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 […]

In 1864, Navajo people were forced to walk over 450 miles to Fort Sumner in eastern New Mexico.  Imprisoned on a 40-square mile reservation for four long years the people suffered from hunger, loneliness, illnesses, and severe environmental conditions. On June 1, 1868, U. S. officials and Navajo leaders reached an agreement, allowing the Navajos […]

Jim Turner has traced the Green and Colorado rivers from their beginnings as clear bubbling glacial springs high in the mountains, then through roaring canyons in Utah, Arizona, and Nevada, and finally to the salt flats in Mexico. Stunning photographs tell the story of the rivers’ two thousand miles of scenic wonders, geography, wildlife, history, […]

U.S. Route 66, known as the “Mother Road,” was built in 1926. It ran from Chicago to L. A. During the depression of the 1930s, it became the major path by which people migrated west, seeking work, warm weather and new opportunities. Shore shares the history of Route 66 in Arizona, including the impact it […]

This session examines a chronological historic account of the lives, works and influence of The Beatles on contemporary society.  We will discuss their phenomenal achievements from a musical and cultural perspective.  The lecture will be enhanced with visual backgrounds and audio clips.  Our historic journey starts from their early days as a cover band in […]

This presentation will impart a social interpretation of how life among Indian Nations began to change due to the plight American Indian people were forced into in the name of education.  American Indians are the only ethnic group in the U.S. who were subjected to forced education by the federal government for generations.  Children were […]

The men who explored Arizona are legends in the history of the region and of anthropology, but what about the women who accompanied them or explored by themselves?  Did you know that Matilda Coxe Stevenson was a member of the first official government survey of Canyon de Chelly or that Emma Mindeleff surveyed ruins in […]

This session examines a chronological historic account of the lives, works and influence of The Beatles on contemporary society.  We will discuss their phenomenal achievements from a musical and cultural perspective.  The lecture will be enhanced with visual backgrounds and audio clips.  Our historic journey starts from their early days as a cover band in […]

Father Kino is one of two Arizonans recognized in the U. S. Capitol Hall of Heroes.  The Padre was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, map maker, explorer, rancher, and friend to the Indians of the Pimería Alta.  Journeying on horseback or foot, multiple explorations of the Pimería Alta were made by the padre, resulting in the […]

The men who explored Arizona are legends in the history of the region and of anthropology, but what about the women who accompanied them or explored by themselves?  Did you know that Matilda Coxe Stevenson was a member of the first official government survey of Canyon de Chelly or that Emma Mindeleff surveyed ruins in […]

Just weeks after Pearl Harbor, the War Department announced the construction of a massive ammunition depot ten miles west of Flagstaff at Bellemont on U.S. Highway 66. Flagstaff’s population exploded from five to twenty thousand. The Army rushed the $17 million project to completion in a spasm of boomtown upheaval. Several thousand Navajo and Hopi […]

During the Depression the Federal Writers Project conducted interviews with over 144 women who arrived in the Territory between 1850 and 1890. The women spoke of their long and dangerous journeys, and with their words paint pictures of the hardships and life threatening situations of their frontier existence. Through hard work, dedication, tenacity and humor […]

The deep time perspective that archaeology and related disciplines provide about natural hazards, environmental change, and human adaptation is a valuable supplement to historical records and can help modern societies make decisions affecting social sustainability and human safety. Examples include scientific evidence that virtually all prehistoric farming cultures in Arizona and the Southwest eventually surpassed […]

Mike Burns lived a long life in two worlds. Born in about 1862 into the Kwevkepaya (Yavapai) people, he was taken prisoner by U.S. soldiers after his family was massacred at a place called Skeleton Cave. He lived for years as something between a captive and a servant until joining the Indian Scouts, riding against […]

Many neuroscientists study music to elucidate mysteries of the brain. Why is music such a rich resource?  Not only can scientists physically track the process of learning music as different areas of the brain light up, they can trace music’s powerful effect on our emotions, muscles and memory.  The benefits of music span well beyond […]