Arizona: A Celebration of the Grand Canyon State
Almost everyone in the world knows something about Arizona, and some of it is even true. The Grand Canyon State is famous for Geronimo, Tombstone, the Petrified Forest, Zane Grey, Barry Goldwater, and—later—John McCain. However, Arizona’s history is unique and often misunderstood. Before the railroad opened the great American frontier, dime novels and Wild West shows made up their own history of the Southwest. It was always more “fakelore” than fact, but the public couldn’t get enough gunfights and Apache raids. They make for great reading, and some of them are even based on true stories—or at least they were before the editors and directors tackled them.Author Jim Turner captures Arizona’s documented history with engaging text complemented by scenic and historic images that define the spirit of this last frontier outpost of the continental United States. Arizona: A Celebration of the Grand Canyon State is a colorful, comprehensive, and exciting popular history of this beautiful state, from its prehistoric and geologic origins, to its definitive Native American, Spanish, and Wild West cultures, to its modern biotech industries. Colorful bywords conjure picturesque images of its diverse regions—Arizona Strip and Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam and Lake Mead; Betatakin and Keet Seel, Monument Valley, Canyon de Chelly; Oak Creek Canyon, Mogollon Rim, and Tonto Basin; Mazatzal, Sierra Ancha, and White Mountains; Sky Islands, Mojave and Sonoran Deserts—not to mention its vibrant cities, prosperous towns, charming villages, and historic ghost towns. This is Arizona!Jim Turner has lived in Tucson since 1951. He received his master’s degree in U.S. history from the University of Arizona in 1999. As Outreach Historian for the Arizona Historical Society, Turner worked with more than sixty museums in every corner of the state and received a Distinguished Service Award from the Arizona Museum Association in 2007. Before retiring in 2008, he co-authored The Arizona Story, an award-winning fourth-grade Arizona history textbook. He is now a freelance editor, teacher, researcher, and author. His Tucson history column, Life in the Old Pueblo, appears monthly in the Arizona Daily Star. Turner is a “Roads Scholar” presenter for the Arizona Humanities Council and an Adjunct Professor at Central Arizona College.