Southern Arizona

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 […]

The Nilsens will illustrate ways that humor helps people face the challenges of growing old.  They will discuss some of the differences between growing old as a male and growing old as a female, and also how growing old differs in a capitalistic society like the United States, as compared to a traditional society like […]

In pioneer Arizona, among the best places to experience the performing arts were in the mining towns. Striking it rich meant having disposable income and miners, like the well-heeled of the Gilded Age, wanted to demonstrate their sophistication with culture. From the early popular music of ragtime and minstrelsy evolved orchestras, operas and glee clubs […]

Arizona has had its share of colorful politicians but none more so than George W. P. Hunt, Arizona’s first governor. From his birth in rural Missouri in 1859 to his death in Phoenix in 1934, Hunt was always the character. He was elected to office seven times, but declared the loser in his 1916 bid […]