Seligman is in North Western Arizona in the County of Yavapai, located at the junction of Historic Route 66 and Interstate 40. It came to life as a railroad town in 1886. During the late 1920’s, the automobile became a popular means of transportation and Route 66 was constructed which connected Chicago to California.

The town owes its name to the Seligman brothers, two New York bankers who helped finance the rail line south. Jesse Seligman, who with his seven brothers came to America from Baiersdorf, Bavaria, soon earned worldwide recognition as a leader in international banking and railroad financing. For his efforts in raising money for the project, railroad officials chose to honor the New York financier by naming an emerging western town in the Arizona territory after him.

The town, however, was not founded on the present day location. In fact, the town was situated more than a mile to the southeast. Nearly all of the houses, including Santa Fe's Harvey House, were moved to their current location piece by piece.

In the early Route 66 years, Seligman accommodated many travelers with motor courts galore. Seligman is the beginning of the remaining 158 mile stretch of Old Route 66 to Topock and is rich in scenic and historic value. The longest remaining stretch of the “Mother Road” goes from Seligman to Kingman.

The town is an odd mixture of roads, cattle and rails. It is not uncommon to see 18-wheelers and ranch trucks parked outside the homes of Seligman's 900 residents, while many of Seligman's old-timers are railroad retirees.