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.
HistoryPhoenix’s Commercial Fishing Industry
Douglas TowneJanuary 15, 2021
A Great Depression-era government program launched a commercial fishing industry in the Salt River lakes that thrived for three decades.
HistoryGridiron Politics: The History of the Fiesta Bowl
Douglas TowneNovember 28, 2020
The University of Arizona Wildcats’ unsporting demand before the 1968 Territorial Cup led to the inaugural Fiesta Bowl.
HistoryMothers March Goes Viral
Keridwen CorneliusOctober 26, 2020
In 1950, moms in Phoenix hatched an enlightening plan to mobilize the community and fight a pandemic.
HistoryCardinals Sin: The Shady Roots of the NFL’s Oldest Team
Dawson FearnowSeptember 17, 2020
The surprisingly shady roots of the NFL’s oldest team, our Arizona Cardinals.
Four major highways coalesced in a neon spectacle to create Phoenix’s most exciting street. Then Van Buren went dark.
FeaturesHistoryCopper State, Red Lines: The Long Battle Against Racial Injustice in Phoenix
Douglas TowneAugust 19, 2020
The African American experience in Phoenix has been a long battle against racial injustice involving school, housing and business segregation.
A disc jockey lived in a car atop a flagpole in Phoenix for seven months, seeking fame and fortune.
FeaturesHistoryDeja Virus: The 1918 Spanish Flu’s striking parallels to the COVID-19 pandemic
Douglas TowneJune 24, 2020
The 1918 Spanish influenza hit Arizona in four waves, shut down Phoenix twice and had striking parallels to the COVID-19 pandemic.
HistoryThe Maître d’ Mob Hit
Dawson FearnowApril 30, 2020
How the killing of a 73-year-old waiter in Arcadia came back to haunt the Chicago mob.
HistoryChandler’s Champ
Douglas TowneMarch 20, 2020
Boxer Zora Folley fought Muhammad Ali for the heavyweight title only to later die under mysterious circumstances while serving as a Chandler city councilman.
HistoryStarlight Screens
Douglas TowneFebruary 20, 2020
Valley residents flocked to drive-in theaters after World War II, but movies weren’t necessarily the main attraction.