This presentation focuses on the lively and lawless days of Eloy, Arizona. Eloy might have had a reputation that rivaled that of Tombstone, with its killings, graft, good time houses, and mysterious murders. Explore this turbulent time in Territorial Eloy, when the influx of seasonal cotton pickers “raised hell” on the weekends.
Geta LeSeur is a professor of English and Africana studies at The University of Arizona, specializing in African, Caribbean, and African American literature. Her book Not All Okies Are White: The Lives of Black Cotton Pickers in Arizona was selected as one of the best books of the Southwest for 2000. LeSeur aims to present history not as a litany of dates, battles, and politicians, but as the stories of those who lived before us – the stories of ordinary individuals facing the challenges and triumphs of life.