History Adventuring

I've never been rich, and I've never been poor. I've been lucky, always somewhere in the middle. But I've known people who have gone to bed hungry, and slept on the street, and also people who are so rich that they can't seem to comprehend what being poor is like. My favorite story is of the rich child who was asked to describe a poor family - it went like this: The daddy was poor, the mommy was poor, the children were poor, the maid was poor, the chauffeur was poor... And while that's an exaggeration, it's not too far off from reality of the rich kids that I saw in Los Angeles, even ones as old as I was (and I'm in 23 in that photo, which was taken in Beverly Hills, by the way). Yeah, I'm just posing, I wasn't a rich kid. My experience is that people who have more money than they know what to do with pose to be poor, whereas people like me pose to be rich. Their Ferrari may be last year's model, which they want you to know. I was always tryi...

Phoenix is wonderful place to ride. Right now, in October as I write this, the weather is just glorious. And if you're tempted to get out there and pedal under those beautiful Arizona skies I encourage you. But I recommend that you find a safe place, and today I'd like to talk about my favorite one, Skunk Creek and the Arizona Diversion Channel. If you've always spent most of your time traveling around the Phoenix area in a car, you may be saying "huh?" and really that's the point. This is a completely different space from the car world, for good reason. Cars and bicycles don't mix. In fact, it's a deadly mix, so avoid the temptation of riding around the streets, even the quiet neighborhood streets, of the Phoenix area. You're small and vulnerable on a bike, and cars are big and clumsy. Now calm down there if you think that I'm blaming drivers, or the road designers of Phoenix, I'm not. The roads are wonderful for cars, safe, flat and wide....

If you've ever wondered what those things are that are on corners all over the Phoenix, Arizona area, they're called water turnout gates.  The water comes from the Salt River, which begins as snowmelt up in northern Arizona, which has been used to grow things in the valley since the days of the Hohokam people (hundreds of years). Contrary to popular belief, this irrigation water doesn't come from hundreds of miles away, through aqueducts, it flows right through Phoenix, and has been doing it since the end of last Ice Age, 10,000 years ago. It's a simple gravity system. Take a look at a map and find the mountains northeast of Phoenix. Now run your finger along where the water flows when the snow melts, which is down into the Sonoran Desert. The Phoenix metro area is in the Sonoran Desert, which tilts slightly down towards the southwest. Now go find the Roosevelt Dam - it's east of Scottsdale, and then find the Arizona Canal. Follow the canal west until you get to 67t...

As a history adventurer, and a time-traveler, I often look at old photos and think, "Wow, that's dangerous! What were they thinking?", and future generations will probably look back on the deadly sidewalks along the main streets of Glendale, a suburb of Phoenix, and wonder the same thing. The best that I can say is that they did they best they could, and they meant well. I've been enjoying riding my recumbent trike just about every morning for the past four years. The sidewalks are so empty that it makes me feel as if they built them specifically for me. I rarely see anyone walking, and when I do, they're usually only at bus stops. These sidewalks are deadly, so I advise you to stay away from them if you can. If you're running out of gas, or feel that your car might break down, find a place to get off of a major street, the same way that you'd never stop on a freeway, and don't stand around on the shoulder. You're looking north on 67th Avenue towar...

If you've lived in the Phoenix, Arizona area for a long time, or anywhere that new buildings are replacing old buildings, or even are being built on old farmland, you probably do the same thing that I do - give directions based on what used to be there. This is great for old-timers, but not so good for young people, who just find it confusing. And this morning I went past where the old Harmon farm used to be. If you're too young to remember, I understand, so am I. I'll see if I can explain. This is the northeast corner of 67th Avenue and Peoria, in Peoria, Arizona. Back before there was anything out here except raw desert, it was simply the southeast corner of Section 24. Specifically, it was (and still is) Southeast 1/4 Section 24 Township 3 North, Range 1 East. That's the legal description. By the way, I haven't a clue how all of this "Township - Range" stuff works, so thank you to my number one history adventuring detective (who prefers to remain anonym...

As a fan of the King Arthur stories, one of the funniest scenes I've ever seen was in the movie "Monty Python and the Holy Grail", where two peasants discuss how absolutely ridiculous it is to be governed by a magical ruler. And yet for a lot of people it seems to make perfect sense. Here's the quote from the movie, as King Arthur explains how he became King. Woman:  Well how did you become king then? King Arthur: The Lady of the Lake - her arm clad in the purest shimmering samite, held aloft Excalibur from the bosom of the water, signifying by divine providence that I, Arthur, was to carry Excalibur.  THAT is why I am your king! Man: Listen: Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government!  Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some... farcical aquatic ceremony! And that's actually how the legend goes. Of course, Kings are usually born into power, by being the first born male of the existi...

Yes, I know it's early, but I'm thinking of Christmas. I'm someone who has the fondest memories of his life around Christmas, when I was a kid and would get presents. I've never been someone who really understands the etiquette of gift-giving, which can be terribly complex. The idea is to try to guess what someone wants, and also not tell them what you want. And if you exchange gifts with people who aren't very close to you, it's important to observe what is called "parity" - making sure that the gifts are of about the same value. Logistically, this kinda blows my mind, the same way that my grandma had a little book at told her exactly what type of flower was appropriate on what occasions. I know that roses are for romance, and lilies are for funerals, but that's about it. So please don't ask me about gift giving. But there is one thing that I do know, and since I just learned this word a few minutes ago when I saw this ad on the Duke site ...

As a history adventurer, and time-traveler, I'm well aware that Arizona was known for its attitude of progressive politics. Its biggest bank for over 100 years pushed that agenda, and even had the slogan "Progressing with Arizona" on its logo for many years. I myself politically am a progressive, but you don't hear much about us, and I'll try to explain. Of course nowadays usually you only hear of "conservatives" and "liberals". Conservatives tend to be people with wealth, who want to hang on to it, not see it wasted on taxes, that sort of thing. Liberals, on the other hand, tend to embrace the idea of government taxing and spending. And so explaining a Progressive means that you have to mix a little bit of both. Progressives want change, embrace it, and encourage it. An example of an Arizona Progressive was Dwight Heard, who ran the a newspaper that he called the "Arizona Republican" (later shortened to the Arizona Republic), and hel...

I've always been impressed by TVs, going back to when I was a kid. To me, they represented wealth, proudly displayed. My grandmother, for example, had a gorgeous huge color TV in her house in the 1970s. Before that, I have to look at old photos to see what TVs were like, like the one I just found on the Duke University site "Ad Access". And there was a time when a TV was something that was hidden, even a really nice TV - as a piece of furniture. This ad, from 1952, shows a very impressive, and expensive (for 1952!) state-of-the-art TV. It had an "aluminized mirror" for blacker blacks and whiter whites (yes, TVs were originally only in black-and-white). And here's what it would look like when you weren't watching it, if maybe you had guests over: Yes, it's genuine mahogany, but it really doesn't show off that you own a very cool TV. I've visited people who have designed their living room around gigantic screen TVs that show off wealth, the sam...

I didn't grow up in Phoenix, I moved there when I was 19. My hometown is Minneapolis, Minnesota, which is a beautiful city, but never appealed to me - too cold in the winter, too many mosquitos in the summer, and no palm trees (obviously). But I knew that there were places with palm trees, like Phoenix. These were places that I fantasized about as a kid, places where it never snowed, never got below zero. After I graduated from high school, and did some repairs to my car, I headed west, and the very first thing I did when I got to Phoenix was to stop and put my hand on a palm tree. I can still feel it. The route I took, as you'd imagine, came through Flagstaff on I-17. The first exit I took in Phoenix was a street called "Cactus", which also blew my mind. And there were palm trees! Something told me that I wasn't in Kansas anymore (well, Minnesota). I've never gotten over my fascination with palm trees, and I still marvel that winter never really comes to Phoe...

As someone with an interest in palm trees, and Phoenix history, this article from 1895, which I found on the Library of Congress site, caught my eye. It's about the efforts made to move a ten-year-old date palm. Moving a large palm tree isn't easy, or cheap, and it looks like in 1895 it was worth the effort, and cost, to Samuel Lount (the father of Hattie Mosher, by the way). Whether it was planted in 1885 or not, the article doesn't say, but my best guess is that it was a little two-year-old sapling when it was planted there on Van Buren Street, and in eight years it had grown into a magnificent tree. Palm trees became common in Phoenix, mostly fan palms, but date palms were less common as they were more expensive, and still are. I couldn't get the inflation calculator site to go back to 1895, but in today's money Lount would have been paying over a thousand dollars to move it, probably closer to two thousand. This was a valuable and cherished tree! Looks like it w...

Since Halloween is right around the corner, I've been thinking about people who have supernatural beliefs. As a history adventurer, and a time-traveler, I know that there was a time when just about every person in the world held supernatural beliefs as a way of coping with a complex world. Less people do nowadays, of course, but plenty still do. Speaking for myself, as much as I enjoy the real world, I enjoy delving into the supernatural. That is, anything that goes beyond what's natural in the world, which is the simple definition of supernatural (above and beyond natural). I don't actually believe in the supernatural, but I enjoy it. People who actually do believe in the supernatural give me a bit of a creepy feeling, but I keep it to myself, and as long as they're not hurting anyone. I really don't see a problem with their having that belief system. It can be a very confusing, and frightening world, and if it helps them to cope, I defend their right to it. Like m...

Let's time-travel back to the 1930s, and have lunch with the ladies at the Chalet at Donges Bay, Wisconsin. I found this image on the Duke University site, which specializes in old advertising (which they study) and as I looked closer I could see a "slice of life". There I am, sitting at the head of the table, with my back to Lake Michigan. I really don't know how the wife talked into this. It will be fun, she said, you can tell the ladies some fishing stories, she said. I have the card on my lapel that says, "Hello, I'm George", but no one has said a word to me, and they sure don't want to hear about the whopper that I almost landed last Tuesday. What's that? Sorry, I must have fallen asleep. Not sure what the discussion is, I really can't follow it. I have to admit that the food was good. I wonder what's for dessert? Thank you for visiting Donges Bay, Wisconsin in the 1930s with me! Images from the Duke University Library Digital Collec...

When I saw this ad on the Duke site "Ad Access" (which has a lot of cool old historic ads), I immediately recognized Marilyn Monroe. If you have a few years on you, like I do, you recognize her too, although I'm not sure if very young people nowadays would. If you were born in the 21st Century, and you recognize her, please let me know! I'm not really old enough to remember Marilyn, her candle burned out when I was four years old, but I've seen some of her movies, and a lot of her photos. She was beautiful, and the camera just loved her. Of course, behind that beauty and glamour there were people who did her makeup. And, according to this ad, it was all done by the Westmores, Perc, Wally, Frank, and Bud. Here's what they looked like in this artist's rendering, telling Marilyn Monroe what to do: I'm not sure which one is which, but my best guess is that Wally is the one wearing saddle shoes. And here's the good news, ladies, it's 1952, and all y...

I've been an LA fan since the mid-'80s, even though I've lived in Phoenix since 1989. And when I say an LA fan, I don't necessarily mean the Dodgers, although I've had a Dodgers hat since I went to my first game, in Chavez Ravine, in 1987, on free hat day. I'll see if I can explain. I have a fascination with the city of angels. I lived in the San Fernando Valley for a few years and before that Santa Barbara, and Hollywood. And while I was there I tried to soak it all up, and do something that Philip Marlowe was able to do, wrap my arms around LA. If you've lived in LA, of course you know that you can't really do that, and I doubt that it was even possible back in the 1940s, when Raymond Chandler wrote about it. LA is a city with a long history, and even if you were to call it "the Pueblo" you'd just be scratching the surface. I started my history adventuring there, and will often mention that many people had no idea that LA was any older th...

You really don't hear the term "dyspepsia" much anymore, it's an old-fashioned term that just means that you're having difficulty digesting. That is, what I usually call "stomach distress", which can mean any one of things that would probably make you giggle, or gag. Digestion problems are not pleasant, I know! If you suffer from dyspepsia, I suggest that you travel back in time to 1898 and try a drink created by Caleb Bradham. That's his daughter in the photo at the top of this post by the way, and the pic is from the Pepsi website. People called it "Brad's drink" for a while, but it became better known as Pepsi Cola. And while it may have never really had any medicinal benefit, other than making you burp (which any carbonated beverage will do), it caught on, and is still sold today, just because people like the taste of it. Just to clarify, since my name is Brad, if you want to drink Brad's drink (meaning my favorite), it would be...

Every once in a while I hear from some old-timer (that is, about my age) that young people don't know how to do stuff that they (the old-timers) simply took for granted in their younger days. The example that I hear most often is driving a car with a clutch. But I never hear anyone say that they could light a pipe while driving a car back in the 1930s - that had to be impressive. I really don't know when cigarette lighters became standard equipment in cars (if you do, let me know and I'll update this post), but they really wouldn't have been of much help in lighting a pipe, since they were just a little heated coil that you would hold up to the end of a cigarette, or even a cigar. As I look at this photo of a gentleman standing next to his car in the 1930s in Phoenix, I'll tell you what I know. I don't know if he smoked, and if he did if he smoked a pipe, but it was very probable that he did. A couple of things that I'm certain about here is that the car did...

It's October of 2021, and I am continuing my project of trying to reassure people who are in fear. COVID-19 is still a big problem, in spite of the fact that vaccines have been available for a long time. People like me kinda figured that it would be all over by now, but we were wrong, and there are still people out there getting sick, and dying from it. It seems an awful shame, but it's just human nature in action, a kind of human nature that I've seen all of my life, fear. I'd like to help. No, I don't have all the answers, I can't wave a magic wand, and it's actually not true that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. There are a lot of terrible things in the world that you would be wise to fear. Getting a horrible contagious disease is the one that's on my mind mostly nowadays, but the list goes on and on. So, here's my "fireside chat". I do this on the internet, and when I see people IRL (In Real Life) I try to keep the same re...