About Arizona Week 2004

About Arizona Week 2004
By Mark Moran, KJZZ News Director

It's time for our annual journey down Arizona's audio highway, during Arizona Week 2004, scheduled for February 9th through the 13th on KJZZ. We'll hear from newcomers to the state, as well as some long-time residents telling interesting stories you haven't heard before and won't hear anywhere else. We'll conclude the week with a visit from governor Napolitano who will talk about more than just politics. Before we take our first steps this year, let's look back at some of the things we've learned about the state we call home since Arizona Week began in 1999:

Before statehood, Arizona's economy was driven by the four C's: copper, cotton, cattle, and citrus. But now, cotton fields and citrus orchards have been plowed under to make way for housing, and copper mines are closing due to foreign competition. But the biggest blow to the image of the old west is the decline in the number of family-owned cattle ranches and the cowboys they have spawned over the past 150 years.

We traveled to southeast Arizona to hear the story of a widow and her son, struggling to make ends meet on the family ranch. We've learned Arizona's mining history, starting in 1879 with Bisbee's famed "Queen" Copper Mine. We've heard from the Navajo Elvis. We've been to the bottom of the Grand Canyon to hear the story of a family dedicated to spreading the gospel to an ancient Indian tribe. We went back to east central Arizona after the massive Rodeo-Chediski fire was out to learn of the economic damage done by the largest wildfire in state history.

We've discovered what kinds of creatures really live on a National Wildlife refuge, and learned a little bit about the people who battle illegal immigration along the busiest section of America's border in southern Arizona. We rediscovered country music hall of famer Bud Isaacs, best known for creating the signature twang of the steel guitar in his days playing with legend Hank Williams, listened to the history of fiddling in Arizona, and heard tales from the Oatman hotel where Clark Gabel and Carol Lombard stayed on their honeymoon, and about the pesky hotel ghost named Oatie. We learned of the fabled Black Officers Club in Fort Huachuca, and of the Buffalo Soldiers organization. You shared with us your memories of coming to Arizona and reasons for staying. We discovered that the Jewish population in Arizona has grown 138% in the last 20 years. We discussed the German Prisoner of War escape from Papago Park, and learned of the internent camp in Phoenix through the eyes of a Japanese prisoner.

Arizona was known as the "baby state" when it entered the union on February 14th, 1912, a nickname that would stick until the entry of Alaska and Hawaii in the late 1950's. So, come with us again as we discover more about our state's past, present, and future during Arizona Week on KJZZ.

This article appears in the KJZZ / KBAQ Winter 2004 Newsletter. The KJZZ / KBAQ Newsletter is published quarterly and mailed to our listeners who have become members of the stations by making tax-deductible donations to support your public radio stations. We have included some of the articles and related links here for your electronic reading pleasure. Become a member of either KJZZ (your station for National Public Radio programs, local news, acoustic jazz, and blues) or KBAQ (your classical companion) today and receive the complete newsletter in your mail throughout the year.