Early traders traveled through Arizona Territory, selling goods from their wagons, but they soon built stores that evolved into trading and social centers where wool, sheep, and Native Arts were exchanged for food and necessities. Navajo trading posts are best known, but trading posts existed on every reservation in Arizona. Traders became the intermediaries between […]
Instruments and Music of Arizona’s Pioneers The story of our state is not complete without music. This program will focus on the various genres of music that reflected the milieu and personalities of our various immigrants. Using musical instruments and stories, audience members will be presented an artistic tableau of our past: heroes, villains, and […]
The Long Walk of the Navajo People, 1864-1868 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 […]
Little Sur Shot – Annie Oakley and the Closing of the American West Annie Oakley is perhaps the best recognized, but little know personalities that came out of the American West. Her life story is one which is enmeshed deeply into the fabric of the American character. However it was not a cookie cutter life. […]