The City of Apache Junction is located in south central Arizona, in the shadow of the Superstition Mountains. With its rich history on the silver screen and a plethora of natural and cultural attractions, Apache Junction has significant potential for tourism. Already, the city’s population of roughly 40,000 doubles to nearly 80,000 each winter due to the seasonal migration of residents from colder climates. Beyond this current winter influx, Apache Junction officials would like to see the quality of life of its residents improve and the number of visitors and full-time residents increase. To attain that goal, City officials believe it is important to overcome the negative perceptions of the city. With the “PositivelyApache Junction” campaign, Apache Junction aims to improve its image, attract business, and show that the city is a compelling year-round destination for residents and non-residents alike.
Through the Project Cities program of Arizona State University (ASU), two Spring 2018 classes enlisted to support the Positively Apache Junction campaign. The students in HST 485 produced eight “histories of place” focused on Apache Junction topics such as the Apache Trail and the Apache Junction’s Women’s Club. In addition, they digitally surveyed local residents to identify places of value in order the city and why they were of value. Students in this course used digital methods to conduct community-engaged historical research. They produced two sets of results. The first was eight histories of Apache Junction, with findings presented online as blogs. To research these topics, groups of students reviewed literature including local and online documents, visited the site virtually or physically, and informally interviewed community members. These place histories were about: the former location of the SuperstitionHo Hotel (later known as The Grand Hotel); water in Apache Junction; the parks and recreational trails of Apache Junction; the Apache Trail; the lands once occupied by the Hohokam and Salado tribes; the ApacheJunction Women’s Club; and Apache Junction High School. The second set of results was a digital map of Apache Junction places valued by residents or visitors. To achieve these results, they conducted a mapping survey. Through an online and in-person version of the survey, the students received nearly 200 responses and nearly 1,000 values. With this information, they generated a “values map” of the area. Students analyzed the results for findings and to inform their place histories. They also presented recommendations, including 1) Develop cultural and tourism assets related to the sites identified in the mapping survey that could improve the quality of life and positive perception of ApacheJunction; 2) create plaques for places of historical significance, such as where the Superstition Ho Hotel once stood, to commemorate history in Apache Junction; 3) host semi-annual community events near CanyonLake that include water conservation education.