Before WWII, the resident art community of Arizona was comprised mostly of women, and this talk explores these independent spirits. Kate Cory, one of the first to arrive in 1905, chronicled the Hopi mesas. Marjorie Thomas was Scottsdale’s the first resident artist. Lillian Wilhelm Smith came to the state to illustrate the works of Zane […]
Every day we use words and phrases whose roots lie in the American West. Words like “brand,” “maverick,” and “railroaded,” along with phrases like “climb down of your high horse” and “passing the buck” all grew out of the culture and experiences of those who resided west of the Mississippi. Thse creative words and phrases are poetic, descriptive and […]
Cowboy movie star Tom Mix was internationally famous. Many legends and tall tales have been told about his life. This presentation highlights some of the true stories about Mix and his connection to Arizona and debunks some of the Hollywood hype. Why was Mix on that highway south of Florence where he met his death? […]
Marking the location of deaths with crosses or descansos is a very old custom which has been traced back to twelfth-century Europe. The custom diffused to the Americas with the arrival of the conquistadors in the sixteenth century. This presentation traces the evolution and diffusion of the roadside memorial, the typology of the crosses, states’ […]
Few symbols have been more durable than the American cowboy. This program will give an overview of this populist figure, whose image was first defined by painters Frederic Remington and Charles M. Russell. Also important to the story are brave cowgirls and the Mexican vaqueros. Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show showcased mythic cowboy culture, with […]
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 […]
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s 1942 WWII Executive Order 9066 forced the removal of nearly 125,000 Japanese American citizens from the west coast, incarcerating them in ten remote internment camps in seven states: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming. Government photographers Dorothea Lange, Russell Lee, and Ansel Adams documented the internment, and artists Toyo […]
In 1933, at the nadir of the Great Depression, the CCC was born. The program was designed to help unemployed and untrained young men learn new skills and earn money to support their families. CCCers fervently claim that the skill-building experiences forever changed their lives. These men built the roads, trails, picnic areas, ranger stations, […]
Join Stevenson as she traces Arizona history through women who recorded pieces of their lives in their needlework. Beginning with 1860s Mexican women, through 1990s Hopi women, this presentation introduces women who pioneered Arizona through quilts they stitched. Some of the women featured are Atanacia Santa Cruz Hughes, Tucson; Viola Slaughter, Southeastern Arizona; Alice Gillette Haught, […]
During the Second World War, Arizona’s open spaces, sparse population, and mild weather made it an ideal location for a wide range of military operations including combat training, POW camps, and flight training. By war’s end, more pilots received their wings in Arizona than in any other state. This presentation discusses the war’s impact on […]
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