Come enjoy a morning filled with Arizona history, stories, laughter and inspiration as we celebrate one of our state's most treasured storytellers.
Rattlesnake Dress: Talk About Fashion with Teeth!
Documenting Arizona's most influential figures is a privilege, and Scott Baxter excels in this endeavor. His lens has captured the essence of the 2017, 2019, 2023, and 2025 honorees, preserving their legacies for posterity. Visit https://historicalleague.org/arizona-historymakers-2/ to learn more.
"Getting to hang with new education curator, Abigail Austin. We went to the Riordan and learned about the family and their impact on Flagstaff." writes Kristen Rex as she and Emily Hahn enjoyed Flagstaff, both ready to share their experiences with the rest of the education department at Arizona Historical Society.
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| Kristen Rex |
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| Abigail Austin |
Historical League President Jolynn Clarke comments, "The trivia playing group has grown steadily over the past three months. We started at about 15 in May and we were up to about 25 in July. The questions are sometimes easy with the answers right on the tip of the tongue, and sometimes a little more targeted and obscure. In July, April Bivens and Nina von Schroeter joined my sister, Judy and me on a team. We found it was really helpful to have several generations represented. We didn't win, but we had a lot of fun playing.
The next trivia night will be Friday, August 28. Registration can happen online or night of. The cost is $10.00. Registration starts at 6:00pm and game play starts at 6:30pm. Max is the moderator and judge (whatever the judge says goes and he doesn't take bribes). Other AHS staff, like Holly Bernard, assist in counting correct answers and letting us know the right answers - after the fact. It's a lot of fun.”
Stacey Trepanier: One of those teachers you remember your whole life! Stacey is celebrating her present and past National History Day in Arizona students even as they graduate beyond her class. They gain life lessons and extensive education from her.
In 1885, the San St. Augustine church had been standing for nearly 20 years facing west on Tucson's Church Plaza. When the new and larger St. Augustine cathedral was constructed in 1896, the old church was converted into a hotel. Subsequently the building was painted yellow and turned into a garage. The old church building was razed in 1936, but its facade and rosette window were saved. Part of the facade and rosette window can now be seen adorning the front of the Arizona Historical Society building in Tucson.
This photograph of San St. Augustine church was taken circa 1885.
Get Involved with National History Day Arizona!
Congrats to LEONARD MOODY Affiliate Co-ordinator NHDAZ and VANESSA FAJARDO Exhibits Co-ordinator AHS, their history of the Hohokam people with their diverse stories of people, places and events are featured on page 11 of the NHD Theme Book.
Helping sponsor the National History Day Arizona Program is a goal of The Historical League.
ARIZONA
LEONARD MOODY, Affiliate Coordinator, National History Day in Arizona
VANESSA FAJARDO, Exhibits Coordinator, Arizona Historical Society
The Hohokam were an ancient agricultural people in Southern Arizona known for their innovative irrigation system and flourishing society that lasted from approximately the first century CE to 1450. They created the largest known prehistoric irrigated land system in the Americas, and perhaps the world. This system of canals had a profound impact on maintaining culture and civilization both in the past and into the present day. The Hohokam initially grew beans, squash, corn, and cotton, serving a small population of fewer than 1,000.
Around AD 600, this changed, and the population grew, pushing the Hohokam farther from the river. Using hand tools called digging sticks, the Hohokam created a system of canals to bring water to their new settlements. These 12-foot trenches led to a larger network of canals, which supplied water throughout the Sonoran Desert, an area that includes present-day metropolitan Phoenix. The irrigation system allowed the Hohokam to successfully support agriculture in otherwise difficult growing conditions. At its peak, the Hohokam had a population of as many as 80,000. The innovative canal system is a significant reason why the Hohokam settlement and farming were possible in the harsh environment of the Sonoran Desert.
Around the fifteenth century, however, the Hohokam community experienced drastic change. Archaeologists continue to research the causes, but are unsure of why the Hohokam abandoned most of their settlements. Some theories hold that they migrated to Mexico after an extended drought, or that they eventually evolved culturally into the Akimel O’odham and/or Tohono O’odham (both Indigenous
groups of the Sonoran Desert). Centuries later, the Hohokam had a significant influence on the major settlement that would eventually become Phoenix, Arizona.
In the mid-1800s, Jack Swilling, a former Confederate soldier, came across abandoned Hohokam canals and recognized their potential. He realized that
these ancient waterways would bring much-needed water to the area’s settlers and re-established the canals. Thus, this existing infrastructure greatly influenced the city’s urban development and modernization. To improve water accessibility, the federal government (under the auspices of the Bureau of Reclamation) built the Theodore Roosevelt Dam to help settlers control the unpredictable waters of the Salt River. The project was completed in 1910.
The ancient canal beds impacted the development of a twentieth century urban area and provided the foundation for irrigation systems in modern-day Arizona. As they did more than 500 years ago, the reconstructed canals transformed what were desert valleys into thriving agricultural areas that allowed people to settle and to have a reliable food and water supply. Even today, concrete water lines in Phoenix follow many of the original paths made by the Hohokam. The Hohokam canal system is a prime example of innovation in history because it not only created a way to access water in the desert, but also laid the roadmap for future settlement.
QUESTIONS
› Why did the creation of irrigation canals represent an innovation in Arizona agricultural history, both ancient and modern?
› How did the Hohokam irrigation canals influence later settlement and farming practices in the Phoenix Basin in the state of Arizona?
› How does the map of the canals represent influence, and why do you think it was created? Who do you think developed it?
Created in 1929, a survey map showing prehistoric irrigation canals built by the Hohokam Native Tribe. Map of Prehistoric Irrigation Canals.
Arizona Historical Society, TP Oversized Mounted Collection (1988.45.17/100-0006054).
NATIONAL HISTORY DAY 2027 THEME BOOK, page 11
Thanks to Elisabeth Ruffner, 2008 Arizona Historymaker, the Bashford House (third picture) is one of the many projects she saved. Listen to her story at https://historicalleague.org/historymakers/elisabeth-friedrich-ruffner/
"Elisabeth Ruffner believes, “Buildings don’t exist just because they are handsome or old. They have to have a purpose." Arizonans can visit and enjoy many historic sites today, and in the future, because of her dedication to save the tangible places of the past.
For this week's Days Past, architect Bill Otwell takes a fascinating look at Prescott's rich architectural history and the preservation efforts that have protected many of our community's most treasured landmarks. From the Governor's Mansion to the Bashford House, these historic buildings tell the story of Arizona's Territorial beginnings.
Tanae Lupe shines bright as she shares her NHD exhibit "Thanks to J.D.C. Atkinson, My Language Is Dying" with fellow students. Traveling to National Contest from Dishchii’bikoh Community School in Cibecue, Arizona with her teacher Simon Kibe, the National History Day program provides valuable opportunities.
The Historical League is a proud sponsor.
Some days you look up at the sky and think "It's an Ed Mell Day." KJZZ The Show comments, "The Southwest landscape and its clouds above have long inspired songs and musical projects like iconic paintings by Ed Mell. We recommend seeing “Bolts of a Storm,” a painting by Ed Mell that’s on the second floor of the Phoenix Art Museum in the Western American exhibition on the north wing."
Celebrating the wonderful and creative Education Team at Arizona Historical Society. The Historical League is grateful for them. They make the National History Day Arizona FUN!
: nowhere, nobody by Ariana Grande
Ziv Shemen sharing a moment with Kermit and Jim Henson at NHDAZ finals - clearly after pin trading day. Ziv has quite a collection so he would have met lots of other students that day.
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