Point of contact for volunteers

The following is from Nyal Niemuth of the AZGS Phoenix Office.

Diane and I will be volunteering to get things moved from 3550 Central to the museum storage in the 1502 Washington building.

Here’s our preliminary plan.

We will need to do both library bookcases and 6 lateral filing cabinets.
Dismantling and reassembling book cases and some furniture will also be required.

So tentative volunteer dates are:

Packing begin June 13-16, if nec. 17

Unpacking June 27-30,  if nec. July 1.

Hopefully by using book carts it will go faster than the above plans.

We can always do some scheduling or reserve people for the unpacking.

We do not have access scheduled to the building scheduled for unpacking yet.

Who knows more tasks may arise.

Email and phone contacts for volunteers would be helpful.

Thanks.

Nyal Niemuth
Arizona Geological Survey
3550 N. Central Ave., 2nd Floor
Phoenix, AZ 85012
602-771-1604 or page me at 771-1601
nyal.niemuth@azgs.az.gov

Uninformed AHS supporter

An uninformed AHS supporter placed the comment below on a May 30 AZGS post about difficulties with the AZGS – UA consolidation

Anonymous9:28 AM

Unfortunately, the voices were heard and enacted by one Gail Griffin, which resulted in a badly thought-out addition rushed onto the agency consolidation bill. All of this can be attributed to the whining and moaning of disgruntled MMM enthusiasts who hoped to wrestle the collections away from the nefarious Ann Woosley and the evil AHS. Be careful what you ask for, and whom you ask to speak for you.

That uninformed person should read Senator Griffins detailed plan for restoring the mineral museum: Implementation and Action Plan – Arizona Mining, Mineral & Natural Resource Education Museum - https://cammaz.net/implementation-and-action-plan-arizona-mining-mineral-natural-resource-education-museum/

The abrupt AZGS-UA consolidation is causing problems, but the museum transfer is not. Senator Griffin is not responsible for the current problems at the AZGS,

Would the uninformed AHS supporter like to debate the issue?

Call for volunteers

The AZGS will soon be moving the historic mine files and mining library back to the mineral museum building. Help is needed to pack and unpack papers and books.

Detail are available on www.arizonageology.blogspot.com/2016/06/preservation-of-historical-mining-files.html

Rough transition

Although the mineral museum is being transferred from the AHS to the AZGS, the AZGS is also being consolidated with the U of A and there is no transition plan. As a result, it will be some time before the AZGS can focus on the musuem transfer.

Details are available at www.arizonageology.blogspot.com/2016/05/azgs-transfer-to-university-of-arizona.html

Transition schedule

As revised by SB 1530, state statutes will transfer the mineral museum from the Arizona Historical Society to the Arizona Geological Survey as of mid August 2016. However, the date the mineral museum will reopen cannot be determined at this time.

Because the AHS vacated the historic building in 2011, it cannot be reoccupied now until some upgrades are made. Some detail on these requirements are presented in the Friday, May 20th post on http://repository.azgs.az.gov/aggregator/sources/1

Complete but only preliminary requirements are in a May 19th ADOA report. Meanwhile, the AZGS itself is going through a transition as it is being consolidated into the U of A.

 

Mineral Museum Transfer

In March of 2016, the Senate passed the mineral museum restoration (SB 1440) bill by 24 to 2. It would have passed just as easily in the house because only two Representatives voted against a nearly similar bill in 2015.  However, it was never put to a House vote. The House Appropriations Committee did not schedule a public hearing, and that had to happen before the full House could vote on the bill.

Therefore, the Senate included it into SB1530 as a floor amendment during the last week of the session. On May 10, the Governor signed that bill. SB 1530 transfers the mineral museum from the AHS to the Arizona Geological Survey, and also consolidates the Survey with the University of Arizona.

Details about the transfer are available on www.arizonageology.blogspot.com  (May 4^th and May 10^th posts).

Independent verification

Various prior posts have proven, with ample references, that the current Arizona Historical Society has corrupted its history and celebrated its 150^th anniversary 20 years too soon.  The following text provides independent verification of this conclusion.

An article by Al Bates, referenced below, opens as follows:

Contrary to popular belief, the Arizona Historical Society as incorporated by the first territorial legislature did exist, although briefly.¹ It was organized in Prescott and officers were elected in November 1864. Its existence ended two years later when it merged with a rival organization which itself had but a brief life.

Endnote number 1 then reads as follows:

1 Today’s Arizona Historical Society was founded in Tucson in 1884 (at the instigation of Charles D. Poston and Sam Hughes) as the Society of Arizona Pioneers. ... In 1897 the Society of Arizona Pioneer’s name was changed to the Arizona Pioneers Historical Society, and in 1971 it became known as the Arizona Historical Society.

The conclusion is irrefutable: there is no historical connection between the first and second Arizona Historical Societies. The current AHS was not founded in 1864 by the Territorial Legislature as it claims on its website and literature.

Reference:

Bates, Al, Arizona Territory’s Earliest Historical Societies, Prescott Corral, Territorial Times, Issue # 15, Vol. III #1. Spring 2015, pp 27-30 (http://www.prescottcorral.org/TT15/index.htm)