New Book Highlights the History of Queen Creek

Oct. 30, 2013 - PRLog -- The newest addition to Arcadia Publishing’s popular Images of America series is Queen Creek by local author Sylvia G. Acuña. The book boasts more than 200 vintage images and memories of days gone by in this Arizona community.

From Charles Rittenhouse’s 1919 thousand-acre Queen Creek Farms Company to the railroad settlement called Rittenhouse, the area renamed Queen Creek in 1947 continued to flourish as an agricultural and farming community. By the 1970s, as farming became less profitable, the land began to give way to new development. Homes and businesses began to settle among family farms and the school district expanded. By 1989, Queen Creek had incorporated to become Arizona’s 84th municipality and the following years saw the town establishing its own goals and traditions.

The town of Queen Creek is located 35 miles southeast of Phoenix. To the north lies the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, the former Williams Air Force Base. Queen Creek is home to the historic Rittenhouse School. A strong volunteer base allows the community to participate in the decades-long traditions of an annual Christmas parade and Fourth of July celebration. The book honors the people and places that have made Queen Creek legendary by showcasing vintage images of the founding and development of the area.

Highlights of Queen Creek include:

•An image from the swearing in ceremony for the first Queen Creek town council and incorporation in 1989.
•Images from the Postal History Foundation in Tucson, Az., that show the Arizona Boys Ranch post office and the Higley and Queen Creek post offices.
•A chapter on the San Tan Historical Society with images of the charter members.
•The author’s profits from the sale of the book are being donated to the San Tan Historical Society.

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

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/.