San Tan Historical Society

10/30/2026

Mr. Christensen’s 6th Grade Class, 1974-75, Queen Creek School

10/27/2026

🌵Join us at the San Tan Historical Society Museum!

We're proud to host the San Tan Chapter of the Arizona Archaeological Society for their November Speaker Series.

📅 Wednesday, November 11, 2026

🕕 Meet up at 6:00 pm | Presentation begins at 6:30 pm

📍 San Tan Historical Society Museum, 20425 S Old Ellsworth Rd, Queen Creek, AZ

🍽️ Topic: Arizona's Ark of Taste Foods (Arizona Humanities Speaks Program)

🎤 Speaker: Amber Sampson (in-person presentation)
Amber Sampson is a chef, researcher, and public speaker who loves exploring the world through food. She holds degrees in Cultural Anthropology and Food Systems Sustainability from ASU, plus a Master's in Gastronomy from Boston University. Her work explores the relationship between food and culture in ancient times, bringing a taste of our delicious past to present-day conversations. She has worked with the S'edav Va'aki Museum as Indigenous Foodways Facilitator and was selected in 2024 by the US Department of State as Arizona's representative for the Global Food Security Summit.
Questions?

Contact Marie Britton at [email protected]

More info: https://azarchsoc.org/SanTan

We hope to see you there!

10/27/2026

🤝 Building Connections Through Local History!

Today, the San Tan Historical Society (STHS) hosted a potluck gathering with fellow museums and historical organizations from across Pinal County! It was a wonderful opportunity to connect with others who share our passion for preserving local history, exchanging ideas, and learning from one another.

A special thank-you to everyone who participated and helped make today’s gathering a success! We appreciate the opportunity to strengthen these connections and collaborate in preserving the rich history of our communities.

Thank you to our participants:

⭐️ The Museum of Casa Grande
⭐️ Pinal Geology & Mineral Museum
⭐️ Ajo Historical Society Museum

And our San Tan Historical Society members.

We look forward to continuing these conversations, sharing knowledge and ideas, and working together to preserve the stories and heritage that make our communities unique! 🏛️📚

10/18/2026

🎒 CALLING ALL ALUMNI! 🎒

Pop quiz: who was the principal when YOU were in school? 🤔

The San Tan Historical Society has been digging through old Arizona Educational Directories, and here are the names that led Queen Creek School District No. 95 (now Queen Creek Unified School District) from 1947 to today:

📏 PRINCIPALS
• G. A. Smith (1947–1948)
• Maurice C. Williams (1948–1952)
• Homer B. Elledge (1953–1976)
• Ralph J. Pomeroy (1977–1980)

🏫 SUPERINTENDENTS
• Ralph J. Pomeroy (1980–1993)
• Patricia Dustman (1995–1997)
• James Murlless (1998–2011)
• Tom Lindsey (2011–2015)
• Dr. Perry Berry (2015–present)

Which name takes you right back to the hallway, the bus line, or the cafeteria? Tell us in the comments who you remember, what grade you were in, and your favorite school memory. We're curious how many alumni we can get talking! 👇

10/18/2026

☀️🌵 Beautiful Arizona weather makes it a perfect day to explore the outdoors and discover a little local history!

The Desert Wells Stage Stop, located along the Maricopa Trail in Queen Creek, is a reminder of our area’s rich history and the people and places that helped shape our community.

Want to learn more? Visit the San Tan Historical Museum, open Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.! Our volunteers would love to share the stories of the Stage Stop and the many historical places and people that make our community special. 🏜️📜

Come explore, discover, and connect with our local history!

📍 San Tan Historical Society Museum
20425 S. Old Ellsworth Road
Queen Creek, AZ 85142

10/12/2026

San Tan Historical Society is sending a big Thank You to volunteers from the Desert Wells Chapter of the DAR for cleaning the Museum Sunday morning.

08/01/2026

Pleasant Valley War: This is an important story in Arizona’s history. Zane Grey, the famous Western Novel author, built a remote Lodge just below the Tonto (Mogollon) Rim, 21 miles NE of Payson, AZ in 1918. The lodge burned down in a forest fire a dozen years ago and currently there is a State Trout Hatchery close to former Lodge’s location. Grey chose this location to able to interview the residents of the nearby remote Town of Young, AZ. He wanted to write novels about an ”Old West” late 19th Century feud that happened there between two warring factions of cattle rustlers. One faction was led by the Graham family. The other was led by the Tewksbury family. In the beginning, factions stole cattle from the big ranches together, until an argument caused a very bloody war between them. This feud became known as the “Pleasant Valley War.” At least 50 men were brutally killed. This feud made Arizona look barbaric to government in Washington D.C. and prevented Arizona’s Statehood for over 20 years until 1912. Unfortunately for Grey, he discovered that the residents of Young did want to talk to any strangers about the feud, especially an arrogant, wealthy Easterner with a pompous attitude from Ohio. Until recently, that remained to be their attitude. This resulted in Grey writing a novel about the Pleasant Valley War, and other cowboy novels about the Tonto Rim without any factual interviews from locals. Today, although the folks of Young, AZ are a little bit more friendly, it is notable that access to their town is only by miles and miles of bumpy winding, Forest Fire Access Roads. One 20 miles from the North, the other 60 miles from the South. This is because the residents of Young, AZ resist the State of Arizona’s efforts to build a paved road to their town from the North or South. KJ

05/02/2026

05/02/2026

John Y.T. Smith was the first “non-Indian” civilian to live in the Phoenix area. He dug out the 1000-plus year-old Hohokam irrigation canals to grow hay and grain for the U.S. Cavalry at Ft. McDowell. Smiths middle initials “Y.T.” stood for “Your’s Truly”. He adopted these middle initials to delineate his name John Smith from all the other John Smiths. After the Civil War, Jack Swilling, a former Civil War Army Scout, Prospector, & Indian Fighter, hauled hay for Smith. Swilling saw Smith’s canal irrigation and convinced his wealthy English friend Daryl Duppa to become partners and build the City of Phoenix.

04/11/2026

Duane Schnepf’s 3rd grade picture the previous post of his 1953 class photos.