In 1897, a whopping 4,147,200 acres of Arizona forest were established as the Black Mesa Forest Reserve by the state’s General Land Office.
Following the transfer of all federal forests to the United States Forest Service – an agency of the USDA tasked with administering the country’s 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands, to the tune of 193 million total acres – it was renamed Black Mesa National Forest in 1907.
In July 1908, when the parcel was divided among Tonto, Coconino, Sitgreaves and Apache National Forests (the latter pair combined in 1974), the moniker was dropped – leaving six national forests in total.
– Hannah Van Sickle, The Arizona 100