Southern Arizona

Women of many faiths cared for the bodies and souls of Arizona’s early inhabitants. Meet five of these altruistic women who influenced the history of the territory. Theresa Ferrin’s holistic practices and comprehensive understanding of healing herbs earned her the title “Angel of Tucson.” Florence Yount is recognized as Prescott’s first woman physician. Teresita Urrea […]

Through the vehicle of true crime and spine-chilling Arizona lore, this presentation highlights macabre stories and their historical background, including the tale of Winnie Ruth Judd, Arizona's most infamous murderer, and the tale of the Red Ghost and the release into the wild desert of unknown animals (today, we know them as camels). Shore uses […]

The great West that George Bird Grinnell first encountered in 1870 as a 21-year-old man was shortly to disappear before his eyes.  Nobody was quicker to sense the desecration or was more eloquent in crusading against the poachers, the hide-hunters, and the disengaged U.S. Congress than George Bird Grinnell, the “Father of American Conservation.”  Grinnell founded […]

As editor of the third edition of Fran Kosik’s classic travel book, A Complete Motoring Guide to the Navajo and Hopi Nations, Turner retraced her routes in January 2013, updating information on dozens of intriguing Native American trading posts, prehistoric ruins, museums, and natural wonders. Using the pictures taken on that trip, this presentation creates […]

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 […]

The great West that George Bird Grinnell first encountered in 1870 as a 21-year-old man was shortly to disappear before his eyes.  Nobody was quicker to sense the desecration or was more eloquent in crusading against the poachers, the hide-hunters, and the disengaged U.S. Congress than George Bird Grinnell, the “Father of American Conservation.”  Grinnell […]

In ancient times the lessons of life and guides to a moralistic life were taught via fables of ancestors and their adventures in a magical world fraught with monsters and heroes.  INYAHOSKIE is one of those heroes who sets out to explore the world and journeys to the Southwest where he encounters a rude and […]

Meet Teresa Urrea, a curandera (spiritual healer) and reluctant political figure. She was born in Sinoloa, Mexico, in 1873 to a fourteen-year-old Tehueco Indian in the employ of Tomás Urrea, a wealthy hacendado (owner of a hacienda). When she was 16, she lapsed into a cataleptic state that lasted over three months. Upon awakening, Teresa […]

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 […]