History

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP) dates to 1833, when French law student Frédéric Ozanam started the Conference of Charity to help impoverished communities in Paris. But the charitable organization’s history in the Valley of the Sun began more than a century later, when its Phoenix chapter opened in April 1946. Based inside what now is St. Mary’s Basilica, the local chapter was the work of five men who wanted to find a solution to increasing poverty in Arizona after World War II. With the help of donations, members started feeding those in need.

Between 1931 and 1936, Harry Jarrett turned up in Atlanta, in El Paso, in New Mexico and under a house. That was noteworthy because he was supposed to be doing time in a state prison. But Jarrett, perhaps the most prolific escapee in Arizona history, evidently had a case of wanderlust that neither cell bars nor prison walls could contain.

With roots that reach back to Prohibition,  Charlie Clark’s Steakhouse is billed as the fifth-oldest steakhouse in Arizona. But it’s gone through a few changes on its way to becoming a staple in the White Mountains community of Pinetop-Lakeside. The original proprietor at the site of Charlie Clark’s operated it as a speakeasy in the late 1920s, serving up “corn squeezins,” a slang term for a type of moonshine, while the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution outlawed the production and sale of alcoholic beverages. The watering hole later became Jake Renfro’s Log Cabin Cafe.

When Brothers Martin and Herman Fenster launched the Arizona Brewing Co. in a 34,000-square-foot warehouse in Phoenix in 1933, they hoped to ride a golden post- Prohibition wave. They hired a brewmaster trained in Czechoslovakia and invested $125,000 in a 30,000-barrel-per-year operation. On August 3, 1933, they advertised it in the Phoenix Gazette, calling the endeavor a New Deal brewery that would help pull the country out of the Great Depression.

THERE ARE AS MANY SUCCESS STORIES as there are successful people. But they’re often inspired by a great teacher. Wilson Riles knew that better than most. Born in 1917 at a sawmill camp in what he called “the backwoods of Louisiana,” Riles lost both parents by age 12. With help from his church, he attended high school in New Orleans. Moving to Flagstaff with his adopted family after graduation, he became the first Black student to attend what would later become Northern Arizona University — and has been honored as one of the university’s most distinguished alumni.

If you grew up watching television, “Mmm, Mmm, Good” probably makes you think of Campbell’s soup. “North America’s Hospitality Dish” probably doesn’t make you think of Kentucky Fried Chicken (now known as KFC). Company founder Harland Sanders, after all, was better at cooking than he was at writing slogans. But one slogan does bring to mind the franchise he created. And it rose spontaneously to the lips of a quick-thinking Arizona restaurant manager.

The Phoenix area's resort industry can trace some of its roots to the base of Camelback Mountain, just inside the grounds of The Phoenician in Scottsdale. That’s where a Pueblo Revival-style building, the last surviving piece of the Jokake Inn, has stood for nearly a century.

Running a family business has been in the Basha family’s blood for centuries. After emigrating from Lebanon, the family operated a store in New York before moving to the desert in the early 1900s. Despite several setbacks, including destructive fires, Najeeb and Najeeby Basha managed to grow their general-store business in Arizona. But it wasn’t until 1932, after Najeeb’s death, that the business took on the family name.

The Mill Avenue Bridge crosses Tempe Town Lake, connecting the lively bars and restaurants of Mill Avenue and student life of Arizona State University to the Marquee Theatre and Papago Park. During the day, the bridge is busy with car and foot traffic as Tempe residents and visitors cross over the water on business or for views of the area’s surrounding mountains. At night, the bridge’s string lights sparkle on the water and light the way for sunset-watchers and evening explorers.