The Food of Arizona: Many Cultures, Many Flavors

Joel D. Valdez Main Library 101 N. Stone Ave., Tucson, AZ, United States

Consider the taco, that favorite treat, a staple of Mexican and Mexican American cooking and an old standby on an Arizonan’s plate. The corn in the tortilla comes from Mexico, the cheese from the Sahara, the lettuce from Egypt, the onion from Syria, the tomatoes from South America, the chicken from Indochina, and the beef […]

Free

How Wild Was It? Crime and Justice in Arizona Territory

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

Arizona’s territorial era has the reputation of being a violent and crime-ridden place with ineffective criminal justice institutions. This presentation provides an overview of crime and justice in Arizona Territory. Based on data from court cases and newspapers, it describes the types of crimes most commonly committed and the justice system’s response to them. Contrary […]

Free

The Shadow Catchers: 150 Years of Arizona Photography

White Tank Library 20304 W. White Tank Mountain Road, Waddell, AZ, United States

For more than a century and a half some of the world’s best photographers focused their lenses on Arizona. In addition to the renowned Edward S. Curtis, Kate Cory lived with the Hopi and represented them in photographs and on canvas, while C. S. Fly gave us the famous Geronimo pictures. In the 20th century […]

Mescal Agave Use in Arizona: Food, Fiber, and Vessel

Florence Community Library 778 N. Main St., Florence, AZ, United States

The agave plant was used by Native peoples for numerous utilitarian items. Mescal served as a valuable food source still being harvested and prepared to this day by many Indigenous groups. For millennia people have pit roasted the heart of the plant yielding a nutritious food staple rich in calcium and zinc. This talk includes […]

Honky Tonks, Brothels and Mining Camps: Entertainment in Old Arizona

Florence Community Library 778 N. Main St., Florence, AZ, United States

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 during the forming of these communities, […]

From “Chief” to Code Talkers: Four Profiles of the Navajo Code Talkers

Chandler Basha Library 5990 S. Val Vista Dr., Chandler

During WWII a group of young Navajo men enlisted in the Marines without knowing that they would be called on to develop a secret code against the Japanese military. This select group of Code Talkers devised a Navajo language code that was accurate, quick, never broken, and saved many American lives. This talk profiles 4 […]

Picturing Arizona: Celebrating Early Arizona Women Artists, Writers, Photographers, and Songsters

Desert Caballeros Western Museum 21 N. Frontier Street, Wickenburg, AZ, United States

Artistry in its many forms makes us think, sing, dance, and enjoy the wonders of our surroundings. The arts also allow us to document the lives of our ancestors and learn from the past. Some of the finest early Arizona artists were women who wrote, painted, photographed, and vocalized the magnificence and history of their […]

Theodore Roosevelt Slept Here

Mohave County Library Lake Havasu Branch 1770 McCulloch Blvd N., Lake Havasu City, AZ, United States

Theodore Roosevelt exhibited a greater influence on Arizona than perhaps any other president. He was the first sitting president to visit Arizona, employed an executive order to preserve the Grand Canyon, established a variety of wildlife refuges and reclamation projects, and enjoyed outdoor recreation in the area. This program will share Roosevelt’s widespread influence in […]

“Hyenas in Petticoats”–How Women Struggled Against Every Dirty Trick in the Books to Win the Vote!

Casa Grande Public Library 449 N. Dry Lake St., Casa Grande, AZ, United States

As we celebrate the 100th birthday of the 19th Amendment in 2020, it’s time to look back at the enormous effort it took for women to be granted full citizenship and the vote. History has downplayed suffrage, as if it were just a footnote in American history, when in fact, it was the nation’s largest […]

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