Costco to Host Book Signing for Local Tucson Authors

MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - June 12, 2013 - PRLog -- The history of Tucson and its people is long and distinguished. Archaeological records demonstrate that Tucson was inhabited from about 300 to 1300 A.D. by a people called the Hohokam. Through the centuries the flags of Spain, Mexico, the Confederacy, and the United States have flown over Tucson. After Mexico's revolution against Spain in 1821, Tucson became part of Mexico. With the 1853 Gadsden Purchase, Tucson joined the United States as part of the Arizona Territory, achieving statehood in 1912. After California's gold rush, many disappointed prospectors (the famous "49ers") stopped and stayed in Tucson. The expansion of the railroad brought many more immigrants. After World War Two, veterans remembered their training during warm winters and moved to Tucson permanently.

Jane Eppinga has published over two hundred articles on Tucson and the Southwest. Her book Henry Ossian Flipper: West Point's First Black Graduate became part of a successful package presented to President Bill Clinton, who granted Flipper a pardon, overturning his court-martial.

Tucson, Arizona
by Jane Eppinga
Images of America Series
128 pages/ softcover
 Published: October 14, 2000

In 1939, Columbia Pictures based a film on Clarence Kelland’s book Arizona, set during the Civil War in Arizona Territory. To accurately portray the novel’s landscape, Columbia selected a spot about 10 miles from what is now downtown Tucson in the middle of a large Pima County park for the filming. In 1959, Bob Shelton, a Kansas City developer, purchased the lot, determined to build an active movie studio and tourist attraction. His vision was successful, and Old Tucson Studios has set the stage for over 200 movies and television shows. As Western movies regain their popularity in the box office, the future looks bright for Old Tucson Studios to become a premier filming site in Arizona.

Author Paul J. Lawton served as deputy sheriff of the Pima County Sheriff’s Department for 25 years and, in 1998, became the chief pyro technician and armorer at Old Tucson Studios. He has previously written three other books: The Last Full Measure: Law Enforcement Deaths in Arizona, Old Tucson: Then and Now, and Hollywood in the Desert: The Films of Old Tucson.

Old Tucson Studios
by Paul J. Lawton
Images of America Series
128 pages/ softcover
Published: May 26, 2008

Join the authors for a signing:
Where:  Costco
3901 West Costco Drive, Tucson AZ 85741
When:  June 15th, 2013; 12:00 —3:00 p.m.

Available at area bookstores, independent retailers, and online retailers, or through Arcadia Publishing at www.arcadiapublishing.com or (888)-313-2665.  

Arcadia Publishing is the leading publisher of local and regional history in the United States.  Our mission is to make history accessible and meaningful through the publication of books on the heritage of America’s people and places.  Have we done a book on your town?  Visit www.arcadiapublishing.com.