Pool is gone, but history remains
A community pool once sat just north of where the Silver Horizon Zephyr railcar now sits. The Zephyr railcar came to Maricopa in 2000...
History photos: Student explosion
The Maricopa High School campus has grown considerably over the years. The football players and cheerleaders pictured were among the 28 MHS students —...
A blast from the past
In Maricopa, shops and storefronts have come and gone over the past few decades. In the black-and-white photo from the 1960s, you can see...
Air Maricopa
Maricopa’s airfield ran perpendicular to John Wayne Parkway, more exactly where the overpass now sits. In this photo from the early 1900s, one of...
A water tower and an overpass
In the 1930s, a couple of men came to Maricopa and set up a woodcutting business. They contacted the people on the reservation and...
The last years of Lorenzo and Olive Oatman
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the last in a series of articles dealing with the Massacre of the Oatman family in 1851 and those who...
The Oatman Massacre: Rescued by the Mojave
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the latest installment in a series dealing with the Oatman massacre and the experiences of the family members who survived...
There yesterday, gone today
Shown is a picture of the NAPA Auto Parts from the 1960s. The store was razed at the end of 2020 due in large...
City residents divided on cemetery
Believe it or not, Maricopa, with a population of more than 60,000, does not have a cemetery. The city is exploring the possibility of...
Vietnam vet shares memories with JROTC class at MHS
The Air Force Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC) program at Maricopa High School is thriving, with about 130 students, or 5% of the...
Old-school memories
This aerial photo from 1958 shows the original Maricopa High School with its gymnasium, right, and two wings of classrooms. The school had only...
Parade lets veteran groups shine together
The COVID-19 pandemic that has plagued the nation since early 2020 has changed the way we do a lot of things. Put the staging...
CURTIS: The Oatman Massacre – Part Two: rescued by the Mojave
This is the second in a series about the massacre of the Oatman family in 1851 after leaving Maricopa Wells.
You will recall that two...
Restoration of Silver Horizon progressing
The renovation of one of Maricopa’s most iconic historical landmarks, the Silver Horizon rail car, is progressing – with a milestone coming soon.
Paul Shirk,...
The Oatman Massacre: Shock at Maricopa Wells
The massacre of the Oatman family in 1851 sent a shock wave through the Arizona Territory.
Undoubtedly, the residents of Maricopa Wells (ancestor of the...
History photo: Southern entrance
This 1913 photo looks south from the Southern Pacific railroad crossing to the main street leading into Maricopa. The path through the trees eventually...
Curtis: Battle of Pima Butte made history
Like most Maricopa residents, I have driven past Pima Butte (“M” mountain) many, many times. But only recently did I learn that a significant event...
History photo: Flooding nothing new
Floodwaters inundate the backyard of Dallas and Susie Smith in September 1946. Their home was just south of today’s Business Barn. Dallas Smith was...
History photo: Headquarters blaze
In 1954, the Headquarters nightclub and bar was a place for people to gather and dance to hits like “Shboom” recorded by The Crew...
Curtis: Bright light will soon shine on city history
As a relative newcomer in Maricopa, I have been surprised by how much there is to do in our town. True, we have no...
History photo: high school scene
The black-and-white view of Maricopa High School was taken in 1998 by Gray Photographs of Phoenix. The high school, which opened in 1955 with...
History photo: flood of memories
This flooding scene near the Richfield service station on the old Maricopa Road in 1949 was captured by a photographer looking north from atop...
History photo: 19th century scene
This photo from the 1890s looks east along the railroad tracks while a steam engine is stopped at the Maricopa Depot, on left. The...
Street names a road to city’s history
People are moving to Maricopa every day. But do the newcomers — or the old timers, for that matter — give any thought to the...
DNA test reveals a father – and a family
It’s said life can turn on a dime. For Mike Otis, it changed on a $69 DNA test.
Otis, a retired technical writer, did what...
Pedestrian bridge would link Heritage District, South Bridge
Two highly visible economic development projects – the Heritage District and South Bridge – would blend together as envisioned by city staff.
During a recent...
Native Grill owner tastes success despite 9/11, housing crash, fires and COVID-19
All business owners encounter hurdles as they are getting things going; it’s part of the process.
Pat Kieny, the owner of Native Grill & Wings,...
Where are they now: ‘Rolling Pilot’ still flying high in Arizona
Michael “The Rolling Pilot” Glen is as passionate as ever about hot-air ballooning.
Nearly a decade has passed since our last contact with Glen, who...
Christmas treasure: ‘Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus’
In 1897, an eight-year-old girl on the Upper West Side of Manhattan asked her father whether Santa Claus really existed.
Dr. Philip O'Hanlon, a coroner's...
History photo: St. Francis of Assisi Mission
Used as both a school and a Catholic church, St. Francis of Assisi Mission was built in the Ak-Chin community in 1920-21.
Despite changes over...