Arizona Kicks on Route 66 – Quartzsite

Quartzsite Public Library 465 North Plymouth Avenue, Quartzsite, 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

Arizona Outlaws and the Law – Coolidge

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument - Visitor Center Theater 1100 W Ruins Drive, Coolidge, AZ, United States

Taking the events from Billy the Kid, who killed his first man in Arizona, the Gunfight at the OK Corral, and the arrest and trial of Ernesto Miranda, this presentation will explore how these seminal events became watershed experiences for the American legal system, and still impact the lives of individuals living in the United […]

Free

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

City of Surprise City Hall - City Council Chambers 16000 N Civic Center Plaza, Surprise, 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

Four Corners: The Southwest’s Cultural Crossroad – Tucson

Kirk-Bear Canyon Library 8959 E Tanque Verde Rd., Tucson, AZ, United States

The Four Corners is a common name for the region within 150 miles of the marker where Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico, Arizona meet. The Four Corners reflects a wide array of customs of both ancient and contemporary cultures, spiritual beliefs, and histories. This presentation describes the landscape’s extensive geological and cultural transformation contributed by […]

Free

Cowpokes, Crooks, and Cactus: Arizona in the Movies – Sedona

Church of the Nazarene 55 Rojo Dr, Sedona

Tyrone Power, Andy Devine,  Katy Jurado, Steve McQueen and, of course, John Wayne. From the earliest days of film, Arizona has been a setting and subject for hundreds of films. Some, like Junior Bonner and Red River, are considered classics, others, such as Billy Jack and Evolution, surely less so. Some may even be classics […]

Free

Arizona Stories: Frontier Characters and Communities – Tucson

Dusenberry-River Branch Library 5605 E River Rd #105, Tucson, AZ, United States

From mammoth hunters and canal builders to Native Americans, Hispanics, Americans, Irish, Serbians, and just about every nationality under the sun, Arizona has always been a land of many cultures. And while the Earps and the Geronimo are world famous, Arizona can also be proud of its unsung men and women and cooperative communities. Here […]

Free

Set in Stone but Not in Meaning: Southwestern Indian Rock Art – Prescott Valley

Prescott Valley Public Library 7401 E Skoog Blvd, Prescott Valley, AZ, United States

Ancient Indian pictographs (rock paintings) and petroglyphs (symbols carved or pecked on rocks) are claimed by some to be forms of writing for which meanings are known. However, are such claims supported by archaeology or by Native Americans themselves? Mr. Dart illustrates southwestern petroglyphs and pictographs, and discusses how even the same rock art symbol […]

Free

The Diamond Jubilee of Cadet Nurses in Arizona: Stories of Service – Florence

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

July 1, 2018, marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps, an innovation for its time that addressed an acute healthcare delivery crisis during World War II. This presentation draws from the voices of those who participated in the program. Participants will have the opportunity to view and discuss Cadet […]

Free

Wild, Weird, Wicked Arizona – Waddell

White Tank Library 20304 W. White Tank Mountain Road, Waddell, AZ, United States

For a state that has been home to Geronimo, Wyatt Earp, César Chavez and Wonder Women, you would think Arizona earned some respect. Yet achieving statehood was a 50-year struggle, which finally ended on February 14, 1912. Jana borrows from both her work for True West Magazine and her work for Phoenix Magazine to put […]

Free

Ghost Towns of the Second World War: Arizona’s Historic Military Sites – Parker

Arizona Western College 1109 Geronimo Ave., Parker, AZ, United States

When America entered the Second World War, Arizona’s sparse population and mild weather made it an ideal location for training facilities and prisoner of war camps.  By war’s end, Arizona had trained more pilots than any other state, hosted the country’s largest POW camp, and was part of the largest military training grounds in history.  […]

Free

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