HistoryRancho Linda Vista’s Evolution from Rustic Retreat to Freewheeling Art Commune
Douglas TowneSeptember 1, 2023
Rancho Linda Vista near Oracle evolved from a rustic Hollywood retreat into a freewheeling 1960s art commune.
HistoryTerritorial Arizona’s Royal Scam
Douglas TowneJuly 6, 2023
A Missouri charlatan created a bogus 12-million-acre estate in Territorial Arizona via the forgery skills and a duplicitous marriage.
HistoryMusic in the Round
Douglas TowneMay 1, 2023
In 1964, Buster Bonoff brought star-studded musicals to Phoenix by adaptively reusing a futuristic building to launch what would become the Celebrity Theatre.
HistoryCrusading Healer Dr. Ancil Martin Brought Modern Medical Equipment to Arizona at the Turn of the 20th Century
Douglas TowneMarch 2, 2023
Broken bones and suspicious masses ran wild in Territorial Arizona until the arrival of crusading healer Dr. Ancil Martin and one game-changing piece of technology – but that’s not all he did.
HistoryThe Border Conference Moved the Needle on Social Justice as a Collegiate Sports Battleground in the 1930s
Douglas TowneJanuary 9, 2023
Sports and social change were intertwined long before Colin Kaepernick took a knee in protest in 2016 – and one of the earliest entanglements took place in Arizona.
HistoryThe 1916 Arizona Governor’s Election Was Undecided for More Than a Year
Douglas TowneNovember 3, 2022
A poorly designed ballot and a bevy of court cases left the 1916 Arizona governor’s election undecided – for more than a year.
HistoryArizona’s Ill-Fated Oil Boom
Douglas TowneSeptember 6, 2022
Predictions of rich oil deposits in Arizona fueled successive exploration booms that produced gullible investors, but no black gold.
HistoryThe Country’s First International Airport in Douglas is Down on its Luck and Up for Sale
Dawson FearnowJuly 7, 2022
In its heyday, an all-but-forgotten airstrip in tiny Douglas, Arizona, catered to the likes of Amelia Earhart and Eleanor Roosevelt as America’s first-ever international airport. It’s now for sale.
HistoryResurgence of Drag Shows on Roosevelt Row Harkens Back to Gay Nightlife Heyday
Douglas TowneMay 5, 2022
The resurgence of drag shows on Roosevelt Row recalls the heyday of Downtown gay bar 307 Lounge.
HistoryValley Scientist Created a Life-Saving Scorpion Antivenin in the 1950s
Douglas TowneMarch 3, 2022
Rock star scientist Dr. Herbert Stahnke dazzled audiences in his 1950s TV show and created a life-saving scorpion antivenin.
Early in the 20th century, the abduction of 40 Irish orphans from their Mexican foster families in Clifton created a legal battle heard by the U.S. Supreme Court.
HistoryHistory: Into the Wild
Douglas TowneSeptember 21, 2021
Ruess wandered Depression-era Arizona, capturing its beauty, until he mysteriously vanished in southeastern Utah.
An enormous salt deposit sitting beneath Luke Airforce Base helped spice up the West Valley’s postwar economy and still serves several vital purposes today.
In the 1950s, Frank Lloyd Wright’s futuristic design for Arizona’s statehouse divided the city.
HistoryHattie Mosher’s Riches to Rags Story
Douglas TowneMarch 25, 2021
Hattie Mosher was a progressive force in early Phoenix until construction debacles and frivolous tax protests over road improvements left her destitute.