The 1950s

In 1946, the circulation of Arizona Highways was 70,000. By 1950, that number had soared to 175,000, and Editor Raymond Carlson's vision for the magazine had come to life. Stories about the Sonoran Desert, Thunder River, Jerome, wildflowers, the Petrified Forest and fishing holes in the White Mountains graced the covers. The photography was large format, four color and spectacular. And subscribers from around the world, such as Dr. Jerzy Loth of Warsaw, Poland, wrote letters expressing their admiration and appreciation for the magazine: "The first number [issue] for 1955 has arrived. It was quite a sensation, not only for me, but for a bunch of my friends, who are regularly perusing your wonderful paper with great interest. Because of Arizona's beautiful landscapes, fascinating people and interesting history, the elements for a world-renowned magazine had always been there, even in the 1920s, but it took Mr. Carlson and Art Director George Avey to pull it together, and it took James Stevens to share it with the world. Originally hired in 1946 to run the mailroom, Mr. Stevens, who was familiar with the newsstand business, went on to become the magazine's business manager (today he'd be called a publisher) and another key figure in the history of Arizona Highways. On a local level, he'd make the rounds of newsstands, convincing shop owners to give the magazine better shelf positions. And every December, when the popular holiday issue would come out, he'd take coffee and doughnuts to the local distribution drivers. Then, in 1951, he got the attention of the Independent News Co. of New York, which at the time was one of the largest magazine distributors in the country. As a result of that pivotal relationship, the circulation numbers exploded and Arizona Highways became known as one of the most visual magazines in the world. "A thing of beauty is a joy forever," Mr. Carlson used to say. His magazine reflected that in the 1950s, and it just kept getting better, thanks to the addition of contributors such as Larry Toschik. A quiet man with resounding talent, Mr. Toschik began his relationship with the magazine as a freelance designer, often doing entire issues by himself. It was his exquisite wildlife illustrations, however, that got the most recognition. We still marvel at them today. In addition to Mr. Toschik, David Muench became a mainstay in the 1950s. Like his father, longtime contributor Josef Muench, David Muench helped take the magazine to a higher level - by 1958, the circulation hit 200,000. Even at a glance, it was easy to see that the booming prosperity of the Eisenhower years was being reflected in the pages of Arizona Highways.

1951

In keeping with the mission of the maga-zine, which is to promote travel, Arizona Highways did stories about places like Montezuma Castle National Monument, as seen in a Paul Coze photo from our May 1951 issue. Under the theme A Journey Into Many Yesterdays Ago, the issue examined the ruins of ancient civilizations that called present-day Arizona home.

This Herb McLaughlin photo, from February 1951, shows Sonoran Desert saguaros flanking a plane and a picnicking family. Author Al Leach wrote about the joys of exploring Arizona from the air in the accompanying story, Vagabond Wings.

Arizona's hotels and motels took center stage in Duncan Hines Slept Here, a Joseph Stocker story that ran in November 1951. The accompanying illustration depicts a weary traveler dreaming of several Phoenixarea lodging destinations, all photographed by Herb McLaughlin.

1952

Of Clowns and Mudheads, a Paul Coze story in our August 1952 issue, examined clowns in Native American cultures. This Coze illustration shows a Koshare, a Pueblo Indian clown dancer. Koshares, the story said, “are incarnations of the spirits of the ancestors (hence their skeleton-like appearance).”

... I have subscribed to ARIZONA HIGHWAYS for well over a year now, and it is high time it had a word of appreciation from this part of the globe. I could be expected to keep an unusually critical eye on your magazine for two reasons: (1) That I am a journalist; and (2) that I am a citizen of a country which is widely held to be the most beautiful in the world (pace Arizona!). On neither count can I find much fault with ARIZONA HIGHWAYS. In fact, I would go so far as to say that your magazine is the best of its kind published today (pace many others from your continent). Certainly, it is always most welcome here. S. Gordon Gapper New Zealand Herald Aukland, New Zealand

An especially international edition of the March 1952 Yours Sincerely page featured this letter from a New Zealand subscriber, along with dispatches from the Philippines, England, British Guiana and Germany.

1953

Way Out Censt

Some years ago an Englishman, visiting Arizona for the first time, remarked to us: "This state of yours is really incomprehensible. Baffling, that is-if you know what I mean."

Then and now, that seemed to be an accurate appraisal, neither mind can digest all of Arizona's wonders.

It is a land of elevations, color and contour, it contains a climatic range from alpine to semi-tropical with flora and fauna indigenous to those zones. Its Grand Canyon lays open the pages of the greatest geological book on earth; it offers the receptive mind all the time for inclusion to brood.

Into this incomparable land I came eighteen years ago with a crisp white document crackling in my purse like the starched paper of a gilt-edged bond. It was my diploma of graduation from a three-month course in a New York photoIn January 1953, we published Way Out West, a story and extensive portfolio by longtime Arizona Highways contributor Esther Henderson. The portfolio also included camera information intended for photography hobbyists.

This flower arrangement was the centerpiece of an October 1953 story by Margaret Carrick, whose husband, Jack, made the accompanying photos. The monstrosity was described as "quiet, restful and cool enough for the hottest day." We scratch our heads sometimes at the things we published in the 1950s.

The November 1953 issue featured paintings and an essay by Peter Hurd, a New Mexico artist who specialized in Southwestern portraits and landscapes. This piece, a portrait of young cowboy Gerald Marr, is now housed at the New Mexico Museum of Art. Hurd died in 1984; Marr became a successful horse trainer.

1954

Tucson's Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, founded in 1952, is a haven for wildlife. In September 1954, author and photographer Lewis Wayne Walker chronicled the four weeks he spent photographing animals that flocked to a water hole at the museum. A strategically placed blind allowed visitors to see deer and skunks, among other animals.

This Ansel Adams photo of Mission San Xavier del Bac near Tucson got a two-page spread in our April 1954 issue. Writer Nancy Newhall recounted the history of the "White Dove of the Desert," which was built in the late 1700s. Adams was a longtime friend of Editor Raymond Carlson.

At times, the magazine would stray from its mission to promote travel. In September 1954, Dream Homes by the Dozens touted the fact that in Phoenix in the 1950s, you could get a lot of house for little money. This 1,167-square-foot, threebedroom Del Webb model, the Chieftain, sold for $7,900 in Tempe back then.

1955

August 1955 featured the Shrine of the Ages, a chapel proposed for the Grand Canyon's South Rim. This illustration shows architect Harold E. Wagoner's vision for the chapel. Ultimately, the building was redesigned and relocated away from the rim of the Canyon. It was completed in 1970, and today it's used for religious services and ranger talks.

An idyllic farm scene in the San Rafael Valley, photographed by Allen C. Reed, was the subject of our April 1955 cover. But all was not as it seemed: The fence, windmill and buildings were built for exterior shots in the film version of Oklahoma!, a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. The movie premiered in October of that year.

In July 1955, we explored how Navajo clothing styles had "broken the bounds of the Navajo reservation to be adopted with charming results by Arizona dress designers." Longtime contributor Ray Manley shot these photos of women modeling Navajo-inspired clothing.

1956

Architect Frank Lloyd Wright, a long-time friend of Editor Raymond Carl-son, wrote an extensive essay on the nature of architecture in our February 1956 issue. Pictured were Wright's Scottsdale home, Taliesin West, and several other Wright-designed structures in Arizona, including this cottage built in Phoenix for Jorgine Boomer in 1953. (Carlson's Phoenix home was also a Wright creation.) The inside of our December 1956 front cover was All the Angels in Heaven Are Happy, an oil painting by Ted DeGrazia. It was paired with a traditional Christmas message from Editor Raymond Carlson. DeGrazia credited Arizona Highways for his interna-tional success.

Shirley Reed's illustration of the Sonoran Desert punctu-ated Books, Piñon Nuts and Shadows, an August 1956 Lawrence Clark Powell story. The illustration is a good example of the "spot art" common in the magazine back then.

1957

Photographer Carlos Elmer, a frequent Arizona Highways contributor, often enlisted his family's help carrying camera gear. In February 1957, this Edward Brown photo accompanied an Elmer-authored article about photography as a fulfilling and inexpensive hobby.

Photography for Fun

One of our good friends and contributors-Carlos Elmer-is much in evidence this issue, both in word and picture. He discusses with us his favorite hobby-photography-a hobby which he takes quite seriously and has truly mastered, as we think you will agree when you see the photographs of his which embellish these February pages.

Editor Raymond Carlson focused on Carlos Elmer in his February 1957 editor's letter, saying Elmer "is not a professional photographer, but that does not detract from his skill or his passion for the art. His theme is a simple one - photography is fun." Elmer continued photographing for Arizona Highways until shortly before his death in 1993.

Our August 1957 center spread was Navajo Weavers at Work, a George Hight photo of a mother and daughter hard at work in their home near Chinle. The cradle board, the caption said, "keeps junior warm and comfortable, keeps him out of open fires, and keeps him from crawling unattended into the desert, where there might be snakes." This is just one of hundreds of incredible photos of Native culture that we've featured over the years.

Chuck Abbott's shot of a snowy Grand Canyon was the inside front cover of our December 1958 issue. The magazine's front-cover photo was made by Abbott's wife, Esther Henderson. Both photos illustrate the caliber of photographers who shot for Arizona Highways in the 1950s.

IT'S THE CRAZIEST FISHING

It's possible our design standards in the 1950s weren't what they are today. This creative treatment highlighted a May 1959 story on fishing in Oak Creek Canyon, where author Jim Kjel-gaard said "a reasonably good fisherman ... can catch a limit of 10 trout almost any day he cares to fish it."

BLUE CANYON

MOONEY FALLS