Salt has been a valuable trade item throughout human history. Native American salt procurement in the Southwest involved dangerous journeys across sacred landscapes associated with the deity Salt Woman. This presentation focuses on the prehistory of a famous salt mine in what is now known as Camp Verde. In the 1920s, miners discovered prehistoric salt-mining […]
Weeks after Pearl Harbor the War Department announced construction of a massive ammunition storage depot ten miles west of Flagstaff along U.S. Highway 66 at Bellemont. Flagstaff’s population jumped from five to 20 thousand in a spasm of boom town upheaval. Several thousand Navajo and Hopi construction workers labored at the struggling new depot – […]
This session examines the lives, works and influence of The Beatles on contemporary society. We will follow in the footsteps of The Beatles as they embark on their extraordinary career. Our journey will start from their early days as a cover band in Liverpool and Hamburg, into the excitement of Beatlemania to the formation of […]
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 […]
Tyrone Power, Andy Devine, Katy Jurado, Steve McQueen and, of course, John Wayne. From the earliest days of film, Arizona has been a setting and subject for hundreds of films. Some, like Junior Bonner and Red River, are considered classics, others, such as Billy Jack and Evolution, surely less so. Some may even be classics […]
The Empire Ranch, built by Walter Vail and family, was one of the most financially successful and long-lived cattle enterprises in Arizona. For over 140 years, the owners of the Empire wisely managed its natural resources – soils, waters, and vegetation in the Cienega Valley. Today those grasslands are some of the richest and most […]
Knowledge seekers of every kind are welcome at Archaeology Café at The Loft Cinema for a series of programs exploring the deep and diverse history of Arizona. Join us on Tuesday, February 5, 2019, for Precontact Agriculture, Tucson versus Phoenix: It’s Not the Same! by Dr. Gary Huckleberry. Archaeologists have found strong evidence for irrigation agriculture in […]
When the first dining guide to the Valley of the Sun appeared in 1978, the authors had to explain what “sushi” was. Fast forward four decades, and Arizonans are munching rainbow rolls in shopping-mall food courts. The restaurant business in Arizona now brings in more than $11 billion a year. With stories, statistics and insider […]
Museums and Indigenous communities have long had contentious interactions and relationships. In this talk, Jaclyn Roessel, Founder and Present of Grownup Navajo, will examine some of the tensions present within the museum field and discuss how, with further dedication to decolonized practices, museums can help facilitate the assertion of Indigenous community's cultural rights. Jaclyn Roessel […]
Scott Warren, Freelance Geographer Immigration is one of the most divisive issues facing our country and our state. Who comes in and out of the U.S., and how? Do current immigration laws effectively promote national security and economic prosperity, without compromising human and civil rights? In Arizona border security and immigration policies are more than […]
“The Orphan Trains-Foundlings to the Frontier” program informs and entertains audiences of all ages about the little-known chapter of the largest child migration in American and Arizona history. Programs incorporate live music, storytelling, historical photos, video interviews with survivors, and a Q&A." This program is supported by a grant from Arizona Humanities.
The promise of unimagined riches is what brought many of the earliest colonizers to the Arizona Territory. Following the trail to the discovery of the mother lode, they built, then dismantled and finally abandoned communities when mines played out – leaving behind tantalizing clues of difficult hardships. Some towns survived like Bisbee, Jerome, Tombstone and […]
Arizona has always been a geographical muse for writers, artists and composers, as well as a getaway for the rich and famous. In this talk, learn about some of the people who have had adventures, weddings and unusual experiences here, while also learning about some of the places they lifted a glass, and why you […]
The promise of unimagined riches is what brought many of the earliest colonizers to the Arizona Territory. Following the trail to the discovery of the mother lode, they built, then dismantled and finally abandoned communities when mines played out – leaving behind tantalizing clues of difficult hardships. Some towns survived like Bisbee, Jerome, Tombstone and […]
Tucson’s African-American community overcame numerous scandals to become some of the city’s most prosperous and well-known citizens. Newspapers throughout the Arizona territory captured more than their unlawful exploits but gave biographical information about each African-American. Men like George Bragg, who was a barber by trade, made headlines that rocked when he was charged with the […]
Featuring compelling documentaries based on interviews, this presentation shares stories about prominent African Americans who contributed to the life and culture of Arizona. Such luminaries include the late Dr. Eugene Grigsby, Betty Fairfax, Judge Jean Williams, Rev. Warren Stewart, Councilman Calvin Goode, and Carol Coles Henry. Each individual’s life is contextualized using prominent events that […]
Ancient Indian pictographs (rock paintings) and petroglyphs (symbols carved or pecked on rocks) are claimed by some to be forms of writing for which meanings are known. However, are such claims supported by archaeology or by Native Americans themselves? Mr. Dart illustrates southwestern petroglyphs and pictographs, and discusses how even the same rock art symbol […]
This presentation will explore the US Army’s experiment with using camel from the Middle East to make it more mobile in the newly acquired Southwest. In order to teach the soldiers about camels, a local from the Middle East, who was called Hi Jolly, was shipped over with the camels. Even though Secretary of War […]
“The Orphan Trains-Foundlings to the Frontier” program informs and entertains audiences of all ages about the little-known chapter of the largest child migration in American and Arizona history. Programs incorporate live music, storytelling, historical photos, video interviews with survivors, and a Q&A. This program is supported by a grant from Arizona Humanities.
When the first dining guide to the Valley of the Sun appeared in 1978, the authors had to explain what “sushi” was. Fast forward four decades, and Arizonans are munching rainbow rolls in shopping-mall food courts. The restaurant business in Arizona now brings in more than $11 billion a year. With stories, statistics and insider […]