Artist on the Southwest Road: Willard J. Page – Florence

Florence Community Library 778 N. Main St., Florence, AZ, United States

Willard J. Page, 1885-1958, worked as a quick-draw artist with the Redpath-Horner Chautauqua, but when that work ended about 1920, he turned to painting miniature landscapes, souvenirs, or “suitcase art.” Because his wife, Ethel, suffered from crippling arthritis, Willard built a camper on a Dodge chassis, and the couple spent winters traveling from their home […]

The Woman Who Shot Cowboys: Rodeo Photographer Louise L. Serpa – Kingman

Mohave Community College Kingman Campus 1971 E Jagerson Ave, Kingman, AZ, United States

Anyone who has ever stared down an angry bull coming full throttle across an arena will understand why rodeo photographer Louise Serpa often uttered the adage, “Never Don’t Pay Attention.” Born into New York society, Louise ended up out west with her nose buried in the dirt & her eye glued to a camera, becoming […]

Free

Specters of the Past: Arizona’s Ghost Towns – El Mirage

El Mirage Senior Center 14010 El Mirage Rd, El Mirage, AZ, United States

The promise of unimagined riches is what brought many of the earliest colonizers to the Arizona Territory. Following the trail to the discovery of the mother lode, they built, then dismantled and finally abandoned communities when mines played out – leaving behind tantalizing clues of difficult hardships. Some towns survived like Bisbee, Jerome, Tombstone and […]

Free

Armed with Our Language, We Went to War: The Navajo Code Talkers – Lake Havasu

Mohave Community College: Lake Havasu Campus 1977 Acoma Blvd, Lake Havasu City, AZ, United States

During WWII a select group of young Navajo men enlisted in the Marines with a unique weapon. Using the Navajo language, they devised a secret code that the enemy never deciphered.  For over 40 years a cloak of secrecy hung over the Code Talker’s service until the code was declassified and they were finally honored […]

Free

Arizona Kicks on Route 66 – Sun City

Oakmont Recreation Center 10725 W Oakmont Dr, Sun City, AZ, United States

U.S. Route 66, known as the “Mother Road,” was built in 1926. It ran from Chicago to L. A. During the depression of the 1930s, it became the major path by which people migrated west, seeking work, warm weather and new opportunities. Shore shares the history of Route 66 in Arizona, including the impact it […]

Free

Armed with Our Language, We Went to War: The Navajo Code Talkers – Florence

Florence Community Library 778 N. Main St., Florence, AZ, United States

During WWII a select group of young Navajo men enlisted in the Marines with a unique weapon. Using the Navajo language, they devised a secret code that the enemy never deciphered.  For over 40 years a cloak of secrecy hung over the Code Talker’s service until the code was declassified and they were finally honored […]

Free

Specters of the Past: Arizona’s Ghost Towns – Lake Havasu

ASU Colleges at Lake Havasu City, ASU Gym 100 University Way, Lake Havasu Ctiy, AZ, United States

The promise of unimagined riches is what brought many of the earliest colonizers to the Arizona Territory. Following the trail to the discovery of the mother lode, they built, then dismantled and finally abandoned communities when mines played out – leaving behind tantalizing clues of difficult hardships. Some towns survived like Bisbee, Jerome, Tombstone and […]

Free

Hopi Quilting Traditions – Phoenix

South Mountain Community Library 7050 S 24th St, Phoenix, AZ, United States

For centuries, Hopi men grew cotton and wove the fibers into blankets and clothing. In the 1880s, with the arrival of Anglo missionaries and government officials, quilting was introduced to the Hopi people and it quickly became integrated into Hopi culture and ceremony with quilts being used in every Hopi household. Hopis today are 4th […]

Free

Landscapes of Migration in the Arizona-Sonora Borderland – Tucson

Oro Valley Public Library 1305 W. Naranja Drive, Oro Valley, AZ, United States

The dividing line of the U.S.-Mexico border may be the most significant feature of the Arizona-Sonora borderland today, but the region is also at the center of major north-south corridors of human migration. In this talk, Scott warren offers an in-depth look at historical and contemporary patterns of south-north migration through this region, from ancient […]

Free

The Earliest Apache in Arizona: Evidence and Arguments – Cave Creek

Good Shepherd of the Hills Episcopal Church 6502 E. Cave Creek Rd., Cave Creek, AZ, United States

How did the Apache impact late prehistoric peoples? Research provides evidence of ancestral Apaches in the southern Southwest as early as A.D. 1300. Evidence comes from chronometric dates obtained from storage features (covered with grass or leaves), on Apache pottery, and from roasting pits, all in direct association with other types of Apache material culture. […]

Free

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