September 2016
A Boot in the Door: Pioneer Women Archaeologists of Arizona
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 the Verde Valley while Theresa Russell helped her husband locate Hohokam sites? Probably not, for none are listed in "official" histories. Learn about the hidden…
Find out more »February 2018
Cochise and Bascom, How the Apache Wars Began – Tucson
In 1861, Lieutenant George Bascom confronted Chiricahua Apache leader Cochise demanding the return of the abducted boy, Felix Ward (aka Mickey Free). The epic 14-day affair, 70 soldiers surrounded by 500 Apaches rescued by the timely intervention of the cavalry, ended in blood with hostages slain on both sides. Congress recognized Dr. Bernard Irwin, who rode with 12 men to relieve the beleaguered soldiers, with the first Medal of Honor. Historians have come to credit Bascom with starting a war.…
Find out more »January 2020
Mescal Agave Use in Arizona: Food, Fiber, and Vessel
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 the life history of mescal, and the multitude of Tribal uses of this intriguing plant and their long relationship with this plant from centuries ago…
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