Early traders traveled through Arizona Territory, selling goods from their wagons, but they soon built stores that evolved into trading and social centers where wool, sheep, and Native arts were exchanged for sugar and salt, pots, pans, bridles, and saddles. Navajo trading posts are best known, but trading posts existed on every reservation in Arizona. […]
In 1907, an adventurous young woman from Philadelphia hopped on a train to see the distant Grand Canyon and thus launched an adventure that would change the course of her life. Over the next several years, she visited the mesa-top pueblo of Acoma, explored the Grand Canyon, lived in a rustic cabin, and struck up […]
In 1929 the newly-formed Transcontinental Air Transport (TAT) company launched an ambitious plan to establish the country’s first coast-to-coast airline service from New York to Los Angeles. Assisted by famous pilots Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart, the TAT established a series of pioneering airports along the route (including Clovis, Albuquerque, Winslow, and Kingman) and helped […]
A killer camel, a tornado-riding con man, a dead dragon, and a naked horse thief are some of the characters in the quirky stories from Southwest history that Peach loves to share in his original cowboy poetry. Laugh at and learn from these very tall and mostly true tales, like how Arizona forfeited a seaport […]
Join Temple as she presents Elizabeth “Baby Doe” Tabor, the central figure in a western mining frontier saga involving money, divorce, family heartbreak, and pioneer resilience. Baby Doe was admired by miners and hated by “decent” women, yet she captured the heart of the richest man in the West, Horace Tabor. After winning Horace away […]
The Fred Harvey and Santa Fe Railway companies vigorously promoted tourism to the Southwest through Harvey's grand hotels along the Santa Fe line. Winslow’s proximity to natural and cultural sites made it an ideal tourism destination, and so La Posada opened there in 1930. After the hotel closed in 1957, the building served as Santa […]
Before women could vote, they could fly. Everyone knows of Amelia Earhart, but few recognize and appreciate the courage and struggles of the women who came before her. Join Renzi as he shares the stories of pioneering women who served as pilots and aerial performers. Learn about Harriet Quimby, the first woman to fly across […]
Every day we use words and phrases whose roots lie in the American West. Words like “brand,” “maverick,” and “railroaded,” along with phrases like “climb down off your high horse” and “passing the buck” all grew out of the culture and experiences of those who resided west of the Mississippi. These creative words and phrases […]
Separating fact from fiction is no easy task regarding flamboyant stage coach robber Pearl Hart. Many conflicting stories abound thanks, in no small part, to Pearl herself. Using historic photographs and newspaper articles Reid will follow Pearl’s modest beginnings in Canada to her notorious Arizona crime, trial, and questionable release from prison. Why does a […]
Join Goodwin in a conversation about sustainability issues facing Arizona. Topics can include the coal-burning Navajo Generating Station, the Colorado River dams, uranium mining around the Grand Canyon, wind turbines, water conservation and catchment, the costs of water and electricity, preservation of natural landscapes, and others. The presentation can be focused on one or more […]
Address:
1242 N. Central Ave.
Phoenix, AZ 85004
Phone:
(602) 257-0335
TTY users please call 7-1-1
Email:
info@azhumanities.org
Mission:
Arizona Humanities builds a just and civil society by creating opportunities to explore our shared human experiences through discussion, learning and reflection.
