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McKinley and Congress
President William McKinley at Congress in 1901. At first glance, the portly gentleman with hands clasped behind his back might be taken for an aging schoolmaster scolding errant children at... […]
From Maley to Willcox
Looking down Railroad Avenue in Willcox in the 1940s. It is said that when cattlemen first arrived in the Sulphur Springs Valley — “Sufferin’ Springs” to local wags — in... […]
Beyond the Earps and the OK Corral: Tombstone’s hidden sophistication
Tombstone enjoyed a level of sophistication unknown in most Arizona towns. The one-story building in this photograph, partially obscured by the “Assay Office” sign, was the Tombstone Public Library. Tucson,... […]
Stuck in Traffic – 1920 Style
The “huge” amount of traffic in Downtown Phoenix in 1920. By 1920, Phoenix was booming. The 1919 census reported a population of 29,053. The chamber of commerce happily reported that... […]
The Fort Valley Experimental Forest
Two photos show an area of ponderosa pine near the Fort Valley Experimental Forest Station. The top image was taken in 1909. The bottom image was taken in 1938, and... […]
The Civil War: Way Out West
Originally commissioned by the self-styled father of Arizona Charles D. Poston to get more investments in his mining company, this sketch shows Picacho Peak circa 1865, just as the Union... […]
The Forgotten Novelist
Harold Bell Wright at his portable writing desk in Tucson’s Santa Catalina Mountains. Harold Bell Wright is not a name that trips lightly from contemporary tongues. Yet, there was a... […]
The State of Arizona’s First Legal Execution
Although this photo makes him look like he could have served kids ice cream back in the 1920s, Paul V. Hadley was anything but a model citizen. The nattily dressed... […]
The Short-Lived Papago Saguaro National Monument
Papago Park, known as Papago Saguaro National Monument from 1914-1930, features many interesting plants and geologic formations, such as Hole-in-the-Rock, pictured here. Shortly after statehood in 1912, the Phoenix and... […]
‘…Truly, then, George W. P. Hunt was gone'
Gov. George W. P. Hunt with his daughter Virginia at the Governor’s Mansion at 1679 E. McDowell. On Christmas Eve, 1934, the first, and seven-time governor of Arizona died at... […]
The Pioneer Ellison Family
Helen Duett Ellison Hunt J. W. Ellison was born Sept. 22, 1841, in the Republic of Texas. At age 20, he was part of the Texas Rangers fighting marauding Indians.... […]
Cousin Jacks and Jennies in Arizona
Thomas Pascoe The story of the Cornish in the Untied States is intertwined with the story of the technologically advancing and treacherous Arizona mining industry. Globe was an important mining... […]
