Phelps, Orson
Person
Found in 6 Collections and/or Records:
Oral history interview with John Lovell Hibbert, 1981, 2006 March
Item
Identifier: MSM97-173
Abstract
Hibbert was born in Mesa at corner of Morris and Second Avenue and married Ruth Hansen in 1932 at the Arizona Temple. He describes what Mesa was like growing up with no running water, no electricity, and dusty streets. He talks about his siblings and his parents who were very active in the Mormon church. Hibbert discusses his education and mentions his graduation from Mesa High School in 1922. He names every person in his graduating class. He recalls going to Phoenix for a parade when...
Dates:
1981; Digitization: 2006 March
Oral history interview with Lillian Millett, 1981 October 28, 2006 March
Item
Identifier: MSM97-219
Abstract
Millett moved to Mesa from Los Angeles in 1916. She describes the trip that took her family seven days in a Model T. Ford. She describes the big changes from Los Angeles including having no refrigeration or electricity, and being completely dependent on mesquite wood. She also describes using wet burlap to keep things cool. Millet married Williams Howard Millett, a native of Mesa, and they had six children. Howard was in the first group that went to World War I from Arizona. The Milletts...
Dates:
1981 October 28; Digitization: 2006 March
Oral history interview with Maynard Henry Sargent, 1981 May 6, 2006 March
Item
Identifier: MSM97-182-1
Abstract
Sargent tells of his family's move to Mesa from Kansas via Los Angeles, California. He retired from a career at Salt River Project, but also worked as a farmer. Sargent gives great detail of farming operations, harvesting processes, and irrigation practices in the early and mid 20th century. He discusses various crops and products including dairy, almonds, citrus and grains. He also recalls the locations of many early farms and farmers such as the Longmores, Dobsons, and Stapleys. Sargent...
Dates:
1981 May 6; Digitization: 2006 March
Oral history of Dean and Zeta Thayer, 1983 October 6, 2006 March
Item
Identifier: MSM97-222
Abstract
Mr. Thayer tells the story of his parents' trip to Phoenix, from Lima, Ohio, as tourists in 1900. They ended up staying because the town of Buckeye badly needed a physician. The Thayers, who married in 1927, homesteaded in Mesa where they dug a well and cleared 200 acres of cactus and brush to grow citrus. They also milked dairy cows to pay for the land and trees. They ran a nursery and sold citrus trees to other growers. Mrs. Thayer recounts many funny stories of living on the land and the...
Dates:
1983 October 6; Digitization: 2006 March
Oral history of Isaac Owen Rogers, 1981, 2006 March
Item
Identifier: MSM97-181
Abstract
Born in Mesa in 1903, Rogers tells of how his family was sent by Brigham Young to colonize Arizona. His father, Isaac Higby Rogers, worked as a blacksmith and invented a new device to shoe mules. He recalls details of farming with no machinery and home life with no electricity or running water. They used wet burlap to keep milk, eggs and butter cool. Rogers' grandfather was president of the Indian mission of the Mormon church, and Rogers gives a lot of detail about the daily life of Native...
Dates:
1981; Digitization: 2006 March
Oral history of Ralph Openshaw, 1982, 2006 March
Item
Identifier: MHM2005-027-026-1
Abstract
Openshaw gives an account of life in Mesa, Arizona, where his family moved in 1902. Openshaw was one of the founders of the United Dairymen of Arizona, which helped establish the dairy industry in Arizona. He mentions some of the local businesses, and talks about recreation and the value of a dollar in earlier times. He also describes transportation and freight operations in Mesa in the early 20th century.
Dates:
1982; Digitization: 2006 March
Additional filters:
- Subject
- Agriculture -- Mesa (Ariz.) -- History 3
- Recreation -- Mesa (Ariz.) -- History 3
- Mormons -- Mesa (Ariz.) -- Interviews 2
- Citrus -- Mesa (Ariz.) 1
- Dairy farmers -- Mesa (Ariz.) -- Biography 1
- Farmers -- Mesa (Ariz.) -- Interviews 1
- Frontier and pioneer life -- Arizona 1
- Frontier and pioneer life -- Mesa (Ariz.) 1
- History 1
- Indigenous peoples of North America -- Social life and customs 1
- Indigenous peoples of North America -- Sonoran Desert 1
- Medical care -- Mesa (Ariz.) -- History 1
- Mormons -- Mesa (Ariz.) -- Biography 1
- Theodore Roosevelt Dam (Ariz.) -- History 1
- Transportation -- Mesa (Ariz.) -- History 1 + ∧ less
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