Winslow author to discuss her new book 'Winslow' Saturday
Mary Lutzick to sign copies of her Arcadia Press pictorial history of Winslow at La Posada Hotel from 2-3:30 p.m.

“Winslow” by Old Trails Museum Director Ann-Mary Lutzick. Submitted photo

“Winslow” by Old Trails Museum Director Ann-Mary Lutzick. Submitted photo

WINSLOW, Ariz. - Author and Old Trails Museum Director Ann-Mary Lutzick will give a brief talk about the new pictorial history she wrote and compiled entitled "Winslow," the latest entry in Arcadia Publishing's popular Images of America series. The museum will put on this free presentation, followed by book sales and signings, in La Posada Hotel's ballroom from 2 to 3:30 p.m. April 13.

"Arcadia books are interesting to do and are basically photographic history," Lutzick said. "The tricky part is to match up the narrative with the images you have available."

Former and current Winslow residents donated more than 200 vintage images to the Old Trails Museum archives. Winslow Historical Society members and others helping to preserve the city's history provided Lutzick with research and editing assistance.

"We definitely put out a call for private citizens who might have images. We have an extensive collection in our archives at the Old Trails Museum and so we had a great base to work from," Lutzick said.

Winslow has so much history that it was challenging to tell its story in such a short book, and mostly with pictures, Lutzick said.

Lutzick begins "Winslow "in 1880 when the Atlantic & Pacific Railroad laid out the Winslow town-site along its new transcontinental line through northeastern Arizona Territory because the nearby Little Colorado River supplied a vital water source.

She continues the book when the high desert boomtown blossomed into a bustling city when the Santa Fe Railway bought the A&P and transferred division headquarters to Winslow. Along with a shipping point for area ranches, trading posts and lumber mills, the railroad provided passenger service to the alluring Southwest. Travelers enjoyed fine dining by Fred Harvey and the Harvey Girls and lodging at architect Mary Colter's La Posada Hotel.

The book finishes as automobiles replaced rail travel in the 1920s. The highway running through downtown Winslow became part of famed U.S. Route 66. Interstate 40 eventually bypassed downtown, but Winslow's historic attractions Standin' on the Corner Park and nearby Hopi and Navajo lands continue to lure visitors from around the world.

Lutzick is a native of Richmond, Va. She moved to Arizona in 1991 and continued her interest in regional history at Arizona State University in Tempe, where she earned a Master of Arts in public history in 2002. She became the director of the Old Trails Museum in 2010. Lutzick travels around the state and lectures on Fred Harvey-related topics including Winslow's Harvey Girls and La Posada Hotel.

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