Culture | - Part 5

Arizona’s First Christmas in the Pines

November 9, 2010 By Andrea Aker 2 Comments

The first recorded Christmas in Arizona, north of the Gila River, took place in 1853 at the foot of the snowy San Francisco Peaks. And it was a wild and woolly affair. The celebrants were the Army Corps of Topographical Engineers, their military escorts and helpers who were, at the time, mapping a future transcontinental highway and railroad line across Arizona.

This region had only recently become a part of the United States and the Corps, America’s frontier rendition of the astronauts, were called upon to explore and map it. The officer in charge was a quiet, reserved young man named Lieutenant Amiel Whipple. Earlier, Whipple had equipped and provisioned his men at Albuquerque and headed towards northern Arizona along the 35th parallel. By December 23 they reached the San Francisco Peaks and a heavy snowfall brought the expedition to a halt near the site of today’s Flagstaff. Since the next day was Christmas Eve, Whipple decided to pause and let the bone-weary men and animals rest.

Filed Under: Culture, Dose of History Tagged With: early arizona, holidays, storytelling

Early Political Shenanigans: How Phoenix Became the Capital of Arizona

October 23, 2010 By Andrea Aker 1 Comment

Territorial citizens took great delight applying social acupuncture to local politicos. It’s been said with dubious pride that Arizona had some of the finest legislators money could buy. Old timers around Jerome used to say that every time the subject of a bullion tax would come up before the legislature Henry Allen, superintendent of the United Verde Mine, would go over to the local bank, make a sizable withdrawal and announce to everyone within earshot that he was “off to Phoenix to buy some mules and jackasses.” A few days later, he would return, without livestock but by some coincidence the bill for the bullion tax would die quietly in some committee soon after.

Filed Under: Culture, Dose of History, Small Town Scene, Valley of the Sun Tagged With: early arizona, government, phoenix, politics, prescott, tempe, tucson, willcox

Greenway Road Named After Hero with Remarkable Wife

October 19, 2010 By Andrea Aker 1 Comment

Q: Is Greenway Road named for someone or is the name meant to be descriptive? Most of it doesn’t seem very green, although it does have some nice parts.

A: Well, even the dullest and drabbest of us do have some nice parts, don’t you think? Greenway Road is named for Gen. John C. Greenway, a World War I hero and mining magnate. There is a statue of him in the old
Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. He was, as noted, a war hero and big shot, but the street could have just as easily have been named for his wife, Isabella S. Greenway, one of the most remarkable women in Arizona history.

Filed Under: Culture, Dose of History, Valley of the Sun Tagged With: greenway, legends, place names

Two Arizona Cities Ranked as Best Places to Retire Nationwide

September 27, 2010 By Andrea Aker Leave a Comment

Each year, Money Magazine ranks the top places in the U.S. to retire. This year, editors considered opportunities for adult learning as a major factor, and two Arizona cities managed to crack the top 10.

Prescott (No. 4) and Tucson (No. 10) are being recognized for weather, recreation and educational opportunities at Yavapai College and University of Arizona, respectively.

Filed Under: Culture Tagged With: prescott, tucson

A Tribute to a Reluctant Hero in Sacaton

September 15, 2010 By SamLowe 1 Comment

In a small park in Sacaton on the Gila River Indian Reservation, a bronze statue of a young man wearing a military uniform stands next to a bas-relief plaque affixed to a tiled wall. It is a replication of Ira Hayes. He was a U.S. Marine. And a reluctant hero. The plaque depicts six men raising a U.S. flag on Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima, a small island in the South Pacific, during World War II. Ira Hayes was one of the six men.

The moment was captured by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal, and when it was published in newspapers across America, it gave a war-weary nation a much-needed surge of hope and pride.

Filed Under: Culture, Dose of History Tagged With: heros, history, legends, reservations, sacaton, storytelling