Czar James Dyer (1846 - 1903) - Renaissance Men

Czar James Dyer Map of Phoenix - Arizona Memory Project

Although he was an authentic Arizona pioneer, the gentleman with the extraordinary first name--Czar--was born in 1846 in the state of Michigan and grew to manhood there.

Dyer enlisted in the U. S. Navy at the age of 18 and served from August 20, 1864, to July 28, 1865 as a 'powder monkey' aboard the U.S.S. Mattabassett.   After his year of service in the Union Navy, Dyer's travels took him to California.

The federal census of 1880 shows C. J. Dyer residing in Oakland, Alameda County, California, in the household of Frank and Nellie Jones. He gave his age as 31 and his occupation as 'artist'.  Shortly thereafter, he moved to Prescott in the Arizona Territory. Within a few years, he had moved further south to the young settlement of Phoenix, arriving on the scene as the city was in a period of rapid growth and development. A personable fellow, "C. J.", as he was popularly known, made the acquaintance of many key individuals in town, thus immediately involving himself in local commerce and government affairs. 

An artist, specifically a cartographer by profession, Dyer was soon appointed mapmaker for the growing city.  - Adapted from a story by Rose Sullivan

What was unique about James Dyer?  Find out at the PMMP!