FEBRUARY 6, 2013
The Rise of Phoenix: Prehistory to Frontier
Two noted valley experts will present a comprehensive history of the Phoenix area during a free lecture to be held on Feb. 13, 2013, 7 p.m. at the Good Shepherd of the Hills Episcopal Church, 6502 E. Cave Creek Road, Cave Creek. This 90 minute talk is open to the public and sponsored by the Desert Foothills Chapter (DFC) of the Arizona Archaeological Society (AAS). Patrick Grady, a DFC member and Cave Creek resident will present Out of the Ruins, a history of frontier Phoenix taken from his 2012 book of the same name. Dr. Jerry Howard, Curator of Anthropology of the Arizona Museum of Natural History, as well as Director of the Mesa Grande Archaeological Project, will take us further back in time to the original valley residents, the Hohokam. His talk is entitled Phoenix Prehistory.
Patrick Grady (r), the former Director of Community and Economic Development for the City of Phoenix returned to his passion for history and writing after he retired. His first book, Homesteading along the Creek, published in 2009, portrays pioneer life in early Cave Creek.
Out of the Ruins is the story of how a small cluster of adobe houses, for a time called, Pumpkinville, became the 5th largest city in the USA. Patrick tells of the "fascinating characters" who worked tirelessly to develop a water system in the middle of the Sonoran Desert.
Patrick says, "I like to connect communities to their history. This is particularly important in such a mobile, transient society. This is the only book exclusively devoted to the frontier period of early Phoenix." Both of Patrick's books will be available for purchase and signing.
Dr. Howard received his PhD from ASU and is an expert on the Hohokam canal system, which at one time spanned over 600 miles of the valley floor, or 110,000 irrigated acres. In many cases, the early settlers built their canals right over the ones that were already there.
As the Director of Mesa Grande, he is especially pleased to announce the Grand Opening of Mesa Grande to the public, on Jan. 19, 2013. This interpretive site and Great Mound is part of a classic Hohokam village and was possibly used for ceremonial purposes. The area is surrounded with evidence of prehistoric canals. The Hohokam system of canals, dykes and check dams was a "great legacy that the Hohokam left to the early historic farmers in this area."
The AAS is an independent, non-profit and statewide organization with over 600 professional and avocational members. Their goals are to foster awareness, interest, research and conservation of Arizona's rich archaeological heritage.
Please check the AAS website, www.azarchsoc.org to locate a chapter near you, or contact DFC President Glenda Simmons, 928-684-3251 for more information.
