Historical Society debuts city’s ‘rich tapestry’ in Black-history exhibit
The Maricopa Historical Society, hoping to illustrate the city’s diverse history and culture, has opened an exhibit featuring prominent Black figures since the city’s...
Shirley Ann Hartman rode into town and, with hubby ‘McD,’ built a legacy
Beauty. Grace. Hard charging. There is a wistful congruency between the horses Shirley Ann Hartman loves and Shirley Ann Hartman.
Philip “McD” Hartman likely didn’t...
History: A slow ride to Scottsdale
This building was Southern Pacific Railroad’s Maricopa depot from the early 1930s through 1961.
The depot was then moved to Phoenix as a playhouse in...
A SNEAK PEEK: Silver Horizon rail car nearing public debut
Completion after years of restoration work on the city’s Silver Horizon rail car is, well, on the horizon.
InMaricopa got a sneak peek on...
THIS WEEK IN HISTORY: Fishing derby reels in record numbers in 2008
This story was published 15 years ago this week, written by RuthAnn Hogue.
Maricopa's annual fishing derby for kids attracted 579 anglers, hosts and representatives...
Maricopa history moves over
The State Route 347/John Wayne Parkway railroad overpass was a major step forward in moving traffic through Maricopa. It came at a price, however.
The...
Cotton to claustrophobia
Cotton is swallowed up by a picker in the field behind John and Mary Lou Smith's house in the 1980s, when farmers grew about...
Flash to the past: Maricopa PD on patrol New Year’s Eve for first time
A look back 15 years:
In 2008, while most of Maricopa was kicking back to celebrate the passing of another year, Maricopa Police Chief Patrick...
Flash to the past: Big red pump and electricity
A water tank that held 500,000 gallons of water sat just west of the railroad station in Maricopa in the early 1900s. Southern Pacific...
Maricopa history: The first Founder’s Day celebration
The first Founder's Day celebration was held at The Duke in honor of the 1-year anniversary of Maricopa's incorporation.
The city was incorporated on Oct....
Historical Zephyr passenger car to debut as museum in just weeks
The majestic, silver car with domed roof evokes memories of the glory days of luxury train service — the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s —...
History: “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night, or a fire…”
Fred Cole served as the Maricopa postmaster from 1955 to 1982.
The post office was in the Honeycutt Shopping Center until it
was destroyed by fire...
Flash to the past: TV show sees city as ‘microcosm’ of country’s growth
In October of 2006, a “CBS News Sunday Morning” crew visited Maricopa to film a segment on population growth in America entitled "300 Million...
Flash to the past: Our changing means of transporting goods to market
The Maricopa and Pima tribes farmed the lands adjacent to the Gila River and raised beans, corn, pumpkins, watermelons, muskmelons, cotton and their principal...
Recipes for Thanksgiving dishes from the Maricopa Historical Society
While you prepare your Thanksgiving feast, take a moment to review some recipes that Maricopans have shared through the years.
Right out of a historic...
Veterans working to make memorial park a reality
Maricopa veterans Jim Bussey and Terry Oldfield were coming home from a funeral for a fellow veteran in Marana when the idea of a...
Ex-MP survived ‘The Surge’ in Iraq, now helps other female veterans
Lynise Grell has a knack for putting herself in other people’s shoes.
She spent eight years in the U.S. Army as a military-police officer. During...
Thanking veterans for their service
They've put on the uniforms of the United States of America's armed forces to defend our rights and our way of life.
Many of them...
Maricopa Museum and Visitor Center opens after years of planning, digging
The Maricopa Museum and Visitor Center opened Saturday morning with extensive displays telling Maricopa's history.
Read other stories about the new museum here.
The museum plans...
The stars came out for Mayor Nancy Smith’s first State of the City address
It was a who's who of Maricopa at the reception that preceded Mayor Nancy Smith's first State of the City address on Oct. 19.
Captains...
Maricopa’s new museum reflects a 21st-century city on the move
Maricopa regards itself as a 21st-century city on the move. Actually, it has been on the move since the middle of the 19th century,...
Celebrating Italian Americans’ contributions to America
Italian-American Heritage Month is celebrated in Maricopa and across the country during October to honor and recognize the centuries of achievements, successes and valuable...
Flash to the past: Three arrested in seizure of 1.5 tons of marijuana
In August of 2004, the Pinal County Narcotics Task Force, with the assistance of the marked patrol division, seized 2,927 pounds of marijuana from...
Longtime Maricopa historian and school teacher Pat Brock dies
EDITOR's NOTE: This post has been updated to reflect funeral arrangements.
Pat Brock, who documented the history of Maricopa in her books “Reflections of a...
Flash to the past: When grocery shopping wasn’t nearly as pricey
With inflation high these days, it’s interesting to look at what prices on a few staples were back in 2009.
At Bashas’, chicken breasts were...
Flash to the past: Maricopans left itching as mosquitoes thrive
In August 2012, a trifecta of heat, humidity and standing water left mosquitoes feeling right at home in Maricopa, and Maricopans were itching like...
Flash to the past: Monsoon season
The monsoon season was particularly active in 2017, with at least four flooding events in July alone.
The last week of July proved the busiest,...
Flash to the past: Police seek vocal sheep, find vocal frog
In July 2009, Maricopa police officers responded to a report of a sheep stuck in a drainage ditch in The Villages.
The call came from...
Flashback: Pima Butte opens doors
In July 2005, Maricopa schools welcomed students for the first day of the new school year. Pima Butte, a new elementary school in Rancho...
History: Progress in action
This month, Desert Sunrise High School will accept its first students. It’s a milestone and a statement about the population growth in Maricopa over...