Riordan Mansion staff member, Nikki Lober will be the guest speaker for the Saturday Night Lecture Series at 7 PM on January 12, 2013 in the visitors’ center at the “mansion”. The title of Nikki’s presentation is “History of the Homesteads of Oak Creek Canyon”. From the 1880’s into the early 1900’s, settlers discovered the consistent water source of Oak Creek, but it was a difficult and inaccessible location to set up a homestead. Many tried their hand at farming the area, but only a few stayed. Nikki will share her research into these homesteads and what has become of them today.

Nikki Lober has worked for Arizona State Parks at Slide Rock and Riordan Mansion for nearly 20 years. In addition, she spent four years working with the Sedona Historical Society to transcribe the year’s worth of audio-taped interviews with the early pioneers and their families. Stories from these interviews are included in this presentation.

All lectures at the Riordan Mansion continue to be free to the public, but donations to RAN are always appreciated. Nikki is well-known in the area, and her lecture will be very popular, so please be sure to call the “mansion” at 928 – 779-4395 to make reservations. Staff and volunteers are looking forward to your visits in the new year!