 

Industrial manufacturing, commercial distribution and transportation to all points West, South and East has strengthened the economic base for Kingman and its residents.

As tourists continue to find Kingman over the last several decades, tourism has become the new 'goldrush' of the Great Southwest. Popular tourist hotspots such as the Indian town of Supai on the floor of the Grand Canyon, Grand Canyon West, the Colorado River, the Grand Canyon Caverns, wineries and the revialization of the Kingman Downtown area, along the longest stretch of Historic Route 66 draws thousands of tourists each year.