The early history of Sonora/Arizona was deeply determined by the Jesuit Order. Padre Eusebio Kino arrived here in 1692 and died in 1711. Subsequently, a large number of German-speaking Jesuit missionaries arrived here, and many of them left highly fascinating reports, letters, diaries, maps, and encyclopedias behind (in German!). This talk deals with those missionaries […]

The American Southwest is world-renown for its colorful and spectacular landscapes like Grand Canyon, Sedona, Monument Valley, the Superstition Mountains, and the Sonoran Desert. But how did these wonders come to exist and what can ordinary rocks tell us about their ancient origins? You’ll be amazed to learn that the Southwest was once the site […]

As editor of the third edition of Fran Kosik’s classic travel book, A Complete Motoring Guide to the Navajo and Hopi Nations, Turner retraced her routes in January 2013, updating information on dozens of intriguing Native American trading posts, prehistoric ruins, museums, and natural wonders. Using the pictures taken on that trip, this presentation creates […]

Winnie Ruth Judd, Eva Dugan, Dr. Rose Boido, and Eva Wilbur Cruz all shared one thing in common. They were all incarcerated at the Arizona State Prison in Florence.  These women were players in both the sensational stories that made national headlines and local stories that made Arizona history. Who were these women and how […]

Throughout history, the ability of a people to survive and thrive has been tied to environmental conditions.  The skill to predict the climatic change of the seasons was an essential element in the ability to “control” those conditions.  Seasonal calendars thus became the foundation of early cultures: hunting and gathering, planting and harvesting, worshiping and […]

Discovered in 1863 by Henry Wickenburg, the Vulture Gold Mine was the first big gold mine in Arizona.  The mine and its colorful cast of characters, along with the town of Wickenburg, were instrumental in stimulating considerable growth and development in Central Arizona. This presentation will share the multi-layered story of the gold mine, thus […]

Arizona has become a focus for the location of private, for-profit prisons.  The state also has one of the highest expenditure rates for corrections.  Are we getting what we paid for?  Post will address the history of for-profit prisons, the inter-connections with issues of immigration and racial disparities, and the track record of for-profit prisons […]

Native Americans in the Southwest developed sophisticated skills in astronomy and predicting the seasons, centuries before Old World peoples first entered the region. In this presentation Dart discusses the petroglyphs at Picture Rocks, the architecture of the "Great House" at Arizona's Casa Grande Ruins, and other archaeological evidence of ancient southwestern astronomy and calendrical reckoning; […]

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?  […]

After the tragedy of the Holocaust, the Jewish population in Eastern Europe was nearly extinguished.  However, since the collapse of Communism, there has been a small, yet significant revival of Jewish life in several countries.  For the first time in generations, young Jews are free to practice their faith without the fear of government interference […]

John Wayne was born in Iowa and lived for most of his adult life in California. Yet, he spent many years exploring, living, and investing in Arizona, where he produced his own films, raised cattle, operated a game ranch, and was seemingly everywhere at once. Wayne remains an iconic presence in American popular culture. In […]