Free Zephyr tours available Saturday

To celebrate Arizona’s centennial, the Maricopa Historical Society is offering free tours Saturday of Amtrak’s Maricopa Zephyr.

Festivities are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with speakers, a raffle, snacks, and history books and historic calendars for sale to help raise money for a permanent historical society building.

“This is a great way to help celebrate Arizona’s Centennial,” said Patricia Brock, past president of the Maricopa Historical Society.

The California Zephyr's Silver Horizon dome car, one of Maricopa’s most identifiable landmarks, is at the corner of State Route 347 and the Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway.

The Silver Horizon was part of the California Zephyr domes and streamliners that charmed the American people for more than 20 years.

The dome car was built for the California Zephyr passenger line, which operated from 1949 until 1970.

Before moving to Maricopa the car was used in a scene from the 2001 movie Pearl Harbor starring Ben Affleck.

The car was moved to Maricopa in 2000 and used as a ticket office for the Amtrak station. The ticket office was later moved to a larger space but the Zephyr has remained as the landmark for Maricopa station.

The event will open with a presentation from Brent Murphree, president of the Maricopa Historical Society at promptly 10 a.m. Maricopa historian Pat Brock and City Manager Brenda Fischer also are scheduled to speak.

Following the presentation, participants will tour the lower coach and upper observation deck, as well as a display of artifacts from Maricopa’s rich history.

Maricopa Historical Society calendars and Images of America: Maricopa will be on sale. There will be a number of raffle items as well.