For some reason, an awful lot of these short films take place in the desert, probably because it's considered a strange land unknown to most inhabitants of the United States (and the world in general). This Traveltalks starts not far south of Tuscon, where we are shown a Catholic church built by the Spanish called San Xavier. The church is unusual in that it is asymmetrical. The right tower was intentionally left unfinished as a law at the time of construction stipulated that only completed churches had to pay taxes. Many buildings in Tuscon have clear influence of spanish colonial architectural styles. However, Phoenix's capitol building looks distinctly American and has a statue outside of it dedicated to Frank Luke; a First World War pilot credited with over 20 German planes shot down. After being brought down behind enemy lines, he was killed at age 21. Near Prescott's courthouse is another statue, this one dedicated to Buckey O'Neill, chief organizer of the Arizona unit of Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders. He was killed during the infamous Battle of San Juan Hill. Later, we see a town called Jerome built on the side of a mountain. Originally a copper mining town, TNT was used to clear caves for excavation duties which has resulted in the whole settlement moving about half a foot a year. After a fire once destroyed most of the houses in the town (along with all its saloons), the notorious Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa made a huge amount of money by getting mules to deliver water to the village. Arizona also has many high rising mountains all across the state, some of which used to be volcanoes. In northeast Arizona exists the Petrified Forest National Park, where you can actually find trees made of stone. Countless years ago, there existed here a vast forest of pine trees which was then buried by a flood containing large amounts of silica. Eventually, humans unearthed the trees, and while they still resemble trees, they're actually solid rock. Arriving at the popular vacation spot of Wickenburg, we see the Hassayampa Well, which is said to steal from its drinkers the ability to tell the truth. This doesn't stop people from drinking out of it though. Rodeos are also a popular event at Wickenburg, and we witness borderline animal cruelty as cowboys on horseback attempt to lasso running baby cows. However, Fitzpatrick assures us it doesn't hurt the animal and in some cases the calf is tied and released before he even knows he got snagged. Lastly, we see something you don't see everyday: a horse trying to balance himself on a seesaw. Like most installments of this series, many facts are displayed that don't really have any importance, but at least Fitzpatrick doesn't focus solely on geographical knowledge (unlike most other times). They do show nice scenery from this Mars-like landscape, but also how the land has been shaped by modern America and its former colonial spanish masters. It's just odd seeing things so calm at home in america while this was filmed during World War 2.