90024_30081_1940s_Arizona_Home_Movies_01
This clip shows a 1940s road trip through Arizona.
The clip begins with a close-up of a map of Arizona's highways. A pen is used as a pointer; it points to an area that’s to the right of Phoenix, Arizona.
We then see a road sign for Apache Junction. On the map, to the left-hand side of Apache Junction, both Apache Trail and Roosevelt Dam are listed. On the right-handside of the junction, Florence (AZ) and Globe (AZ) are listed. Also listed is State Route 88 and Interstates 60, 70, 80, and 89.
Next, a mother and daughter walk by a large cactus as they travel through a desert landscape.
There is a sign for “CANYON LAKE.” The lake is presumably in the background.
The daughter is sitting on a tree branch, nibbling on food as she looks into the camera. The girl is dressed up, wearing a skirt, dress shoes, and a kind of pea coat. In the next shot, the girl walks with her mother, navigating over a small creek.
A black car drives through the desert. The car looks like a 1940 Ford Standard Tudor Sedan.
We see assorted shots of the Theodore Roosevelt Dam and Roosevelt Lake. One sign reads: “ROOSEVELT LAKE RESORT,” “CAFE AND CABINS,” “BOATS - MOTORS - LIVE BAIT - COLD BEER.”
The Ford Sedan drives on a road that crosses the dam.
A wooden sign reads, “TONTO NATIONAL MONUMENT 1-MILE.” The girl is seen exploring the Tonto National Monument’s cliff dwellings.
Next, we see two shots of a sunset, contrasting sharply with the dark shadows of a sleepy Arizona.
Even more shots of the Tonto cliff dwellings are shown. We see the opening of a cave, dwellings embedded in a steep and rocky cliff or mountain side. Several people are seen climbing down ladders, presumably leaving the Tonto cliff dwellings.
In the final two shots, we see two men looking for artifacts or jewels or valuable rocks on a hillside. One guy is young, the other is middle-aged and smoking a pipe. Both men wield digging tools that look like hammers with picks.