Happy Anniversary, Arizona!

WOOHOOO!!!!!!  Today Arizona celebrates her 100th year of Statehood!

Yep, February 14, 1912--the United States of America saved the best of the contiguous states for last and Arizona became the 48th state

February is a special month.  We celebrate two of our most important Presidents' birthdays in February.  I celebrate my own.  And in addition to Arizona's statehood anniversary that we are celebrating today, February is important to Arizona for another reason.

It was on February 24, 1863 that Arizona was organized as a separate territory apart from New Mexico.

Oh the rich history of Arizona!  The beauty of Arizona!  I am so very blessed to live here.  And make no mistake--there's more to Arizona's beauty than just the Grand Canyon, and more history than just the Gunfight at the OK Corral, though that usually is the limit of people's Arizona knowledge.

I will literally spend the rest of my life-time uncovering all the gems of information about Arizona's history, and discovering all the beautiful places contained within her borders. 

It is a privilege and honor to be here.  Thank you, Lord, for this blessing!

Constance Altshuler-Significant Arizona History Contributor

After a tumultuous year, you might say I'm "getting back to my roots," meaning once again digging into Arizona's history in conjunction with plotting my next novel.

It's like coming home. Months spent without reading about Arizona's past is like months spent staring at blank walls or empty canvas.

As I'm doing so, I'm revisiting historians' works who gave me a foundation on Arizona's history in various areas. One researcher/author I am especially grateful for is Constance Wynn Altshuler. Born in 1908, she moved to Arizona in 1948. She began digging into Arizona's history in the 1960's and specialized in the territorial Arizona years and military personnel and posts. Her works have been invaluable to me, as much of what I desire to write includes the military apparatus of the time.

It takes a considerable time commitment and a deep thirst for that special kind of knowledge to pursue it, knowing there are few accolades or remembrances for the authors behind these works. Case in point, it took me quite a bit of searching just to learn when Ms. Altshuler died (2000). That makes me sad. Oh how I wish I had arrived in Arizona much sooner. I think she would have been a delightful person to talk to.

If I could choose to do one thing, I too, would like to be a specialist in Arizona history, in particular the territorial years, which fascinate me endlessly. I hope before I kick the bucket I will have even a thimble-full of knowledge of Arizona's past that historians like Ms. Altshuler gained.

If you're ever in need of territorial Arizona military info, please see these works by Ms. Altshuler:

Cavalry Yellow and Infantry Blue: Army Officers In Arizona Between 1851-1886 (1991)

Chains of Command: Arizona and the Army, 1856-1875 (1981)

Starting with Defiance: Nineteenth Century Arizona Milirary Posts (1983)

Latest From Arizona!: The Hesperian Letters 1859-1861 (1969)

You will be very happy you did. 8-)

Love of AZ History Greater Than Writing?

I often ask myself which I love more--researching Arizona history or writing. And while the two run close together, AZ history has to take the top spot.

Oh the amazing stories of people and places of Arizona's past!

I tell you, when I shove my nose into a history book and read about those people, about Arizona of that time, I just literally tremble with excitement. What must it have been like to live when Arizona wasn't overpopulated? When water ran in the rivers much more frequently than now? When there were many more acres of productive, tillable land? When people due to sheer necessity had to relate to one another in a more hospitable manner? (Not that there weren't plenty of trials and problems.)

It is so utterly fascinating I wish I could spend all of my life studying it. It makes me sad that most of the waking hours of my life are spent toiling away in a worthless job instead of studying the history I love so well. Sometimes I fear I'll never learn anywhere near all I deeply long to know about Arizona's past--to become fluent in her rich history. Much less translate that into my heart's desire--a string of novels based on the early years of territorial Arizona.

I am so thankful to those Arizona pioneers and their family members who took time to preserve notes, biographies, sketches and stories. And for people like Frank Lockwood, C.L. Sonnichsen, Constance Altshuler, Marshall Trimble and so many others who have pulled together aspects of Arizona's history for others to study.

I hope before I kick the bucket I can cover even 1/10th of the historical material out there, and that I will see the completion of at least a small handful of manuscripts. As exciting and fascinating as Arizona's real life history is, it is all the more a great spring-board for story ideas and what if questions.

And there is so much to learn from our history. Oh I wish I'd been born and raised here! But I'll just have to make up for lost time in the best way I know how.

And pray those yearnings for facts and fiction will be realized in due time.

Love of History a Stumbling Block to Writing Historical Fiction

Yeah, I know. That doesn't make much sense. At least not on the surface. But it is true.

I love history. Even more specifically, I am absolutely passionate about learning all I can about Arizona's history. From the minute I switched my focus from screenwriting to novel writing, I knew I wanted to make my mark as a writer of fiction, with every book set in Arizona.

If it were possible, I would spend my life researching Arizona history and writing it. I hope some day to be able to retire to Tucson and volunteer at the Historical Society Museum there.

But being a writer of historical fiction and loving history too much can be hindrance to your writing. Especially if you're a perfectionist. I simply can never read enough about Arizona's history. I cannot tell you what joy I receive out of reading one of the pioneer's diaries. Or an account of post life at one of the forts, or reading the account of the early Arizona entrepreneurs.

It's fascinating. It's exhilarating. It's captivating.

And probably geeky. 8-)

But it leaves me wrestling with myself. "Stop all this historical reading! You've got a book to write!"

"Oh shut up!" my other self will say. "I have a right to enjoy the journey. Back off, toots!" (pistols drawn like Yosemite Sam on the mudflaps)

And so it goes. It's why I'm a very slow writer. Well that and it takes me a while to put together all my plot elements.

However, there's no one standing by, tapping their foot and looking at their watch expectantly waiting for the manuscript. On the other hand, I think about the future. When I finally am published. Publishers like you to churn out books these days. Let's hope I'll have several novels under my belt by then because I don't see how I'll ever write to expected speed in this market.

Speedy Gonzalez I am not.

But eh well. I'll just have to be patient and trust that at the right point in time, the writing and reading will converge and I'll have a finished novel in my hands. Until then, I'm going to enjoy the journey.

And by the way, Arizona will be celebrating her 98th year of statehood come February 14th. Happy Almost Anniversary!