History Adventuring

If you're like me, familiar with the Los Angeles area, you know where Burbank is. It's actually where a lot of what we consider "Hollywood" to be, such as it's where Disney studios is, major TV studios, that sort of thing. And there was a time, many decades ago, when Burbank gained some fame, in the 1960s, with the TV show "Laugh-In", and in the 1970s when Johnny Carson would joke about "beautiful downtown Burbank" on the Tonight Show. But really, the name Burbank doesn't have the recognition value that Hollywood does. Admit it. To most people, Los Angels is Hollywood. Of course the reality is that Hollywood is a community in Los Angeles, south of the San Fernando Valley and west of downtown. And the name has become synonymous with movies. Angelino locals will argue that the movies were actually filmed all over the Los Angeles area, like Culver City, or the San Fernando Valley, and that's not, geographically Hollywood. But it...

One of my history adventurers lent me some interesting old books a few days ago, and one of my favorites to look through is the 1927 yearbook for Phoenix Union High School. I scanned in a few things, including 1927 Beauty Queen Millie Bruce, pictured at the top of this post. I shared the photo on my Phoenix Historical Images page, and she got plenty of likes. She was also described as a "beauty" (of course!) and a "hottie". And now I'm thinking about slang terms for pretty girls. Speaking for myself, in high chool in the 1970s, the greatest compliment that we could give a pretty girl would have been to call her a "fox". In the 1920s she would have been "the bee's knees" or the "cat's meow". You might have said that she had "it", which meant that she had sex appeal. If you called her a "Home Girl" or a "chick" she would have had no idea what you were talking about. You could have called ...

As someone who has never smoked, and dislikes the smell of tobacco smoke, I often think that I'm lucky to be living in the time and place that I do. And when I imagine visiting old-time Phoenix, I do realize that there's going to be a LOT of smoking. The use of tobacco products became common worldwide after Europeans discovered it in the "New World" in the 1500s. It was like tomatoes, hard to imagine the world without it, but it was a relatively new discovery for the human race, and it became wildly popular right away. Up until the 1970s there was virtually no restriction on the use of it in public places, except hospitals. People smoked on airplanes, they smoked in restaurants. The fancier restaurants restricted cigar smoke, but that was about it. When smoking sections of restaurants began to appear, there was no physical barrier, just distance. The smoking areas were much larger, and non-smokers got jammed back where they could fit. I used to go to "Kiss t...

When most people think of Phoenix, they don't think of flooding. I know that I didn't when I moved there in my teens. Phoenix is a desert city after all, how could it flood? But if you've lived in Phoenix you know that there are torrential thunderstorms in the summer, and the snow melt in the spring brings a lot of water into the valley from the surrounding mountains. That's the water that fills the reservoirs on the Salt River, and it's the reason why such a large city can exist in the desert. The greatest challenge that Phoenix has faced historically hasn't been a lack of water, it's having too much of it, suddenly flooding. It's 1943 and we're watching Cave Creek flood again. It's been doing it for so long that it's just an outrage that nothing has been done about it. And since it's been under complete control since 1994, most people who live in Phoenix after that time have no idea how terrible it was. 1921 article showing the...

While I was in the Arizona Room of the Burton Barr Library a few days ago, I came across a wonderful publication from 1899 called "Arizona Graphics". I love looking through old documents, and touching the paper that people in 1899 Phoenix had touched. I dislike history books, which repeat things, often with mistakes that get printed and reprinted again and again. And I know that there's no guarantee that original documents won't have mistakes, all humans make mistakes, typos, that kind of thing, but just knowing that gives me a level of comfort to walk into the past when I see original documents. What really caught my eye was an article about the Winter Carnival, which was held every December in Phoenix. It included a Carnival Queen, and various events, and of course a parade. There were a lot of photos and one of them was the one at the top of this post, which was captioned "Chinese Division in Parade". And today I'd like to go back to Phoenix in 1...

Walk with me. It's 1775 and we're in New Spain, in what is now the country of Mexico. We will be walking with Captain Juan Bautista and his soldiers up to what is now San Francisco. I will use modern terms, but really, we're just walking across the desert, and then along the ocean. Lets walk... Of course we're speaking Spanish, because we're from Spain. Bautista is guiding people like us to colonize the area called Alta California, which now is usually just called California. It's a long walk, so let's get started. Yes, we have carts, and horses and mules, but we'll walking. In movies, people rode in wagons, but the reality is that the wagons carried things, and people carried themselves, even the women and children. And our route will take us from places where we can get water, and cross rivers. Bautista says he knows the way, and all we have to do is follow him. We're heading north towards Tucson, Arizona, which was just established that y...

Obeying the law can be a tricky thing to do for anyone, even people who consider themselves "law abiding". Speaking for myself, I was on such a tight budget while I was going to ASU that one of things I did was to be absolutely sure of the laws regarding driving in Arizona (I had grown up in Minnesota). My budget couldn't even stand a parking ticket, let alone a moving violation, so I kept the Driver's Manual after I got my license in Arizona, and studied it as carefully as I studied any other book that I had in college. Even then, it made me nervous, and obeying the law still does, to this day. My favorite joke with friends is when they park in front of a sign that says, "2 hour parking", and we're only there for one hour and fifty-nine minutes. Let's take a look at crime and punishment in old-time Phoenix... Crime and punishment is something that puzzles a lot of people, and not only in Arizona. Since it never really applied to me, I can't...

If you've ever been tempted to live by the beach, in California, but figured that only rich people can do it, nah, don't worry, you can do it. I've done it, and I've never been rich. It just takes some creativity. Of course, if you're a multimillionaire, it will make living in places like Santa Barbara much easier, but I'm assuming that's not you, or you wouldn't be reading this. People live in expensive places like this all of the time, and it just takes maybe adjusting your point of view a bit. I grew up in a middle-class home in Minneapolis, and my expectations of how I lived were influenced by that. We weren't rich, but we were never poor. I lived in Santa Barbara for couple of years in my twenties, and when I tell people that, they wonder if I had struck gold, or inherited millions. No, I was just living the way the poor folk do, squeezed into crowded conditions that most people like me will never see. In my twenties, I can honestly s...

I collect old photos of Phoenix, and post them on the web, and one of the most common questions I get is "how did people deal with the summer heat in Phoenix before air conditioning?". The answer surprises most people, because it's simply that most didn't. Most people got out of Phoenix in the summer, it became a virtual ghost town in Territorial days from May to September. Anyone who could got away, either to the mountains, or if they could afford it, to California. Let's go to old-time Phoenix in the summer... So the fancy ladies with the nice frilly dresses and the dapper dudes with the bowties would have never, ever, seen a Phoenix summer. But there were people who did stay there all summer. They stayed because they had no choice, either they were too poor, or they had to stay to keep an eye on things. And it was miserable. In case you're wondering if Phoenix is hotter now in the 21st Century than it was in 1899, it is. The heat island effect has in...

Let's go watch a movie. It's 1944, we're in Phoenix, Arizona, and I want to go to the Rialto Theater, which is at 37 W. Washington (Washington between Central and 1st Avenue). They're showing "Sherlock Holmes vs. Charlie Chan" so it looks like it will be pretty good. That Basil Rathbone is pretty good as Sherlock Holmes, I wonder if anyone else will play the part in the movies, or on TV? I'm not really a big fan of Charlie Chan, but I'm sure it'll be fine. At the Rialto Theater in the 1940s, 37 W. Washington, Phoenix, Arizona Besides, it really doesn't matter to me. I've got my eye on one of the cute girl ushers. See the pretty one? No, not that one, the one next to her. Yeah, right. I watch a movie every time a new one comes to the Rialto, and I think she's starting to notice me. I even comb my hair sometimes! OK, here I am, over by Otto Schmeider Jeweler's. I can see you standing over there by Marie's Sandwich...

Let's go racing! It's 1919 and we're in Phoenix, Arizona. Let's drive the Chevrolet Twins from Bert O. Brown, which is at 3rd Street and Washington. The race track is at the Arizona State Fairgrounds You know, near six points on Christy Road (McDowell) and 19th Avenue. Racing has always been very popular there, and I understand there's still horse racing, but it's racing of automobiles that everyone is talking about! During the fair there's always a special Street Car out there, but we'll be driving there in style - in racing cars! Before the invention of the automobile, the fastest thing I ever saw was a train, or a galloping horse. These machines are amazing. Safe? Of course not. That's part of the reason that people love to watch, just because it's so dangerous. I suppose some day there will be helmets, or seat belts, or roll cages. Right now you just take your chances and hope for the best. I hear that when these machines catch on fir...

When I think of places like San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, the first thought that pops into my head is how terribly expensive these places are to live in. And lately I've been wondering about what California was like when it was a cheap place to live. I just finished reading "Two Years Before the Mast", which was about a young man's adventures on a ship that sailed from Boston to the California coast in 1935-36. Back then California was pretty much empty, populated by a few Mexican towns (yes, it was part of Mexico back then) such as San Diego, El Pueblo de Los Angeles, San Buenaventura, Santa Barbara, Monterey, and San Francisco. The author's descriptions are of a place that was on "the edge of nowhere", where people like him visited only when they had to, and where all it would have taken to live in Santa Barbara would have been to make yourself an adobe home, like the rest of them were. The author revisits the California coast in 1859...

As someone who enjoys weight training, and working out, I have trained at many gyms in my day, including the YMCA. To me, the YMCA is pretty much the same as any other gym. There's a weight room, a pool, that sort of thing. I have found Ys to be a good value, and family friendly. And other than that, and the song "YMCA" from the 1970s, that's about all it means to me. But there's more to the story than that. Let's go back to Phoenix in 1911, and work out at the YMCA. The YMCA, or Young Men's Christian Association, in 1911 Phoenix was just for men. Women had their own place, the YWCA. These places were designed to help young men and women who may have, as the saying goes, "lost their way", and needed a place to go. These weren't just gyms, and swimming pools, they were places to stay. Support Arizona history by becoming a patron on Patreon Click here to become a Patron! History Adventuring blog posts are shared there daily, also ther...

Phoenix has always had prostitution, from the days when it was "the Old West" until present day. It is, of course, a taboo subject, and it's something that seems to be the oldest profession, and it probably always be around, in some shape or form, whether it's called "The Red Light District" or "Street Walkers", "Ladies of the Evening" or "Escorts". I'm sure that you can think of many more names, but for the purposes of time traveling to 1890s, Phoenix, I will use the term "prostitute". In the 1890s, the prostitutes were mostly in the area around 1st Street south of Monroe, along what was called Melinda's Alley. It went past the Adams Hotel, where presumably some of the clientele stayed, and was just south of Millionaire's Row. The Rosson House, by the way, which is on Monroe and 6th Street, was at the eastern edge of Millionaire's Row. In the 1890s that stretch from Central Avenue to 7th Street is...

I'm not much of a drinking man. I like to quaff a beer or two with friends, I've been known to drink gin-and-tonics, and I've even had some whiskey, my preference being the stuff from Tennessee - I forget what it's called. And when I go history adventuring, I often think about how much whiskey people drank back in old-time Phoenix. And it was quite a lot! Let's go back to Phoenix in 1911 and drink some whiskey. Of course, it's been popular in America for a long time, being the alcoholic beverage of choice, made from corn. America has a LOT of corn, and always has, so it's been the cheapest way to make this type of beverage. In other countries, the beverage of choice may be made out of rice, or potatoes, or agaves, or just about anything, but in the United States of America, it was corn. Whiskey jug from Melczer Brothers, Phoenix, Arizona. Since it's 1911, and intoxicating beverages are still legal, we can just walk into Hans Herlick's on ...

Since I've always loved dogs, I often wonder what their lives would have been like in old-time Phoenix. Let's travel back to 1901 and be dogs. I'll be Judge Ruppert (pictured above), who lived in Phoenix at that time. He was a big, big, dog. And since this is my story, and my imagination, I get to be the biggest dog in town. You can be anything you like, but maybe not a Chihuahua, or else I might step on you accidentally. No, not a Dachshund either, I suggest that you just be an ordinary dog. It's good to be a dog in old-time Phoenix. We can wander all over town, there's no such thing as a "dog park" and no requirement for leashes. If we're lucky we'll get into some good fights in Melinda's Alley. Or maybe we can just chase things. There's a lot of wide-open space in Phoenix in 1901! Let's go into town, maybe someone will take our picture with one of those new-fangled "Kodaks" that are becoming so popular. I once had ...

It sure is a hot day, I could use a Coca-Cola. It's 1906 in Phoenix, Arizona, so let's go get some. Don't worry, Coca-Cola is as common in 1906 Phoenix as it will be in the 21st Century. And yes, it's served cold. Phoenix didn't have refrigeration in 1906, but it had ice. Making ice was a big business in Phoenix, which also kept beer cold, along with other things that needed to be cold, such as food. I noticed an ad in the newspaper that says we should watch for a coupon for a free bottle of Coca-Cola, but I don't want to wait. Besides, I think you owe me a dime? That should more than enough to pay for a couple of bottles. Yeah, I've heard the rumors, that's there's some kind of drug in it, like Cocaine. No, it's not true. It was true when they first started making Coca-Cola in 1886, but not for a long time! They replaced the Cocaine with caffeine, but it's no more than a cup of coffee. It's basically just carbonated sugar water w...

For someone like me, who didn't know Phoenix before the 1970s, it's hard to picture the motels on Van Buren, and Grand Avenue as anything but horrible and run-down. By the time I got to Phoenix, in 1977, the days of those motels as anything but crime-infested places, with prostitutes, etc., was over. And since I collect old photos of Phoenix, I'm finding out that these were some awesome places. Let's go visit some motels on Van Buren, and Grand Avenue, before the 1970s. It's the 1960s in our imagination, so let's start at the Dunes Motor Hotel, which was at 2935 E. Van Buren. The sign reminds me of classic Las Vegas. Of course the rooms are refrigerated (which meant air conditioning, as opposed to the old-fashioned "swamp coolers" that many places had back in the '40s and '50s). There are also televisions, and phones. And of course a pool - with a slide! Of course, we could also stay at the Rose Bowl Motor Hotel, at 2645 E. Van Buren. ...

As a time-traveler, I'm fascinated by the small details of life. Today I'd like to look at how people spoke in Phoenix, Arizona in 1905. You can call this the "Territorial Era" of Arizona, which went from 1863 to 1912, which is a fairly long amount of time, and the language really didn't change all that much. Of course, if you're like me, growing up on Western movies, you may assume that people spoke in a very stiff and stilted way, the way that they do in a lot of old Westerns. You know, not using contractions, such as "Do not give that gun to the Sheriff or he will shoot it I fear", instead of "Don't give that gun to the Sheriff or he'll shoot it, I'm afraid". But really, ordinary people didn't talk in that stiff and formal way. Books were written like that, but people didn't talk like that. I just finished re-reading "Two Years Before the Mast", which was written in 1836, and while it was written by a y...

Let's fly into Phoenix in the 1930s, and land at Sky Harbor Airport. I haven't a clue how to fly a plane, but I know that you do, and I think I can help find the way. We're heading west, and when we get closer, I'm pretty sure that I can recognize the area. What a great name: Sky Harbor! And I think that flying will some day be as common as riding on trains. In my imagination I see a time when planes are flying over Phoenix all of the time, day and night, with passengers going all over the country, and the world. My parachute? Yeah, it's right next to me, why do you ask? Yeah, I know you're kidding, flying is perfectly safe. I understand that Trans World Airlines flies into Sky Harbor. They do a lot of business with the people who want to get married in Phoenix, who just fly in, and the wedding chapel is right there, no waiting. There's nothing wrong with your plane. It might be kind of small, but at least it's modern, not like the biplane...

As an amateur historian, I like to ask the important questions about the past. For example, was there beer in Phoenix in 1901? Yes, there was. Let's time-travel and go get some. Lount and Sons Ice Plant in 1905. And, yes, of course it was cold. Phoenix didn't have refrigeration in 1901, but it had ice. Plenty of ice. Manufacturing of ice was a big business, and it made people like Sam Lount (Hattie Mosher's father) very rich. All you need is electricity and know-how to make ice, and Sam had both. Support Arizona history by becoming a patron on Patreon Click here to become a Patron! Blog posts are shared there daily, also there's "then and now" images, billboards, aerials, and super high-resolution photos Tonight I feel like having something that I saw advertised in today's paper called ABC Bohemian. According to what I read, it's appetizing and health-giving. To quote the ad, "Its perfect purity, beautiful color and sparking br...

Let's time travel back to Phoenix, Arizona in 1919-1921 and meet some young women. I've selected a few from my collection of old photos, in no particular order. These are "society women", that is, young women from wealthy and prominent families, and, as the term "Miss" implies, they are unmarried. Let's start in 1919 with Miss Mary Louise Pinney at the top of this post. This is an article from the society pages of the local Phoenix newspaper, and I'll see if I can give something of an accurate description. At first glance I'd say that she looks like she could walk into anywhere nowadays and look thoroughly modern. Of course, the image is kinda blurry since it's from a scan of an old newspaper, but I can see that she had short hair (it was called "bobbed" in those days, after the practice of "bobbing" a horse's tail, by cutting it short). It must have looked very modern back in 1919 - looks like Mary Lou was gettin...