Archive All Issues February 2020

FOR OLD TIMES' SAKE

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This month, Arizona celebrates its 108th birthday. As states go, we''re among the youngest. Our history, however, is as colorful as any - or black-and-white, as it were. A Portfolio Edited by Barbara Glynn Denney

Featured in the February 2020 Issue of Arizona Highways

A man fishes in one of the Phoenix area's early irrigation canals. These waterways would later become part of the Salt River Project, which now manages 131 miles of canals in the Valley of the Sun.
A man fishes in one of the Phoenix area's early irrigation canals. These waterways would later become part of the Salt River Project, which now manages 131 miles of canals in the Valley of the Sun.
BY: Barbara Glynn Denney

MARICOPA COUNTY FOR OLD TIMES' SAKE

THIS MONTH, ARIZONA CELEBRATES ITS 108TH BIRTHDAY. AS STATES GO, WE'RE AMONG THE YOUNGEST. OUR HISTORY, HOWEVER, IS AS COLORFUL AS ANY - OR BLACK-AND-WHITE, AS IT WERE.

A Portfolio Edited by Barbara Glynn Denney

FORT MOJAVE

A survey expedition led by Lieutenant George M. Wheeler departs from the U.S. Army outpost on the Colorado River in a Timothy O'Sullivan photo. Wheeler led an extensive effort to create topographical maps of the American Southwest in the 1870s.

WELCOME TO PHOENIX PHOENIX

An elaborate sign welcomes travelers to Arizona's capital and notes its population of just under 110,000. By the end of the 1950s, Phoenix had a population of more than 400,000; about 1.7 million people call it home today.

The DEAN ELDREDGE MUSEUM and TAXIDERMIST FLAGSTAFF

The Dean Eldredge Museum was one of many quirky stops along what's now known as Historic Route 66, which ran for 385 miles through Arizona. This building now houses the Museum Club, a country music bar.

NEAR SUPAI

Havasupai children pose for a photo outside an Indian school. Today, there are roughly 700 members of the Havasupai Tribe, and Supai, the tribe's remote capital in the Grand Canyon, has become a popular tourist destination.

A shopkeeper operates a trading post at the small community of Tolchaco, on the bank of the Little Colorado River. The town was established by a missionary from Kansas in 1900, and the trading post operated there until it was moved to Leupp in 1910.

An Arkansas family seeking work in the California harvest refuels at an Arizona gas station. The photographer was Dorothea Lange, who extensively documented the consequences of the Great Depression via her work for the Farm Security Administration.

FORT DEFIANCE

Soldiers are pictured outside the military outpost in a Simeon Schwemberger photo. This site is a few miles north of the Navajo Nation capital of Window Rock. Library of Congress

1908 PHOENIX

A view down Washington Street, still unpaved, shows palm trees and Phoenix's original City Hall.

FLAGSTAFF SONORAN DESERT

Burros and riders on horseback stop at the base of a mature saguaro. Pack trains such as this one were frequent sights in Arizona's early days. National Archives

DATE UNKNOWN TUCSON

Skiers from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base prepare to head up Mount Lemmon, in the Santa Catalina Mountains, to enjoy some fresh powder. The ski area, Mount Lemmon Ski Valley, remains a popular winter destination.

CIRCA 1920 OAK CREEK CANYON

A car navigates a tunnel blasted through the scenic canyon's sandstone. This tunnel no longer exists, but State Route 89A, the modern route through the canyon, is one of Arizona's most scenic roads.

FLAGSTAFF

CIRCA 1910 MARICOPA

Train tracks run past the depot at Maricopa, south of the Phoenix area. Incorporated in 2003, Maricopa has seen dramatic growth over the past 20 years and now has a population of around 50,000.