Teens re-create handcart experience of 1840s on historic trail (VIDEO)
This week about 180 Maricopa 14- to 18-year-olds are re-creating the handcart trek of western pioneers across the country. The re-creation, called a Youth Trek,...
History photo: Armida Mattia, basketweaver
Born in 1946 in Ak-Chin, Armida Mattia learned the art of O’odham basketweaving from her grandmother. Her baskets have been presented to governors, senators...
Ghost stories from Maricopa’s past
By Michelle ChanceHave you experienced paranormal activity in Maricopa? Tell us about it at Facebook.com/InMaricopa. Maricopa’s history is chronicled well into the mid-19th century, when...
History Photo: Maricopa Depot 1900
By Patricia Brock, Maricopa Historical Society Three trains were in daily operation from Phoenix to Maricopa in the early 1900s, and Maricopa was quite a...
Oliver Anderson: Longtime farmer’s life of service mirrors history of Maricopa (VIDEO)
His story begins less than a month after Black Tuesday, America’s economic disaster that incited the Great Depression.“He’s always served without fanfare, under the...
History photo: 1954 Maricopa Elementary 8th Grade Graduation
Decades before Maricopa incorporated, the center point of the community was the school. Some of these fresh faces may still be familiar to long-time...
History Photo: Keeping Cool in the Pool
During a long, hot summer, finding ways to keep cool has always been a priority in Maricopa. Swimming is a big temptation, but in...
Cotton workers remember moving to ‘hellhole’ in 1940s
By Patricia Brock and the Maricopa Historical Society Bertha Anderson Easley and her husband Jay Easley came to Maricopa in 1947. “We lived on Porter Ranch,...
Cotton industry spotlighted in historical presentation
For decades, cotton was a staple crop in Arizona. Pima cotton in particular, with its extra-long staple (ELS) fibers, revolutionized the industry in 1910....
A history of pecans in Maricopa
By Patricia Brock, Oliver Anderson and the Maricopa Historical Society Maricopa lost its importance as a railroad junction when the railroad redirected a line through...
Career in National Parks honed retiree’s skills in archiving history
When Dorothy Shally Charles started working for the National Park Service, singing was a job requirement.IF YOU GO What: The History of Scotty's Castle, Death...
Life in Mobile: A Close-Knit Family
By Patricia Brock and the Maricopa Historical Society Mobile is a small community located about 15 miles west of Maricopa on State Route 238 (Mobile...
‘Lost mine’ in Sierra Estrella: Fact or Folklore? (VIDEO)
Archaeology & Heritage Awareness Month
Embedded in Arizona is a history rife with facts, folklore and fantasy.“The structure is one of the more substantial mining structures that I’ve seen....
Top 10 Historical & Archaeological Sites around Maricopa (VIDEO)
By Maricopa Historical Society Vice President Denny Hoeh For Archeology & Heritage Awareness Month, Maricopa Historical Society Vice President Denny Hoeh shared his top 10...
Woolly topic for historical society presentation
Sheepherding for wool and meat has been an Arizonan occupation since the mid-1800s, and if the Native Americas are included, the date can be...
History: Water tanks had important impact on Maricopa
By Patricia Brock, Donald DeHart and Maricopa Historical Society Just west of the railroad station were two very large water tanks that held over 1...
Presentation to spotlight WWII internment camp near Maricopa
Winston Churchill once said, “history is written by the victors,” alluding to a reality in which often only self-serving histories are memorialized. Despite criticisms...
Maricopa’s first druggist David P. Kimball
By Maricopa Historical Society David Patton Kimball opened the first drugstore in Maricopa in 1956. He and his wife, the former Nellie Nash, came from...
Maricopa characters: Jim and Louise Slack – 1956-1970s
Written by Harry C Brock for Maricopa Historical Society Jim and Louise Slack and their three children came to Maricopa in 1956 from Casa Grande....
Historical Society presenter offers ‘base camp’ for Vietnam vets
Located down a winding, county road and bunkered beneath a small mountain in Thunderbird Farms is a hidden haven for Vietnam veterans.IF YOU GO What:...
History: First Maricopa Stagecoach Days May 3, 1959
Courtesy of Maricopa Historical Society The first of many Maricopa Stagecoach Days began on Sunday, May 3, 1959, with a BBQ dinner, and a slew...
History Photo: Maricopa’s Erstwhile County Jail
Even after Maricopa incorporated in 2003, its law and order mostly came from the county sheriff and justice of the peace. In the late...
History: Sourcing Maricopa’s floodwaters
All waters flow to Gila River
By Patricia Brock and the Maricopa Historical Society Do you know the rivers of Maricopa? The Gila River is one of the largest desert rivers...
Zephyr now in hands of historical society
A Maricopa icon officially became part of the Maricopa Historical Society’s inventory Saturday. The famed Zephyr railcar was added to the Maricopa Historical Society’s list of assets at a breakfast...
Unusual history of Maricopa Post Office includes fires, trains and a bobcat
In the early 1950s, a man named Harry Brock moved to Maricopa to begin work as a rural mail carrier. He roomed in the...
History photo: On the Rails 2001
The historic California Zephyr railcar (right) makes its 2001 debut in Maricopa and is greeted by a modern Amtrak train (left). The railcar, which...
Smith son follows in dad’s footprints for UofA Award
Maricopa farming pioneer John Smith and his son Mark are familiar with cultivating growth in their agricultural communities. John farmed cotton and other crops here...
Historical Society weighs fate of Zephyr
The Maricopa Historical Society is seeking public input to help determine the fate of one of their recently acquired icons – the California Zephyr...
History photo: Times Keep Changing
Photos of the same intersection in Maricopa nearly 20 years apart show the changes that have occurred since 1998. The 1998 photo, part of...
Historical Society takes ownership of Zephyr railcar
The Pinal County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a measure to transfer the ownership of the California Zephyr railcar to the Maricopa Historical Society. ...
