The Journal of Arizona History at Sixty

The fiftieth anniversary of the Journal of Arizona History (JAH) passed in 2009 with little fanfare, so we decided to celebrate the sixtieth anniversary with a special issue. "Sixty after nineteen-sixty" has a nice ring. Evolving from little more than a newsletter into a respected scholarly journal, the JAH has long been a cornerstone of the Arizona Historical Society's (AHS) mission, which includes collecting, preserving, interpreting, and disseminating Arizona history. Embracing its responsibility to disseminate new knowledge about the state's past, AHS has supported the JAH as a means of sharing information with citizens of, and visitors to, Arizona since its inception.

One of the oldest cultural organizations in Arizona, AHS is unique in its statewide mission, positioning it as the most trusted authority on Arizona history. We showcase the knowledge of scholars of Arizona history through the JAH, which has become increasingly competitive in attracting esteemed authors. The quality of the scholarship and the robust book review section rival that of revered peer journals that have been in publication for much longer.

The JAH is broader in magnitude than the work that AHS performs at its brick-and-mortar sites, placing Arizona history into a regional, national, and transnational context with our friends and neighbors to the south in Mexico. Skimming the last few issues, the JAH is highlighting the breadth of Arizona history, clearly demonstrating that as a state we have a nationally significant history that is much greater in scope than the beloved five Cs of Arizona—cattle, cotton, citrus, copper, and climate.

The topics that weave their way through centuries of Arizona history—water rights, reclamation, conservation, public lands, extractive industries, shifting borders, intersecting cultures, and more—are ubiquitous in the American West. Arizona has often found itself at the heart of these issues, influencing policy debates, national legislation, and resource allocation. To remain relevant, the JAH and AHS will address these important stories.

The subjects that underpin the arc of Arizona history have become more diverse in the latter half of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first century. We at AHS believe that history is what happened yesterday, as well as what happened fifty years or more ago, and that we are making history today. AHS and the JAH have a responsibility to share that history.

In the years to come, readers will find more articles featuring Arizona history from the post–World War II period to the present. The stories of our more recent past have placed Arizona at the center of national debates, made international news, and shaped regional policies and cultural trends: megadrought and its companion megafire, migration, mariachis, military, medicine, manufacturing, Mars Rover, mining, and a megalopolis—the ten Ms might catch on. Watch for those stories and more as the JAH begins a new era.

Fortunate to have steady editorial direction during the longtime tenure of Bruce J. Dinges, the JAH is poised to launch into its next sixty years with David C. Turpie at the helm. Under David's direction, the JAH will reflect AHS's new mission statement: "Connecting people through the power of Arizona's history." We will continue to collect, preserve, interpret, and disseminate Arizona history, but in a modern fashion designed to engage audiences with topics meaningful to their lives.

The JAH features prominently in AHS's new vision: "To be the driving force strengthening Arizona's communities by promoting history through leadership, partnership, and scholarship." Modernizing the JAH is part of AHS's effort to become more relevant to a broader audience. Readers will notice greater variety in the topics covered by the Journal—themed issues, expanded special issues, and more.

Traditional articles will continue to be featured as well as articles about increasingly popular "hidden history," or topics that have been long overlooked. Military, economic, political, and civic history will be commingled with environmental, social, educational, and cultural history. The common thread tying everything together will be the consistent high-quality writing that readers have come to expect from the Journal.

Words are transformative; they can affect great change...