Untold Arizona

James Addison Reavis devised a grand scheme to take claim nearly 12 million acres of land through the heart of Arizona by becoming the Baron of Arizona. His plan took advantage of the United States’ recognition of Spanish and Mexican land grants after the Mexican-American War and relied on his talent for forgery.

Three years ago, Bisbee artist Gretchen Baer opened a small art center just steps from the border in the quiet town of Naco, Sonora. Now, every Tuesday the little studio bursts into life with colorful chaos as nearly 100 kids show up to paint, draw, play music and eat an after-school snack. In this installment of our series Untold Arizona we head south of the border to Studio Mariposa.

You’ve probably heard of the town of Guadalupe: the tiny community wedged between Interstate 10 and the city of Tempe. And if you’ve never visited, you’ve most likely zoomed past it.

How can you live a frontier lifestyle long after the frontier has closed? In 2020, it involves solar panels, composting toilets, and rainwater harvesting. Those are hallmarks of the “off-grid” lifestyle, which allows a homeowner to separate from the electric, water, and even food grid and provide for him or herself.

It’s a cross between shuffleboard and bowling — on ice. And, ever since the U.S. won Olympic gold in 2018, the sport of curling has been gaining in popularity. But long before that, curling has thrived from a devoted following right here in the desert at a curling club in Tempe that recently hosted its own championship tournament.

Arizona’s mountains, cinder cones and lava fields attest to the state’s wild geological youth. But those with an ear to the ground know the state’s seismic days are far from over.

Arizona became a state 108 years ago this week. KJZZ is honoring the state with another season of Untold Arizona. This is the story of a church in Phoenix with roots going back almost as far as Arizona’s statehood. It's a sanctuary built out of a history of hardship for Phoenix’s Hispanic community.

The University of Arizona kept live bobcats as mascots through the 1950s. The pope once made ASU cover up all the sun devil images and references at Sun Devil Stadium. And NAU's lumberjack mascot took his name from a song the students couldn't get enough of.

Many people in the Southwest claim they have seen La Llorona or the weeping woman. People have spotted her along the Rio de Flag in Flagstaff all the way down to the San Pedro River near Tucson.

San Pedro de la Cueva is about as remote a corner of vast, sparsely populated Sonora as there is. Nevertheless, Arizona and other U.S. bass anglers have been heading there for decades to enjoy the spectacular scenery, laid back way of life and — of course — top-notch fishing.