Sunday, June 22, 2008

Support your local restaurants

Support your local businesses. I'm recommending Sushi Creek at 21805 S. Ellsworth Rd.

They have traditional sushi and rolls. I love the Big Foot Roll.

Sushi Creek has happy hour EVERY DAY from 2-5.

If you hate sushi, they have an "I hate sushi" menu with burgers wraps and other non-sushi items. You can even call in to-go items.

Check them out at www.sushi-creek.com .

Saturday, June 14, 2008

How Queen Creek Got It's Name


My Mother-in-law from Ohio had asked me a few times if I knew how Queen Creek got it's name. Now I know.

I was perusing the internet and found a nice article that someone had written about the Chandler area. Click here to read article . This site spoke about silver mining around Globe and Superior. Click on the link for the full article. Here is a quote from that link.

"Silver fever sent prospectors out to search for more, and in 1880 an outcropping was found near Superior. Because the ore found there was nearly as good in quality as that of the Silver King Mine, the new mine was dubbed the Silver Queen Mine. "

"Just at the base of the Silver Queen Mine was a creek. Nearby is an oddly shaped mountain which resembles a picket post, so the creek came to be known as Picket Post Creek. With the opening of the new Silver Queen Mine, the creek’s name was changed and has since been known as Queen Creek."

The creek runs through our town today. For most of the year it is a dry wash.

From the book "Around San Tan Mountain" I found that the actual town of Queen Creek was called originally called Rittenhouse. A petition requesting a name change from Rittenhouse to Queen Creek circulated in 1947.

I picked this book up at Barnes and Noble. It is from the "Images of America" series. It is titled "Around San Tan Mountain" by David Salge. If you are interested in the area and how it came to be this is a very nice historical book with lots of photos from the early settlement near the San Tans.

This book has made me more curious about the area. It also has made me even more aware about how fast our community is changing compared to 100 or even 50 years ago.

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Summer at the Arboretum



Living in the Queen Creek area allows you access to some wonderful natural beauty within driving distance. One of my favorites is the Boyce Thompson Arboretum in Superior. It's a 20 minute scenic drive off US Highway 60 from Apache Junction and the Ironwood Exit near Queen Creek.




They have some wonderful walking paths and trails with excellent cactus specimens and other desert plants. This is a nice place for a leisurely walk with natural beauty all around.





Bring water, a camera, binoculars, a hat, sunglasses and walking shoes.



Through August the arboretum is open 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. For Information call 520-689-2723.




The Arboretum offers guided tours such as a bird walk to identify native Sonoran desert birds and exotic migrants or Plans of the Bible tours.





This place is a bit more rustic than the Desert Botanical Gardens in Scottsdale. The drive is scenic and the setting is fabulously Arizona. In the summer I would suggest an early morning visit due to the heat.





Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park
37615 E US Hwy 60
Superior, AZ 85273
520-689-2811
http://www.btarboretum.org/