History Class in Session: Project Dusts off Ghost Town to Display the Past

[Source: Cindy Skalsky, Sierra Vista Herald] -- It isn’t every day in the 21st century that a ghost town is reclaimed. But Cochise County — with the help of an extraordinary number of federal and state agencies, local organizations and individual volunteers — will accept on Saturday the permanent gift of much hard work in honor of history. “I hope it’s a day like today,” said Jane Childress, amidst supervising the frantic finishing touches on the restored Fairbank Schoolhouse and the surrounding structures awaiting their own revival. “The sun is shining, the trails are clear, there’s water in the river, and it’s the peak of the tourist season,” smiled the archaeologist and Fairbank Townsite project manager employed by the Bureau of Land Management. Not to mention that the cottonwoods along the San Pedro are shimmering with the vibrant, take-a-lick-green of early spring.

Yet despite the array of activities planned to celebrate the schoolhouse opening and other improvements that have been years in the planning and doing, Childress asked a bit uncertainly, “We should get a good crowd?” Fairbank, located on Highway 82 just east of the San Pedro River, has long been available to explore from dawn to dusk. Beginning this weekend, there is a new focus and new importance to the formerly abandoned transportation hub of Arizona’s late 1800s. The school, built in the 1920s of gypsum block manufactured in Douglas, replaced an earlier structure from the 1880s that is believed to have burned down. The successive Fairbank schools served from kindergarten through eighth grade, and the student population likely never exceeded 45. To continue their education would mean traveling to the “big city” of Tombstone, some miles to the east on what was then a stagecoach route — now Highway 82. “I may have romanticized the West when I first got here,” said Will Fassett, an intern who arrived from the Student Conservation Association a year ago to assist on the project. “But even as a history major, I didn’t appreciate how tedious and careful the work would be and how no decision was made without completely thinking through every aspect.” As Childress summed it up, “There’s a lot of paperwork before there’s any dirt work.” Childress is proud the restoration has been as authentic as possible, keeping many original elements and reproducing those that couldn’t be saved.

[Note: To read the full article, click here. Photo source: Ed Honda.]

Bill Seeks to Protect Agua Fria, Other Sites

[Source: Joanna Dodder, Daily Courier] -- A new Congressional bill seeks to help protect public lands in Yavapai County and more than 800 other sites in the National Landscape Conservation System. The National Landscape Conservation System Act of 2007 aims to "conserve, protect and restore nationally significant landscapes that have outstanding cultural, ecological and scientific values." The U.S. Bureau of Land Management established the National Landscape Conservation System to recognize some of its special places. The bill would give congressional recognition to the 26-million-acre system and allow Congress to appropriate money directly to it. Four members of the House of Representatives, including Republican Rick Renzi and Democrat Raúl Grijalva of Arizona, introduced the House version of the bill Tuesday.

"Unlike the national parks, there's no guarantee that the Conservation System will be around five years from now," Renzi said in a press release from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which supports the measure. "These extraordinary places are being ruined by neglect, vandalism and misuse. Our action today recognizes the importance of protecting these lands forever." The Agua Fria National Monument (Monument petroglyph pictured), which sits next to Interstate 17 in southeast Yavapai County, is among those extraordinary places that people are abusing, said Scott Jones of the Sierra Club. Volunteers picked up literally tons of trash from just one monument site near the busy interstate on Earth Day last Sunday, Jones said. "People pulling off and tossing trash into a national monument is just unacceptable," Jones said. The 71,000-acre Agua Fria Monument contains one of the most significant systems of prehistoric pueblos in the Southwest. The Arrastra Mountain, Hassayampa River Canyon, Hells Canyon and Upper Burro Creek wilderness areas in Yavapai County also are part of the National Landscape Conservation System. [Note: To read the full article, click here.]

Phoenix Tries to Prevent Loss of Another Modern Bank

[Source: Margaret Foster] -- Built in 1964 as the First Federal Savings and Loan bank, the Washburn Pianos building was demolished on Mar. 21, two years after 15-year tenant Washburn Pianos moved out. Its owner, Houston-based SC Management, razed the concrete building, designed by Arizona architect Ed Varney, to make way for a bank and cell-phone store. "Everyone's very sad," says Jim McPherson, a member of the Arizona Preservation Foundation's board of directors. "It's the second mid-century modern down in two months." In Tempe, Arizona State University demolished another former bank, a gold-domed Valley National Bank designed by the Phoenix-based firm of Weaver and Drover, in February.

Now another Valley National Bank is on the chopping block (pictured). Designed by Frank Henry, the bank courtyard's concrete "mushrooms" will disappear to make way for Minneapolis-based Opus Corporation's "luxury villas." "Sometimes you have to have a loss to get people motivated and interested and understand what they've lost and appreciate that genre of architecture," says Barbara Stocklin, city historic preservation officer. "Now everyone's all activated to save [the Valley National Bank]. I think that's partially because of the Wasburn Pianos loss." Next month, the city will hold a public hearing on Opus' application to re-zone the Valley National Bank site. In the meantime, Stocklin says, preservationists are working to designate the building as a city landmark. "The re-zoning wouldn't lead to the demolition of the bank, but it would leave it more vulnerable," Stocklin says. [Photo source: Walt Lockley.]

Study Shows Marked Genetic Differences Between Three Populations of Chimpanzees

[Source: John Easton, Medical Center Public Affairs] -- The largest study to date of genetic variation among chimpanzees has found that the traditional, geography-based sorting of chimps into three populations—western, central and eastern—is underpinned by significant genetic differences, two to three times greater than the variation between the most different human populations. In the April issue of the journal PLoS Genetics, researchers from the University, the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and Arizona State University show there has been very little detectable admixture between the different populations. “Finding such a marked difference between the three groups has important implications for conservation,” said Molly Przeworski, Assistant Professor in Human Genetics and the College, and a senior author of the study. “It means we have to protect three separate habitats, all threatened, instead of just one.”

To unravel the evolutionary history to chimpanzees, the research team collected DNA from 78 common chimpanzees and six bonobos, a separate species of chimpanzee, and examined 310 DNA markers from each. They found four “discontinuous populations.” “We saw little evidence of migration between groups in the wild,” said Celine Becquet, first author of the paper and a graduate student in Przeworski’s laboratory. “Part of that could stem from the gaps in our samples, but we think most of this separation is genuine, a long-term consequence of geographic isolation.” The original boundaries between groups may have been the emergence and growth of rivers, such as the Congo River, which is thought to be about 1.5 million years old. “Chimps don’t swim,” Becquet explained. “For them, water provides a very effective border.” An ongoing loss of habitat has increased the physical separation between the three groups.

[Note: To read the full article, click here. Photo source: John Mitani.]

Telescope Shows History of Universe

[Source: Daniel Cuda] -- More than 400 years ago Galileo took a telescope used by sailors and pointed it toward the sky. Now scientists are using that same idea with binoculars - very big binoculars. Ohio State scientists have collaborated with scientists from Italy, Germany and the University of Arizona to build a $120 million Large Binocular Telescope. The project, hosted by the University of Arizona, sits 10,500 feet high on Mount Graham in Arizona. The LBT is the world's largest and most powerful telescope. It has two 27.6-foot mirrors that work in tandem and have image correcting electronics. Its ability to produce high resolution images is unmatched by any telescope on Earth or in orbit, said Thomas O'Brien, a mechanical engineer on the Multi-Object Double Spectrograph project.

"It's a gigantic telescope," said Richard Pogge, a professor in the OSU department of astronomy and principle investigator for the MODS project. "It can gather light 10 billion light years away. It almost acts as a time machine." The LBT gathers light from such great distances that it will show how the universe looked in its infancy. The images will help scientists determine the distance, chemical composition, movement and temperature of faraway stars and galaxies, Pogge said. "The LBT helps us learn how the universe went from formless to a lot of clusters," Pogge said. "It will also help us understand how our own Milky Way Galaxy was formed." OSU scientists and engineers are currently working on two MODS, which will provide resolution and imaging for the LBT. The MODS will split light as it is collected and allow scientists to determine the chemical compositions, temperatures and other important information about distant stars and galaxies. "If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a spectrograph is worth a thousand pictures," Pogge said.

The MODS project is much larger than any previous astronomy department project. "The level of complexity, cost and overall physical size is much greater than anything we have worked on before," O'Brien said. Despite the MODS project being demanding and difficult for members of the department of astronomy, they are managing to have fun with it. "Since we are building the MODS for the LBT, and the color of it does not affect the function of the telescope, we are going to paint the sides scarlet and leave the frame gray," O'Brien said. Although the LBT will not be completely assembled until 2010, it received its first light Oct. 12, 2005 with one mirror and is currently capable to see using binocular light. [Photo source: Aaron Ceranski.]

'Amazing Earthfest' set in Kanab

[Source: Nancy Perkins, Deseret Morning News] -- An East Coast furniture craftsman who also lives part-time in Kanab is hoping a lot of people will attend Kanab's inaugural celebration of public lands next month. Dubbed the "Amazing Earthfest," the celebration was first conceived by Rich Csenge, who owns a pioneer home in Kanab's historic district. Among the events planned during the festival are a sunset photo clinic and nature walk at the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park (pictured), dinosaur talks and exhibits at the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and a special bird display at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Angel Canyon. "We want this festival to appeal to everyone," said Csenge in a phone interview from his Maine home. "It's designed to appeal to every sort of recreation that people do nowadays, and we want the festival to focus on educating people about the landscape. It will be one of the finest opportunities for people to rediscover their relationship with the land."

The celebration is scheduled for May 21-26 in and around Kanab, with the emphasis on learning about and enjoying the public lands of the Colorado plateau located in Utah and Arizona. "There is somewhat of a disconnect between people and the land," Csenge said. "When I go into the natural world, I experience something of the creator in the creation that lies before me. That experience is somewhat lost in our modern society." The Kane County Office of Tourism is solidly behind the idea of the festival, said executive director "Cowboy Ted" Hallisey. "We have been wanting to do something like this for a while," he said. "I've always thought if we had an event that all the public land agencies could get behind, it would be very successful." Csenge said that he and his wife first experienced southern Utah several years ago. "We began learning about the parks and public lands here, and I came to the feeling that I'd like to share that with others," he said. "This festival will provide a gathering place to celebrate these amazing places. It's a way for people who haven't yet discovered it, to learn about it." [Photo source: Willie Holdman.]

Mesa Southwest Museum Director Wants Name Change

[Source: Gary Nelson, Arizona Republic] -- Mesa has one of Arizona's top cultural attractions in the heart of its downtown, but it's also one of the state's best-kept secrets. That's the view of those who want to change the name of the Mesa Southwest Museum, making it instead the Arizona Museum of Natural History. Museum director Tom Wilson is leading the charge, and he has at least one ally in City Councilman Rex Griswold. It's more than an ego thing, Wilson and Griswold said. Hard cash may be at stake, too. The city-owned museum lost half its budget and staff - $1.2 million and 12 positions - last year when Mesa slashed spending after voters rejected a property tax. Changing the name may give the facility a regional cachet and draw thousands more visitors, Wilson said.

"Right now just the name Mesa Southwest Museum is neither fish nor fowl," he said. "It doesn't really say we are one of the premier natural history museums in Arizona. We are sending an indeterminate and even confusing message to potential visitors." Changing the name, "would probably greatly increase our attendance" over the 131,000 who came last year, he said. "People would be better able to understand if they came to the museum what they'd be seeing here." He also thinks the museum would have a better chance of snagging grants if donors understood its mission. The museum has a statewide reach, Wilson said, with paleontologic investigations all over Arizona and displays featuring the region's fascinating biological and geological past. Griswold said Wilson approached him with the idea several weeks ago but was pessimistic the name change would fly. "I'll support any idea that's good for the residents," Griswold said. [Note: To read the full article, click here.]

City Council Approval for Low Income Historic Housing Program

[Source: Barbara Stocklin] -- On April 24, 2007, City Council approved a $150,000 earmark of 2006 Historic Preservation Bond funds for the 2007-2008 fiscal year to continue the Low Income Historic Housing Rehabilitation Program (LHHP). This program, managed by the Historic Preservation Office, provides income-qualifying grants to home owners to rehabilitate the exteriors of historic residences. Since December 2003, the HPO has successfully signed agreements with property owners on 13 LHHP projects, with nine (9) additional LHHP projects in the planning stages.

Lifestyles: Straw Determination

[Source: J. Craig Anderson, Tribune] -- Sometimes, following your conscience means having to endure the same unimaginative “Three Little Pigs” joke over and over again. Such are the travails of Tempe resident Beth Hoffmann, who fought the city for nearly a year to build her dream home, made of straw bales and earthen plaster. “When you feel that something is good, you can’t just back down — you have to pursue it,” Hoffmann said. By the time she succeeded, city officials were bringing their families around to show them Hoffmann’s unusual and environmental friendly home. But it wasn’t a desire for attention or a love of morality tales featuring anthropomorphic livestock that led Hoffmann to build her house of straw and clay. She wanted to take things most people discard or destroy and give them a new purpose. “I’m an Iowa country girl,” Hoffmann said, sitting on her back porch overlooking a modest vegetable garden and a row of fruit trees. “My parents were poor, and my mom was a saver, and I wanted to be a saver.”

Straw is the stem of a grain, which isn’t edible and is often burned in piles after the harvest, she said. Once pressed and shaped into bales, however, it becomes an excellent building material that’s sturdy and is neither flammable nor edible to insects. But that’s just the beginning of her home’s surprises, Hoffmann said. Its 2-foot-thick walls offer tremendous insulation from cold and heat. The electricity cost to cool her 1,200-square-foot home last July was just $18. In August, it was $14. In the winter, heated water is pumped through pipes underneath the tile floor to heat the home efficiently. “Plus you’re walking on warm tile,” Hoffmann said. Almost nothing that comes into contact with the house is wasted. A rooftop gutter system diverts rainwater into three barrels, where it is stored until Hoffmann uses it to water her garden. The house, designed by Hoffmann’s son, an architect who shares her interest in conservation, has a window in the bedroom closet so Hoffmann doesn’t have to turn on a light.

[Note: To read the full article, click here. Photo source: Lisa Olson]

Chandler to Honor Longtime Ranchers the Dobson Family

[Source: Chris Markham, Tribune] -- Chandler will honor several of its pioneers at the 23rd annual Pioneer Luncheon. Jan Dell, director of the Chandler History Museum, said the event honors past and ongoing contributions of the city’s founding citizens and families. One of those families, the Dobsons (pictured), will be among a handful honored as “citizens of history.” The farming and ranching family has been in the area since 1896, running cattle and sheep between winter ranges in Chandler to summer ranges in northern Arizona. The family has branched into other things, but the agricultural operation still continues today, said Carol Dobson, who along with her husband, Dwayne, will represent the family at the luncheon.

The luncheon also will honor this year’s pioneers of the year, whose names have not yet been released. “It’s for those who have lived here 50 or more years and have made a significant contribution to the city,” Dell said. The event also will feature a presentation on Chandler’s history from 1938 to 1950 as well as displays on the outstanding women of Chandler and previous pioneers of the year. But most of all, it will be a chance for residents to remember what Chandler was like before Intel and Motorola, Carol Dobson said. She said she misses the camaraderie that came with knowing many others in the once-small community. “I think that’s probably the biggest thing I miss,” she said. “But other than that, it’s gotten to be a nice city.” [Note: To read the full article, click here.]

This Day in History

April 27, 1521 : MAGELLAN KILLED IN THE PHILIPPINES. After traveling three-quarters of the way around the globe, Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan is killed during a tribal skirmish in the Philippines. Earlier in the month, his ships had dropped anchor at the Philippine island of Cebu, and Magellan met with the local chief, who after converting to Christianity persuaded the Europeans to assist him in conquering a rival tribe on the neighboring island of Mactan. In the subsequent fighting, Magellan was hit by a poisoned arrow and left to die by his retreating comrades.

In 1494, Portugal and Spain settled disputes over newly discovered lands by dividing the world into two spheres of influence. A line of demarcation was agreed to in the Atlantic Ocean--all new discoveries west of the line were to be Spanish, and all to the east Portuguese. Thus, South and Central America became dominated by the Spanish. Other Portuguese discoveries in the early 16th century, such as the Spice Islands of Indonesia--made the Spanish jealous. Magellan proposed sailing west, finding a strait through the Americas, and then continuing west to the Moluccas, which would prove that the Spice Islands lay west of the demarcation line and thus in the Spanish sphere. On September 20, 1519, Magellan and his crew set sail from Spain. Magellan sailed to Brazil, where he searched the South American coast for a strait that would take him to the Pacific. At the end of March 1520, the expedition set up winter quarter at Port St. Julian.

On October 21, he finally discovered the strait he had been seeking. The Strait of Magellan, as it became known, is located near the tip of South America. It took 38 days to navigate the treacherous strait. Magellan was the first European explorer to reach the Pacific Ocean from the Atlantic. His fleet accomplished the westward crossing of the ocean in 99 days, crossing waters so strangely calm that the ocean was named "Pacific," from the Latin word pacificus, meaning "tranquil." By the end, the men were out of food and chewed the leather parts of their gear to keep themselves alive. On March 16, 1521, the expedition reached the Philippines--they were only about 400 miles from the Spice Islands. After Magellan's death, the survivors sailed on to the Moluccas and loaded the hulls with spice. One ship attempted, unsuccessfully, to return across the Pacific. The other ship rounded the Cape of Good Hope, and arrived at Seville on September 9, 1522, becoming the first ship to circumnavigate the globe.

Phoenix Falling?

[Source: Craig Childs, High Country News] -- Growing faster than any other population center in the nation, Phoenix is balanced on an environmental tightrope. Thirty new skyscrapers are proposed for downtown alone, while metastatic sprawl carves up surrounding desert. At the moment, there is a robust water supply — for greater Phoenix alone — but the city’s water-wealth has created a growing inequity in the state. Even while Phoenix has become Arizona’s solitary Green Zone, depending almost entirely on water imported from mountain reservoirs and the Colorado River, it is having its own problems, whole pieces of land subsiding into falling water tables. Phoenix seems either on the verge of unparalleled success or catastrophic failure. At this point, it might be hard to tell the difference between the two.

This is not the first time unchecked growth has filled the Valley of the Sun. If you lift the rug of Phoenix, buried directly below you will find the remains of an ancient city, a Neolithic version of Phoenix. The first communities appeared in the low basin of the Salt River 3,000 years ago, as shown by remains recently discovered under the new Phoenix Convention Center. From there, prehistoric settlements took an escalating course of empire, filling the basin to overflowing. They sprawled all the way south to Tucson, while satellite communities appeared even north of Flagstaff. They grew until they were no longer able to sustain themselves. Then, their civilization fell.

They are known as the Hohokam, a Pima word meaning “all used up.” The doubled first syllable accentuates the sentiment, telling of a people that completely burned itself out. When Anglo settlers arrived shortly after the American Civil War, they found a desert studded with grand adobe ruins, vestiges of an inexplicable culture. They called their new settlement Phoenix, imagining themselves rising from the ashes of a lost city.

[Note: To read the full article, click here. Photo illustration by Ben Garrison.]

Taliesin Employment Opportunity

The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation seeks a vice president/campus planning, restoration, and development to lead the creation and execution of a master plan for the buildings, land, and infrastructure of both Taliesin and Taliesin West. The Himmelfarb Group is managing this search for this newly-created position to be located at the foundation’s headquarters in Scottsdale. We are looking for a senior manager with the ability to lead an assessment of the foundation’s stabilization, preservation, and space needs. The ability to lead the subsequent development and realization of a master plan for restoring, managing, and developing new facilities on both campuses is equally important.

The vice president will have a minimum of 20 years’ relevant experience that includes executive-level experience at a scale and complexity relevant to this position. An advanced architecture, engineering, or other appropriate degree is required; additionally, an MBA or other advanced management degree is preferred. An understanding of and deep commitment to Frank Lloyd Wright’s principles of organic architecture and to the foundation’s mission is, of course, critical. Salary for the position is low to mid $100’s depending on salary history and experience. Additional information including salary can be found on The Himmelfarb Group website, or by calling Meghan Strubel at 708-848-0086.

Celebrating the History of Jerome

[Source: Barbara Yost, Arizona Republic] -- As a boy, Lewis "Pete" Douglas loved to visit his grandfather, "Rawhide Jimmy" Douglas, at his sprawling mansion in Jerome. Grandpa would take the boy deep into the family copper mine, the United Verde Extension - which the boy did not love. "It scared me a lot," said Douglas, now 82 and working in oil and gas exploration in Denver. The Douglas family is as much a part of Arizona history as the mines around Jerome and their namesake Douglas, in southeastern Arizona. The mines once netted millions of dollars from copper, silver and gold. Although James Douglas was a wealthy man who built Jerome's magnificent Douglas Mansion (pictured), he "was most proud of being a rancher and an Arizonan," his grandson said.

The mansion, now open as Jerome State Historic Park, is headquarters Saturday for festivities marking the 50th anniversary of Arizona State Parks and celebrating the tough little town on Cleopatra Hill. Saturday's all-day program, Mining, Minerals and Mucking, is a tribute to Jerome's mining past, with a schedule of storytellers, exhibits, demonstrations and music. The grand re-opening of the Jerome Historical Society Mine Museum, which includes a new mining tunnel and mock-up of an old brothel, also happens Saturday. It's a lot of excitement for a town with a population of about 500. Considerably more people - 15,000 - populated Jerome during the mining boom in the first half of the 20th century. But thanks to tourists captivated by panoramic views of the Verde Valley, Jerome is thriving. "Jerome still retains a lot of that late-1800s and early-1900s ambience," said Nora Graf, park ranger with the Arizona State Parks in Jerome.

[Note: To read the full article, click here. Photo source: Arizona State Parks.]

Cities ponder history projects for Arizona Centennial

[Source: Jessica Coomes, Arizona Republic] -- A gunfight re-enactment and repairs to Hunt's Tomb (pictured) could be among the history projects that will be popping up across Arizona in the coming five years. Representatives of communities throughout the state rallied Thursday at Papago Park and started brainstorming how they could memorialize their chunk of Arizona history. Many now will form local commissions and design projects in time for the state's 100th birthday on Feb. 14, 2012. "This celebration is going to be an opportunity for us to highlight for our young people what Arizona has," Senate President Tim Bee said. The projects will come as the face of Arizona continues to change with new homes, developments and residents.

Preserving history in the midst of development is crucial in Florence, which has about 6,000 residents and is expected to have as many as 25,000 in five years, Mayor Tom Rankin said. "One of the biggest things for me as mayor is to get the new people to hang on to our heritage, let them become part of our heritage," Rankin said. He said he is mulling the idea of recreating the social lives of early residents with re-enactments of barn dances and box suppers, in which women make picnics, and men bid on the meals, and the winners get to eat with the cooks. Rankin also said he has ideas of parades and a re-enactment of the town's only gunfight. All of that could draw people in to visit the town, he said. Phoenix City Councilman Greg Stanton said he already is on a committee with representatives from Scottsdale and Tempe, and they are talking about how to improve Papago Park in time for the centennial. [Note: To read the full article, click here.]