For the Love of Turquoise

Apache Junction Library 1177 N. Idaho Rd., Apache Junction, AZ, United States

Turquoise has a long standing tradition amongst Native cultures of the Southwest, holding special significance and profound meanings to specific individual tribes. Even before the more contemporary tradition of combining silver with turquoise, cultures throughout the southwest used turquoise in necklaces, earrings, mosaics, fetishes, medicine pouches, and made bracelets of basketry stems lacquered with piñon […]

How We Survived Prohibition (100 Years Ago)

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

Arizonans often didn’t play well with others where they’d lived before, and that made them well-suited to survive a society that (supposedly) didn’t serve alcohol. Hear some of the stories of how places you can still drink today made it through the speakeasy era… as well as what makes some of our other historic watering […]

Chiles & Chocolate: Sweet and Spicy Foods in the American West

Arizona Western College / Parker Learning Center 1109 Geronimo Avenue, Parker, AZ, United States

Come have a taste of the rich and savory history of these food favorites, explore how early peoples used them, and how they have evolved and spread to all corners of the world. Food is a portal into culture and can convey a range of cultural meaning including occasion, social status, ethnicity, and wealth depending […]

Impeachment: The U.S. Constitutional Process and How It Works

Coolidge Public Library 160 W. Central Avenue, Coolidge, AZ, United States

The U.S. Constitution set in place a process for removing from office elected and non-elective executive and judicial officers of the United States: that process is commonly called impeachment. It is a power of the national legislature, the Congress; and both the House of Representatives and the Senate play roles, separately but in coordination. On […]

Theodore Roosevelt Slept Here

Salazar-Ajo Library 15 W. Plaza St. #179, Ajo, AZ, United States

Theodore Roosevelt exhibited a greater influence on Arizona than perhaps any other president. He was the first sitting president to visit Arizona, employed an executive order to preserve the Grand Canyon, established a variety of wildlife refuges and reclamation projects, and enjoyed outdoor recreation in the area. This program will share Roosevelt’s widespread influence in […]

The Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) of WWII

Quartzsite Community Center 295 E. Chandler, Quartzsite, AZ, United States

During World War II over one thousand women served as Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), freeing male pilots for combat roles at a critical time during the war. The WASP ferried planes from factories to embarkation points; performed engineer test flying of repaired aircraft and did target towing for gunnery training. By the spring of […]

The Shadow Catchers: 150 years of Arizona Photography

Sedona Public Library 3250 White Bear Road, Sedona, AZ, United States

For more than a century and a half some of the world’s best photographers focused their lenses on Arizona. In addition to the renowned Edward S. Curtis, Kate Cory lived with the Hopi and represented them in photographs and on canvas, while C. S. Fly gave us the famous Geronimo pictures. In the 20th century […]

Coded Messages and Songs of the Underground Railroad

Phoenix Country Day School 3901 E. Stanford Dr., Phoenix, AZ, United States

Communication and secrecy were key to the successful operation of the Underground Railroad. Safety was more important than quickness. Both fugitive slaves and members of the Underground Railroad learned to code and decode hidden messages, and to disguise signs to avoid capture. There were code names for routes and code numbers for towns. A quilt […]

Picturing Arizona: Celebrating Early Arizona Women Artists, Writers, Photographers, and Songsters

The Palazzo 6250 N. 19th Avenue, Phoenix, AZ, United States

Artistry in its many forms makes us think, sing, dance, and enjoy the wonders of our surroundings. The arts also allow us to document the lives of our ancestors and learn from the past. Some of the finest early Arizona artists were women who wrote, painted, photographed, and vocalized the magnificence and history of their […]

From “Chief” to Code Talker: Four Profiles of the Navajo Code Talkers

Apache Junction Library 1177 N. Idaho Rd., Apache Junction, AZ, United States

During WWII a group of young Navajo men enlisted in the Marines without knowing that they would be called on to develop a secret code against the Japanese military. This select group of Code Talkers devised a Navajo language code that was accurate, quick, never broken, and saved many American lives. This talk profiles 4 […]

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