Mesa (Ariz.) -- History -- 20th century
Subject
Subject Source: Local sources
Found in 49 Collections and/or Records:
Oral history of Clara Emmett, 1985 October 23, 2006 March
Item
Identifier: MHM2005-027-009-1
Abstract
Emmett begins by telling how she and her husband moved from Wyoming to Mesa, Arizona, where they have lived in the same house since 1930. She discusses her volunteer work running the school cafeteria during the Depression, and helping the local Mormon Church start a welfare program. Emmett tells of losing all three of her children and two grandchildren. She describes the development of the streets and sewer systems in early Mesa, and the work she and her husband did on their house. She also...
Dates:
1985 October 23; 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 Dolly Beville Robertson, 1985 March 4, 2006 March
Item
Identifier: MSM02-43
Abstract
Robertson begins by recounting her family's move from California to Arizona in 1911. Her father, Paul Baxter Beville, a citrus farmer, moved to Mesa to grow citrus because the land was plentiful and the temperatures were ideal. Robertson recalls that her father became a community leader, serving on the Mesa City Council and as mayor in the mid-1910's. She mentions several prominent Mesa families and local businesses including Everybody's Drugstore, the Toggery, Wendel's jewelry store,...
Dates:
1985 March 4; Digitization: 2006 March
Oral history of Dr. and Mrs. Lloyd Kent, 1980 April 14, 2006 March
Item
Identifier: MSM97-174
Abstract
Dr. Kent discusses his education and how he decided to come to Mesa in 1931 to practice medicine with Dr. Ralph Palmer. He mentions his musical background and how he and Mrs. Kent have supported the Mesa Fine Arts Association. Mrs. Kent describes Mesa when they arrived: a population of 3500, and one square mile bordered by University and Broadway, and Mesa Drive and Country Club Blvd. She describes the downtown area and mentions several businesses including First National Bank, the Rex...
Dates:
1980 April 14; Digitization: 2006 March
Oral history of Eddie Lewis, 1986 February 3, 2006 March
Item
Identifier: MHM2005-027-022-1
Abstract
Lewis recounts his grandfather's move from Iowa to Utah and then to Arizona when some leaders of the Mormon Church asked him to help ?colonize? the area. He describes the 60-acre homestead near Main Street and Stapley in Mesa where his grandparents dug a large pond and stock it with fish. He tells many stories about his grandfather, the pond, and the homestead. Lewis recalls buying groceries and how much he could buy with five dollars. He also talks about the Alma School getting its first...
Dates:
1986 February 3; Digitization: 2006 March
Oral history of Eva Watson Johnson Quist, 1987 April 3, 2006 March
Item
Identifier: MHM2005-027-031-1
Abstract
Johnson gives an account of her family's move to Arizona in 1925 to benefit her mother's health. Her family settled on 10 acres on Broadway Road, near the Mormon Temple, where they farmed and raised chickens. She talks about her father, Charles Watson, who was a talented actor and singer. She also tells the story of her mother, Irene Watson, starting Watson's Flowers, a longtime family-owned business in Mesa. Quist tells of training as a registered nurse, taking care of her mother before she...
Dates:
1987 April 3; Digitization: 2006 March
Oral history of Harriet Palmer McCarter, 1979 April 12, 2006 March
Item
Identifier: MSM97-176
Abstract
McCarter, who was born at Roosevelt Dam, tells of her father coming to Arizona in 1902 and becoming the 43rd registered physician in the state. She mentions that the Historical Museum is publishing a book he wrote about his life in Arizona. McCarter talks about her childhood in Mesa, her schooling, and mentions some of her childhood friends. She discusses some of her father's accomplishments including building Everybody's Drugstore, building the Southside Hospital, and starting the Rotary...
Dates:
1979 April 12; Digitization: 2006 March
Oral history of Ida Ione Pomeroy Johnson, 1979 April 23, 2006 March
Item
Identifier: MSM02-28
Abstract
A member of the prominent Pomeroy family, Johnson was born in Mesa in 1896, at Robson and Second Ave. Her father was the first Mormon Bishop of Mesa, and one of her distant cousins served as Mesa's mayor in the 1970s. Johnson's father was also a rancher and a dairyman. She recalls driving a wagon to town with her sister to deliver eggs and milk to the local stores. She describes downtown Mesa with its dusty, and sometimes muddy, streets and mentions a few local business including Everybody's...
Dates:
1979 April 23; 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 Iser Tibshraeny, 1985 February 21, 2006 March
Item
Identifier: MSM02-51
Abstract
Oral history talk during which the audience asks questions.
Dates:
1985 February 21; Digitization: 2006 March