[3] In 1899, while working as a well-driller on an oil well in Wellsville, Ohio, Karns received serious burns when a boiler exploded, killing several others.
[8] He was considered an authority on the history of the early Southwestern United States, particularly the mission-building era of Eusebio Kino.
[1][9] Karns and Arizona Superior Court judge W. A. O'Connor, rediscovered the ruins of Fort Buchanan in August 1930.
[9][11] In 1954 he translated the diary of Captain Juan Mateo Manje, and published it entitled, La Luz de Tierra Incognito.
[13] He ran unopposed in the Democratic primary[14] and defeated Republican A. S. Henderson in November's General election.
[17] While in the State Senate he sponsored legislation to build the first bridge over the Santa Cruz River, which was dedicated in February 1917.
[21] In 1926 Karns was elected to a board of freeholders, tasked with writing the charter for the city of Nogales.
The two had squared off in 1918 for the Nogales school board, and that time saw Chenowith defeating Karns by a large margin.
[32] Karns announced his intent to run for re-election in 1931, and was expected to coast to a win with no opposition.
[35] Those two faced off in the general election, with Karns winning by 85 votes, 673–588, getting his third consecutive term as mayor.
[37] In 1946 Karns decided to re-enter politics and ran in the Democratic primary for the state senate seat from Santa Cruz County against incumbent W. H. Hathaway.
[48][49] In 1929 an American pilot, working for the Mexican government, was forced to land behind enemy lines during the Cristero War.