Arizona Oddities


Book Description

Arizona has stories as peculiar as its stunning landscapes. The Lost Dutchman's rumored cache of gold sparked a legendary feud. Kidnapping victim Larcena Pennington Page survived two weeks alone in the wilderness, and her first request upon rescue was for a chaw of tobacco. Discover how the town of Why got its name, how the government built a lake that needed mowing and how wild camels ended up in North America. Author Marshall Trimble unearths these and other amusing anomalies, outstanding obscurities and compelling curiosities in the state's history.




Weird Arizona


Book Description

Each fun and intriguing volume offers more than 250 illustrated pages of places where tourists usually don't venture, including oddball curiosities, local legends, crazy characters, and peculiar roadside attractions.




Arizona Oddities: Land of Anomalies & Tamales


Book Description

Arizona has stories as peculiar as its stunning landscapes. The Lost Dutchman's rumored cache of gold sparked a legendary feud. Kidnapping victim Larcena Pennington Page survived two weeks alone in the wilderness, and her first request upon rescue was for a chaw of tobacco. Discover how the town of Why got its name, how the government built a lake that needed mowing and how wild camels ended up in North America. Author Marshall Trimble unearths these and other amusing anomalies, outstanding obscurities and compelling curiosities in the state's history.




Arizona Curiosities


Book Description

Saguaro cacti, desert landscapes, and the Grand Canyon may stand out as prominent Arizona features, but this scorching state is also home to bizarre places, personalities, events, and phenomena. These unique and quirky aspects are humorously displayed in Arizona Curiosities, a cross between a wacky news gazette, an almanac, and a humorous travel guide.




State Oddities


Book Description

State Oddities takes a different kind of look at the American nation, spotlighting the fun foibles, peculiarities, and twists in each of the 50 states that are (mostly) united under the Stars and Stripes. State Oddities is a fascinating trip through the 50 states for students studying America, teachers planning classroom activities, and general readers who will enjoy an eye-opening journey through the nation's fun side. It offers a compelling look at the character of America through the individuality of 50 very distinct states that together form the USA. This book paints a picture of the broad sweep of the American story, offering a gateway to the country as it developed into one nation filled with individual states that can be remarkably different from each other, yet unified under such national symbols as the American flag and "The Star-Spangled Banner." The author of State Oddities has become known as a master of "painless history," telling America's story in a sparkling style along with the historian's eye for fascinating detail. On the book's cross-country journey, the reader will find that it differs from other works by taking a fresh look at stories we think we know.




It Looms Above the Valley


Book Description

The Valley, also referred to as the Greater Phoenix Area, includes both urban and farm communities. Sitting at a higher elevation than the rest of the Valley, the Superstition Mountains in Central Arizona contain incredibly rugged and difficult terrain. Because of the mountain range's characteristics, thousands of individuals are drawn annually to its abundant trails, deep history, and breath-taking views. In his book "It Looms Above the Valley," Kalvin Davis directly narrates his eighteen-month experience while setting out to accumulate the broadest photographic collection of the Superstition Mountains ever done. Through each vivid chapter, he details his photographs as they relate to their individual subjects. From disastrous wildfires, odd weather patterns, vast desert ecology, and historic sites, Kalvin provides each reader with an up-close look of what it is to truly experience this mountain range.




Moon Phoenix, Scottsdale & Sedona


Book Description

Whether you're hiking red rock trails in the Valley of the Sun or relaxing in Scottsdale's resorts, take Arizona at your own speed with Moon Phoenix, Scottsdale & Sedona. Inside you'll find: Strategic, flexible itineraries like a luxurious desert getaway, a family road trip, and the 4-day best of the Valley of the Sun Unique experiences and can't-miss sights: Explore the local art scene, from Indigenous exhibits to contemporary galleries, and taste the best Sonoran-style cuisine this side of the Mexican border. Luxuriate in five-star resorts, world-class spas, and gourmet restaurants. Go stargazing in Sedona or bar-hopping in Scottsdale. Hike water-carved canyons and climb mountains or hit the links in the golf capital of the West. Discover the rich culture of the Indigenous peoples who first settled the Valley, and venture to the leafy respite of Oak Creek Canyon to picnic between trout-filled ponds and towering red-rock monoliths The top spots for outdoor adventures, from rock climbing and hiking along hidden mountain trails to sunset hot air ballooning and exhilarating desert Jeep tours Expert advice from Phoenix local Lilia Menconi on when to go, how to get around, and where to stay, with special focus on the best resorts in the area Full-color, vibrant photos and detailed maps throughout Thorough background on the culture, environment, wildlife, and history With Moon's practical tips and local know-how, you can experience Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Sedona your way. Expanding your trip? Try Moon Arizona & the Grand Canyon. Hitting the road? Try Moon Southwest Road Trip. About Moon Travel Guides: Moon was founded in 1973 to empower independent, active, and conscious travel. We prioritize local businesses, outdoor recreation, and traveling strategically and sustainably. Moon Travel Guides are written by local, expert authors with great stories to tell—and they can't wait to share their favorite places with you. For more inspiration, follow @moonguides on social media.




A Wyatt Earp Anthology


Book Description

Wyatt Earp is one of the most legendary figures of the nineteenth-century American West, notable for his role in the gunfight at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona. Some see him as a hero lawman of the Wild West, whereas others see him as yet another outlaw, a pimp, and failed lawman. Roy B. Young, Gary L. Roberts, and Casey Tefertiller, all notable experts on Earp and the Wild West, present in A Wyatt Earp Anthology an authoritative account of his life, successes, and failures. The editors have curated an anthology of the very best work on Earp—more than sixty articles and excerpts from books—from a wide array of authors, selecting only the best written and factually documented pieces and omitting those full of suppositions or false material. Earp’s life is presented in chronological fashion, from his early years to Dodge City, Kansas; triumph and tragedy in Tombstone; and his later years throughout the West. Important figures in Earp’s life, such as Bat Masterson, the Clantons, the McLaurys, Doc Holliday, and John Ringo, are also covered. Wyatt Earp’s image in film and the myths surrounding his life, as well as controversies over interpretations and presentations of his life by various writers, also receive their due. Finally, an extensive epilogue by Gary L. Roberts explores Earp and frontier violence.




New Mexico Curiosities


Book Description

Whether you're a born-and-raised New Mexican, a recent transplant, or just passing through, New Mexico Curiosities will have you laughing out loud as it introduces you to the most fascinating characters in the Spanish State, and takes you places you never could have imagined--some of them right around the corner!




A Race to the Bottom of Crazy


Book Description

The bestselling author of Dispatches from Pluto and The Deepest South of All turns his sharp wit and observational powers on the epicenter of America’s most divisive issues: Arizona. When Richard Grant and his wife moved with their four-year-old daughter back to Tucson, Arizona, where the couple first met, he expected to easily rekindle his love of the region. Instead, he found a housing market gone haywire, rampant election conspiracies, and right-wing political violence alarmingly close to his home and family. Undocumented immigration was surging, and the state was also on the front lines of climate change, breaking heat and drought records, and running out of long-term water supplies. Under these circumstances, Grant wondered how he might raise a happy, well-adjusted child who believes in the future. Yet these concerns weren’t keeping people away: Arizona was simultaneously experiencing some of the nation’s highest population growth. In A Race to the Bottom of Crazy, Grant mixes memoir, research, and reporting in a quest to understand what makes Arizona such a confounding and irresistible place. He visits the world’s largest machine-gun shoot; takes a sunset boat cruise with a US Congressman and a group of far-right patriots; rides through the desert with a Border Patrol agent; and goes camping with his family in breathtaking mountain ranges that rise out of the desert like islands in the sky. Interspersed with these adventures are recollections of his previous stint in the state, including his friendship with cult writer Charles Bowden and years living off the grid with smugglers, dope farmers, and outlaws on the Mexican border. Ultimately, Grant arrives at the conclusion that Arizona has always been a scattershot improvisation, with bizarre and extreme behavior in its DNA. This book is an entertaining, illuminating, and essential guide to understanding modern America at its most overheated.