Along the California Trail

Maricopa Historical Conference 37860 W. Smith-Enke Road, Maricopa, AZ, United States

An ancient set of Indian paths and the natural flow of the Gila River created a major artery for travel through Arizona. The Gila provided a ready route for the earliest traders, including Toltecs of Mexico, who traded with the Mogollon, Anasazi and Hohokam. This program focuses on the varied travelers along this route—their struggles, […]

Free

Saving the Great American West:  The Story of George Bird Grinnell

Pima County Public Library, Dusenberry-River Branch, 5605 E. River Road #105, Tucson, AZ, United States

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 […]

Free

The Quest for Religious Otherness: Medieval Mysticism and Modern Spirituality

Monte Vista Village Resort 8865 E. Baseline Rd., Mesa, AZ, United States

The human quest for spirituality is an eternal tradition, and we are as much engaged in this quest now as we were centuries ago. This presentation will explore medieval mysticism, one of the most powerful, but also often misunderstood, phenomena of the Middle Ages. Mysticism provided medieval religious women with tremendous spiritual power, as well […]

Free

Growing Up Chicana in Morenci, Arizona

Copper Queen Library 6 Main St., Bisbee, AZ, United States

“Growing Up Chicana in Morenci, Arizona” is a plática (informal talk) about Chicanas who lived in the mining town of Morenci, Arizona, during the early to middle 1900s. Through historic photographs, readings from Suffer Smoke and Water from the Moon, and oral history interviews, Björkquist portrays the lives of girls and women of Morenci. Audience […]

Free

Archaeology’s Deep Time Perspective on Environment and Social Sustainability

San Tan Historical Society Museum 20425 S. Old Ellsworth Road, Queen Creek, AZ, United States

The deep time perspective that archaeology, geology, and related disciplines provide about natural hazards, environmental change, and societal development often is ignored when today’s societies make decisions affecting social sustainability and human safety. Studies of ancient peoples and natural events can help modern society deal with problems of environmental and social change, overpopulation, and sustainability. […]

Free

Riding with the Duke: John Wayne in Arizona

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

John Wayne was born in Iowa and lived for most of his adult life in California. Yet, he spent many years exploring, living, and investing in Arizona, where he produced his own films, raised cattle, operated a game ranch, and was seemingly everywhere at once. Wayne remains an iconic presence in American popular culture. In […]

Free

Arizona Tourism from Stagecoaches to Kayaks

Sun Valley Lodge 12415 N. 103rd Ave., Sun City, AZ, United States

Ever since the Grand Canyon became grand, tourists have been flocking to Arizona to see the sights and experience the unique landscape and indigenous cultures. This presentation covers the whole state over more than a century. From 1880s Grand Canyon stagecoach and mule rides, the Fred Harvey railroad era (Harvey Girls and Indian Detours), auto […]

Free

Hot Topics Café – Paper or Plastic

Museum of Northern Arizona 3101 North Fort Valley Road, Flagstaff, AZ, United States

Hot Topics Café creates a forum for civil discussion about issues of contemporary concern. Join us to learn more about the issue, and more about other people and their views. NAU’s Philosophy in the Public Interest convenes the Hot Topics Café. Philosophy in the Public Interest is nonpartisan, and does not endorse a position with […]

Free

Arizona Women’s Hall of Fame – Induction Ceremony

Arizona Historical Soceity 1300 N. College, Tempe, AZ, United States

On March 12th, 2015 at 3:00 PM at the Arizona Historical Society Museum (1300 N. College, Tempe, AZ 85281), six deceased women and, for the first time, two living women, or Living Legacies, will be inducted into the Arizona Women’s Hall of Fame.   There will be a reception with light refreshments to follow the ceremony, […]

Free

Selling the Southwest: Fred Harvey and the Promotion of Native American Cultures

Lutheran Church of the Foothills 5102 North Craycroft Road, Tucson, AZ, United States

In partnership with the Santa Fe Railway, the Fred Harvey company vigorously promoted travel to the Southwest and was an early innovator of “cultural heritage tourism.” Travelers experienced an idealized version of the Southwest’s Native American cultures through the company’s grand hotels along the Santa Fe line, their Indian Department’s museum rooms and curio shops, […]

Free

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