Cover, A Peek at the Peak magazine, February, 1996 Issue
By Les Conklin
Prologue
This article introduces The Peak digitization project. It was written as a “Sneak Peeks” column in the October, 2012 issue of A Peek at the Peak magazine.
Preserving The Peak’s History
Fellow pack rats and veteran Peak readers, we need your assistance. We’ve launched a project to digitize every issue of A Peek at the Peak (The Peak) from the inaugural February, 1983 issue to the most recent. This digital collection would then be donated to the City of Scottsdale and Desert Foothills libraries, where it would be freely available to the public and public servants. The donation will be made on behalf of our members and all the talented people who have contributed to The Peak’s success. That’s the goal. Here’s the plan.
The first step was to determine if we have a copy of every issue. Step two is to obtain the missing issues and finalize the count of issues and pages to be processed. Then we’ll obtain an estimate of the conversion cost, raise the funds to pay for the project, have the issues converted, and make the electronic collection available.
Have Any of These Peaks?
We’ve completed the first step. GPPA board members Ginger Shoenau, Minell Sefelt, and yours truly, had 290 issues (10,276 pages). These have been combined into one collection. We’re missing 17 issues: 1983: September, 1986: October, 1988: July, December, 1990: March, April, November, 1994: November, 2000: September, November, and December, 2001: March, April, July/August, September, November, and December. If you have any of these editions, please call me at (480)361-6498.
Incredible Journeys
The Peak‘s ongoing journey began in 1983 when founding editor Liz Stapleton sat at her kitchen table and produced the first six page edition. Twenty-seven years later, sitting at my own kitchen table, surrounded by stacks of past editions, I also enjoyed an incredible journey, reviewing the history of the development of north Scottsdale, primarily written from the perspective of residents.
The origin of these journeys can be traced to 1977, when the Greater Pinnacle Peak Home Owners Association (GPPHA) began, in the words of founder Nancy Knight, to advocate “the views of those who wished to maintain a desert lifestyle, that is, living and development in concert with the desert.” More than distance and an expanse of saguaro-studded land separated Pinnacle Peak from developed parts of Scottsdale and Phoenix. There was a significant communications gap. As growth surged northward in the 70s, 80s and 90s, GPPHA members traveled to city hall to do research, and participate in meetings. In the first issue, Stapleton wrote that The Peak was founded to “bring matters of local interest to the attention of residents.”
The Peak’s First Issue, Page 1 of 6 Page Newsletter, February 1983
It’s all There!
The collection of past issues is a treasure trove, containing:
- Discussions of issues, plans, ordinances and decisions: Need to improve postal, electric, and telephone service, misplaced hot air balloon landings, illegal hunting, impact of dirt bikes, water supply concerns, destruction of desert flora and fauna, lack of notice of zoning changes, the Hillside Ordinance, ESLO, Native Plant Ordinance, Scenic Corridors, efforts to save Pinnacle Peak, the McDowell Mountains, the Desert Foothills Scenic Drive, and more.
- Articles about major development projects and zoning battles: Rawhide, Desert Highlands, Amberjack, Desert Green Belt, development of retail centers, paving Pima Road, Troon, Super Pumper, Grayhawk, Desert Ridge, DC Ranch, burying power lines, Desert Center, and more.
- Information about the beginnings of new organizations and congregations: The Lions Club of Pinnacle Peak, the Rotary Club of Pinnacle Peak, the Creative Women of Pinnacle Peak, the McDowell Sonoran Land Trust, the Desert Foothills Land Trust, Pinnacle Presbyterian Church, Desert Foothills Lutheran Church, Friends of Pinnacle Peak Park, The Great Sonoran, Friends of the Scenic Drive, and others.
- Contemporary articles by community leaders and personalities: Nancy and Ralph Knight, Jane Rau, Cynthia Lukas, Herb Drinkwater, Sam Campagna, Burt Prossner, Alan Kaufman, and many others.
- Articles about local history, wildlife, businesses, the desert, the arts, and life in the “North Area.” Liz Stapleton, Carol Schatt, Don Schoenau, Nancy Lucas, Barbara Copeland wrote about the area’s endangered history: Brown’s Ranch, DC Ranch, Don Pablo, Doc Cavalliere, Florence Nelson, KT Palmer, and more.
Your Support Needed
You can support this project and GPPA by becoming a Friend of the Community or by making a donation. You’ll find a membership form in this magazine and on our Web site. If you own a business, consider advertising in The Peak, it’s a “win-win” situation.
Recent Comments