Please help locate a bit of Arizona Highways history

PHOENIX – Since it began showcasing the state’s beauty and diverse landscapes, Arizona Highways has been a collector’s item. People around the country have not only subscribed but held on to the monthly issues of the magazine, produced by the Arizona Department of Transportation, so they could go back again and again to look at the photos and read about the history.

Now Arizona Highways needs a little help finding a piece of its history, in this case a December 1930 issue to add to its digital collection.

“We know that many of you are collectors,” editors shared on the magazine’s Facebook page. “Is there any chance one of you could give us a hand in locating a copy?

Editors say they’d like to have a copy of the December 1930 edition to keep, but they’d gladly scan and return the edition if the owner wants to keep it.

Arizona Highways began as a simple newsletter in 1921 and became a magazine in April 1925. From the beginning, it contained travel stories and scenic photographs. In the early years the photos were black-and-white, and the magazine contained page after page detailing the Arizona Highway Department's (now the Arizona Department of Transportation’s) road-building projects. Editors added cartoons to liven up those pages.

Arizona was one of several states to develop a magazine to entice drivers to explore their newly developed roads. Of these magazines, none dates as far back or has featured the iconic photography that has made Arizona Highways a national treasure.

If you can help by sharing a December 1930 edition of Arizona Highways, please contact the magazine through its website at arizonahighways.com.