The Miss Indian Arizona Program began in 1961 resulting from an idea of then Arizona State Fair Director, Charles Garland. It was sponsored by the State Fair Commission and held during the State Fair for 5 years. In June of 1967, the Arizona Republic reported the Miss Indian Arizona Program was "scalped due to lack of Wampum." For the next 32 years, the Program was held on various Arizona reservations with sponsorship shared by the Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona, a 501(c) (3) organization, the State Fair Commission and the Arizona tribes.