Posted By Les Conklin on Jan 1, 2020

The Peak, October 2006. Cover Design/Layout: Tony Nelssen/Sandie McCune, Photograph: Kathy Howard, “Peak Promise.”

December 6, 2019

By Les Conklin

In the 1930s, a homesteader reckoned that there were gold deposits  in Pinnacle Peak. Fortunately, before he completed digging his blast tunnel, placing his dynamite and blowing up the mountain, a neighbor talked him out of the endeavor.

Today, there is a real treasure trove of local history waiting for your discovery. The joyous news is that the end of the rainbow is just clicks away and no explosives are required.

YES! The first 187 issues of A Peek at the Peak, dating from February 1983 through October 1996, are now available in the Scottsdale Public Library’s extensive online archive.

Treasure Samples

What does the treasure look like? Well, the publication’s look has changed over the decades but here are links to the first issue of The Peak and the last issue currently in the archive.  The plan is to add more recent issues to the archive in the future.

Treasure Hunting Steps

Follow these simple steps to review rare information about the Pinnacle Peak, north Scolttsdale and Desert Foothills area, written by and for the people who lived in the area at the time.

Cover, A Peek at the Peak magazine, February, 1996 Issue

1. Visit www.scottsdalelibrary.org. What you should see.

2. ENTER “A Peek at the Peak” in the “Search our catalog …” box at the top of the archive’s home page. Do not enter the quotation marks. Click on the search (magnifying glass) icon.

3. A results page will display that lists the titles of A Peek at the Peak issues found by the search.   What you should see.

4. LEFT CLICK on the title of the first issue listed, e.g. “1. A Peek at the Peak newsletter — 1990 September Edition, Volume 89.”

5. A page will display providing general information about the requested issue, e.g. “Format: Digital Collection, Electronic Resources
Title: “A Peek at the Peak” newsletter — 1990 September Edition, Volume 89 [digital resource]
Publisher, Date: 8/7/2017″ What you should see.

6. SCROLL to the bottom of the page (title “Digital content” on the left side of the page). Below this title at least two graphics are displayed.

7. RIGHT CLICK ON THE RIGHTMOST graphic AND then LEFT CLICK on “Open link in new window” menu option drop down box.to view view all the pages of the issue. The first page will be displayed first, scroll down to the second, etc. What you should see.

That is it! Hopefully, you’ve opened the first of treasure chests. Now enjoy more gifts from the past.

Treasure Hunt Hints

#1. This article is designed to be a quick start guide. There are many search and retrieval capabilities that are not illustrated. For example, if you just wanted to review issues for 1984, enter “A Peek at the Peak 1984” in the search box.  You can also search for articles that contain words of interest, e.g. “A Peek at the Peak Drinkwater.”

#2. You can increase the number of issues listed on the search results page by using the selection box on the right side of the page. Increasing the number of issues per page is helpful if you are looking for an issued on a specific date. Initially, my system listed ten issues per page. Since I was looking for a 1984 issue, I changed the number listed to 100.

#3. When you want to review the contents of an issue (Step 7 above) be sure to RIGHT click on the icon.

#4. This is an early public release of The Peak issues in the library’s archive system. Please carefully follow the instructions above and perform the steps in the order listed, e.g. you cannot view a list of Peak articles unless you have first done a search for the articles.

#5. The library’s archive system  is subject to change without notice.

#6. If you have questions regarding the use of the library’s archive system, contact the library. If you have questions about A Peek at the Peak, use the comment box below.

About A Peek at the Peak Archive

All the issues in the archive have been donated to the city by the Greater Pinnacle Peak Association so they can be freely available to viewers everywhere. The issues were initially produced by and for the people who lived in the area of Pinnacle Peak, Desert Foothills and what became known as north Scottsdale. We thank the staff of the Scottsdale Public Library for creating and supporting the archive and making it available to readers like you.  We look forward to the library’s continued support. Issues covering more than two decades following September 1996 need to be scanned and placed in the archive. These later issues reflect the changes that took place in print publishing and the continued growth of the area.

Back in  the 1980s, The Peak was the only publication available in the Pinnacle Peak area, which was just beginning a period of rapid growth and development at the time. These arcddddhive issues provide valuable information about the early development projects and much, much more. Articles and advertisements provided by the local people,  businesses and organizations provide a singularly unique window in their interests, issues,  lifestyles and history.

Much has changed since 1983. The area has continued to grow but at a slower rate and with new more diverse. A Peek at the Peak magazine is now an online publidq5ion providing much more content to a much broader audience than in the past. The Greater Pinnacle Peak Homeowners Association, founded in 1977 when a few hundred people lived in the Pinnacle Peak area and “north Scottsdale” was not part of our lexicon has morphed into a nonprofit 501 C (3) organization meeting the needs of a larger, more developed and diverse community.

The Peak Welcomes Your Comment

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