Contact:
Michael Kloberdanz
Sun Valley Lodge
Phone (623) 933-0137
Fax (623) 933-5846
mike@sunvalleylodge.org
http://www.sunvalleylodge.org/
Arizona's War Town: Flagstaff, Navajo Ordnance Depot, and World War II
The program will be hosted by Dr. John Westerlund of Flagstaff who will lead the audience through a fascinating – and somewhat forgotten -- period of Arizona history that began just weeks after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
After the attack, the War Department announced the construction of a massive ammunition depot ten miles west of Flagstaff at Bellemont on U.S. Highway 66 thus exploding Flagstaff’s population from five to twenty thousand. The Army rushed the $17 million project to completion and the Navy halted plummeting enrollment at the teachers college (today Northern Arizona University) by shipping in one thousand sailors and marines as part of its "V-12" program. Additionally, 1,000 Hopi and Navajo construction workers were employed on the project and 250 POW’s were transferred to Flagstaff.
Marketing Director Mike Kloberdanz said, “This promises to be a fascinating program. We have a great many veterans living at the Lodge who well remember this time. We are looking forward to a lively discussion.”
The Discover Arizona programs are free and open to the public. They are made possible by a grant from the Arizona Humanities Council. Sun Valley Lodge is located at 12415 N. 103rd Avenue in Sun City. For more information please call (623) 933-0137.
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