Years of Service

One of the best testimonials to the overall quality offered by Sun Valley Lodge is the longevity of employment.  In an industry known for job-hopping employees, the Lodge is known for its dedicated staff.  Today we gathered to honor all employees and especially those celebrating milestone years.  A special thank you goes out to all our loyal vendors who contributed gifts to the drawing.

John Westerlund & Flagstaff's WWII POWs

Thanks to John Westerlund and the Arizona Humanities Council for another great program.  Be sure to check out John's book, "Arizona's War Town," at Amazon.com.

Happy Birthday Marty!!!!!

Join us for "Flagstaff and the Austrians: WWII Prisoners of War at Navajo Ordnance Depot "

Thursday, March 28th

10:30 AM

Sun Valley Lodge

This event is free and open to the public

In early 1945, the Army separated 250 Austrian prisoners of war from Germans at Camp Florence and sent them to Navajo Ordnance Depot located ten miles west of Flagstaff at Bellemont. The Austrians labored in all areas except those directly involved with munitions, and they provided valuable work during a period of severe labor shortage. Their story is unique because there was no other camp in the nation where enemy prisoners of war worked on a daily basis with large numbers of Native Americans.

John S. Westerlund, Ph.D. graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1968 with a degree in civil engineering. He served as a U. S. Army field artillery officer for 26 years, retiring in 1994 as a lieutenant colonel. He earned a certificate in the French language from the Sorbonne, Paris, an M. A. in American history (colonial America) from Utah State University, and a Ph. D. in American history (American West) from NAU. His book Arizona’s War Town: Flagstaff, Navajo Ordnance Depot, and World War II, won awards from the Border Regional Library Association (El Paso, Texas), and from the Arizona Authors Association. He is currently a seasonal ranger with the National Park Service at the Flagstaff Area National Monuments.

Jan Cleere and Arizona's Pioneer Girls

Thanks to Jan and the Arizona Humanities Council for another great program at Sun Valley Lodge.

Program on Flagstaff’s WWII POWs at Sun Valley Lodge

Click on Press Release to Enlarge

Join us for: "They Knew No Boundaries: Pioneering Girls of AZ"

Thursday, March 21st

10:30 AM

Sun Valley Lodge

This event is free and open to the public

 

 

This program features the stories of young girls at the turn of the 20th century who, before the age of eighteen, broke through social barriers, coped with the rawness and isolation of the early west. From the mid 1800s to the mid 1900s, girls in the Arizona territory and Southwest were expected to care for younger children, cook and clean, feed the poultry and pigs, milk the cows, administer to sick animals, and tend gardens. They also helped mend fences, round up wandering herds, and repair dried-up water holes. Yet even as they toiled, they strained against the confines of housework and home chores. This program includes a PowerPoint presentation of old photographs and features girls in geographic locations from arid desert towns to the northern reaches of the Grand Canyon.

 

 

 

Presented by Jan Cleere.  Jan is an award-winning author, historian, and lecturer who writes extensively about the people who first settled in the desert southwest. Her work reflects her love of the west and her knowledge of western history. She is the author of Levi’s & Lace: Arizona Women Who Made History, Amazing Girls of Arizona: True Stories of Young Pioneers, and Outlaw Tales of Arizona. She speaks to organizations across the state detailing the stories of historic people from a variety of lifestyles and occupations that she has discovered through her extensive research.

Annuities: The Good, the Bad, & What You Need To Know

Click Flier to Enlarge

H. Christine Reid & Pearl Hart

A big thanks to Christine Reid for a fantastic program on Pearl Hart today.  Keep watching for more great programs at Sun Valley Lodge!

Annuities Workshop at Sun Valley Lodge

 

 

Click on Press Release to Enlarge

Join us for: "Pearl Hart, the Lady Bandit – Victim or Vixen…or Both? "

Thursday, March 14th

10:30 AM

Sun Valley Lodge

This event is free and open to the public

 

 

Separating fact from fiction is no easy task when it comes to flamboyant stage coach robber Pearl Hart. So enamored of the Wild West, she embellished her own tale to accommodate the interest of newspapers and public fascination. This program will follow Pearl from her modest beginnings in Canada, and will explore her travels from Canada to Ohio, Illinois, New Mexico, and finally, Arizona. Why does a woman who committed a fairly insignificant crime still garner so much interest that even a Broadway show was created to highlight her life? In this presentation, H. Christine Reid will explore Pearl’s life from many angles with photographs and newspaper clippings and help shed some light on an Arizona figure surrounded by mystery.

 

 

 

Presented by H. Christine Reid.  Chris is intrigued by Arizona’s diverse and rich western heritage as a writer and researcher at the Pinal County Historical Society and Community Scholar for the ASU Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. She continues that deep interest while serving on many of the town of Florence’s heritage projects and agencies. Committed to sharing history in a lively manner, she presents the sometimes hidden or forgotten aspects of Arizona’s characters and history.

Thanks Mike!

We sadly said goodbye today to Mike Mankenberg who is stepping down as our Director of Nursing.  Mike will be sorely missed!

Jim Turner & the Gunfight at the OK Corral

Thanks to Jim Turner who put on a wonderful this morning at the Lodge.  Be sure to check out Jim's fantastic book Arizona: A Celebration of the Grand Canyon State.

Jim can be contacted through his website: http://jimturnerhistorian.org/.

Program on Arizona’s Lady Bandit Pearl Hart at Sun Valley Lodge

Click on Press Release to Enlarge

Join US for "The Gunfight at the OK Corral: Fact, Fiction, and Finances"

Thursday, March 7th

10:30 AM

Sun Valley Lodge

This event is free and open to the public

The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral is the best-known, yet least understood event in the history of the Wild West. On October 26, 1881, a thirty-second shootout blasted its way onto the pages of history and gained worldwide notoriety. Drawing on original resources and professional research, this presentation explores characters, from the major players—the Earps, Clantons, and Doc Holliday—to editors, authors, outlaws, and capitalists.

Presented by Jim Turner.  Before retiring from the Arizona Historical Society, Jim worked with more than 70 museums in every corner of the state. He is co-author of the 4th-grade textbook The Arizona Story, and his pictorial history book, Arizona: Celebration of the Grand Canyon State, contains more than 530 images. Jim moved to Tucson in 1951, earned a masters degree in U.S. history from the University of Arizona, and has been researching and teaching Arizona history for more than 35 years.

March 2013 HCC Activity Calendar

Click on Calendar to Enlarge