AZ: The History of Arizona podcast

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Episode 273: Give Ike a Man He Can Work With Oct 12, 2026

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14 years before his nationwide electoral defeat, Barry Goldwater was a successful businessman, city councilor, and Republican organizer who decided to take a bold swing and run for the U.S. Senate.

Episode 272: Flimflam, Hocus-Pocus, and Mountebankery Oct 05, 2026

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To finally get the Central Arizona Project through Congress in 1968, it took more than a few tries, a mountain of compromises, dramatic changes, and no small amount of political chicanery.

Episode 271: A War Over the Dams Sep 28, 2026

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Carl Hayden’s push to get the Central Arizona Project approved started to clear the hurdles in Congress, only to run straight into two particularly hard obstacles - environmentalists and Amerindian interests.

Episode 270: The California Guarantee Sep 14, 2026

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Following the state’s Supreme Court victory, Carl Hayden expected to pass a bill authorizing the Central Arizona Project immediately. Unfortunately, his plans ran up against those of the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, who had his own ideas, and a powerful congressman from Colorado who was wary of any project downstream of him.

Episode 269: Arizona v. California Sep 07, 2026

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It took 11 years, $5 million and hundreds of experts and witnesses, but in 1963, Arizona finally managed a major court win against its sworn enemy - at least when it came to water - to the west.

Episode 268: A New Way of Life Aug 31, 2026

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Del Webb started off the 1960s by introducing Arizona to a new type of community, one that would forever alter how we view retirement. His affordable, amenity-rich, age-restricted community of Sun City became the model for active adult communities nationwide for decades.

Episode 267: See and Be Seen Aug 17, 2026

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In 1956, two planes collided midair over the Grand Canyon. This tragedy and the 128 people lost would change commercial air travel in the United States forever.

Episode 266: The Raid on Short Creek, Part VI: I Know I Will Be Remembered for Short Creek Aug 10, 2026

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Governor J. Howard Pyle’s push to end polygamy on the Utah border not only fizzled, but it would create a massive political backlash against him. Even worse, it caused the fundamentalists to become more isolated and insular, which allowed the rise of Warren Jeffs and some of the worst abuses of plural marriage.

Episode 265: The Raid on Short Creek, Part V: Strangers in a Strange Land Aug 03, 2026

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Following the raid on Short Creek, the men found themselves facing trial, while their wives and children were divvied up and sent to live in foster homes across the state. However, within four years every single one of them would be home again.

Episode 264: The Raid on Short Creek, Part IV: Hunting Rabbits With an Elephant Gun Jul 28, 2026

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After all the planning and buildup, at 4 a.m. on Sunday, July 26, 1953, hundreds of law enforcement officers, social workers, and others converge on Short Creek and took dozens of men and women into custody.

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