Marshall Trimble is Arizona’s official state historian, as first decreed by former Gov. Fife Symington in 1996. The appointment was made official in 1997. Each successive year, the sitting governor has reappointed him. Here he is, providing the first thought that came to his mind when given a specific year: 1906 Arizona rangers still trying [...]

Follow our history one piece at a time and see how we’ve grown. The covers below span time from Arizona Capitol Times first incarnation as The Messenger through time as The Arizona Legislative Review. The more we change, the more we stay the same, right? The Arizona Legislative Review, Dec. 9, 1964: Top Stories: A [...]

The Times Past section is a weekly staple of the Arizona Capitol Times. It began as an old photograph feature started by Ned Creighton’s wife, Diana. With contributors from around the state, the feature provides another perspective on people and events that have shaped Arizona, and often touches on issues that still exist today. Here [...]

Still fancy yourself an authority on Arizona history? Answer these questions to find out how you stack up. 1. What happened to the original community of San Carlos? 2. What New York City mayor spent his boyhood as a son of an Army bandmaster at Forts Huachuca and Whipple? 3. What famous gangster was arrested [...]

Still fancy yourself an authority on Arizona history? Answer these questions to find out how you stack up. What year was each of the following items recognized as an official state symbol? 1. State Seal: Shield plus motto Ditat Deus 2. State Colors: Blue and Gold 3. State Flag 4. State Song: The Arizona March [...]

Fancy yourself an authority on Arizona history? Answer these questions to find out how you stack up. 1. In 1864, Arizona’s first capital was established. Where was it? 2. Where was the first permanent U.S. military post established in Arizona in 1851? 3. What year did Phoenix become the permanent capital of Arizona? 4. On [...]

Phil VanderMeer Phil VanderMeer is a professor of history at Arizona State University, focusing on religious, American political, urban and community history, in the late 19th and 20th centuries. He recently published a history of contemporary Phoenix, and is now completing a longer study of the city’s economic, social and political development since the 1860s. [...]

1900s The referendum on joint statehood with New Mexico. 1910s The Constitutional Convention, statewide prohibition and the Hunt-Campbell fiasco over the governorship. 1920s The Colorado River Compact allocating water to the state.. 1930s The Federal Stock Reduction Program of 1934, which resulted in the Navajo Sheep Reduction Act. It had a devastating affect both economically [...]