Coconino County History , is carved out of Yavapai County was created by the 16th Territorial Assembly in 1891. Some complications came about in the agreement to create Coconino County . First, the idea of the name Coconino was passed through the House and the Council, but was vetoed by the governor. The House then passed over the veto, but the Senate failed to follow through. By 1891 they finally agreed that the time was right for the creation of Coconino County and on February 19, 1891.

The name is that of the Coconino Indians, of whom today's Havasupai are descendants. Lt. Lorenzo Sitgreaves interpreted the name as Coconino, a not very great departure from the name Cosninas, as noted by Fr. Francisco Garces in 1776. That same year, an election was held to determine the permanent county seat of Flagstaff, which had been designated the temporary county seat, won out over Williams by a vote of 419 to 97.

Coconino County lies in the central region of northern Arizon, which was crossed by Spanish expeditions during the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, and by fur trappers and traders in the 1820's and 1830's. Cattle and sheep ranching started in the 1870's and, when the railroad began serving the area a decade later, the lumber business boomed. The county is a year round mecca for outdoor activities. In the 20 th century Coconino County was the setting for George Herriman's Krazy Kat comic strip.

Coconino encloses country of great contrast, including the magnificence of the Grand Canyon, the beautiful wooded San Fransico Peaks, and the escarpment of the Painted Desert. North of the Grand Canyon lies the area of Arizona referred to as the Arizona Strip, a large part of which also lies in Mohave County. The area is relatively virgin territory since it is not easiliy accessible. Coconino is largely an agricultural, lumbering, and livestock area.