By Cathy Carlat, Mayor of Peoria | Peoria Times
Even though our history is all around us, in today’s fast-paced society, where we zoom from one task to another, it can be difficult to slow down and appreciate the stories hidden in plain sight of those who lived here long before us.
Before downtown Peoria was home to the Peoria Center for the Performing Arts, Lucidi Distilling Co. and Driftwood Coffee, the area was speckled with farming families living in harsh conditions and finding innovative ways to bring water to the unforgiving landscape. Farther north, the Sunrise Relief Mine was active and said to be “rich and full of golden promise.” Nearby, the treasured Palo Verde Park and Ruins once served as a lively trading post for the earliest settlers of the Hohokam tribes.
