Ernest Talks series features culture, history at McFarland State Historic Park in Florence

The adobe building known as McFarland Courthouse was built in 1878. It's now McFarland State Historic Park and the Florence visitor center.
The adobe building known as McFarland Courthouse was built in 1878. It's now McFarland State Historic Park and the Florence visitor center.

Florence, a historic town in Pinal County southeast of Phoenix, is the backdrop of an exciting series of monthly talks highlighting southwestern culture, cuisine and history.

Hosted in Pinal county’s oldest courthouse in McFarland State Historic Park, Ernest Talks is a series of events, often in partnership with AZHumanities, featuring talks given by prominent historians, authors, scholars and musicians, among others.

Speakers are scheduled monthly and cover a range of topics from Arizona history of ghost towns and western films to true crime, food and music.

Past events have included: Miners, Cowboys and Washerwomen: The worksongs of Arizona; Chiles & Chocolate: Sweet and Spicy Foods in the American West; Specters of the Past: Ghost Towns that Built Arizona; among a variety of others.

The location of the series is just as historical as the content. McFarland State Historic Park, Arizona’s first state park and named after Ernest “Mac” McFarland, the only person in Arizona’s history to serve in all three branches of government.

Gov. Ernest William McFarland (1955-1959) was an Oklahoma farm boy who arrived in Arizona in 1919 with only one suit and $10 in his pocket.
Gov. Ernest William McFarland (1955-1959) was an Oklahoma farm boy who arrived in Arizona in 1919 with only one suit and $10 in his pocket.

The goal of the series is to bring “awareness to this building, to Arizona history and to the contributions that Senator McFarland made to Arizona,” said Sherri Crosslin, the director of special events at the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce.

McFarland came from modest means eventually ascending to the highest political positions in the state and country, and made numerous long-lasting contributions to Arizona and the U.S.

Among his long list of achievements, some of his most notable actions were co-authoring the G.I. Bill, starting the parks system, and fighting for Arizona’s water rights.

“He was always trying to make a difference in Arizona, and (for) all the people in the nation,” said John Lewis, McFarland’s grandson.

McFarland, an Arizona Democrat, held vastly different positions throughout his career: He was Arizona's assistant attorney general, Pinal County attorney, chief justice of the Arizona Superior Court, U.S. Senator — rising to U.S. senate majority leader — and governor of Arizona.

Arizona governors: A look at the state's leaders since statehood in 1912

Despite his many noble titles, he preferred just to be called Mac, according to a website dedicated to McFarland's life.

Hardships plagued his young adult life

McFarland graduated with a pre-law degree from the University of Oklahoma, as the U.S. was entering World War I. He decided to join the U.S. Navy, but during basic training in 1918 he became ill with pneumonia and almost died. He received an honorable discharge.

Years later, McFarland moved to Florence for a job as Pinal County attorney. During this time, he had two children who died within several months of each other. Soon after, his wife became pregnant again and gave birth to a child who was stillborn. In her fragile state, she contracted pneumonia and died in 1930.

Around the time of his wife’s death, McFarland lost his bid to become a Superior Court judge.

“He was really down and devastated,” Lewis said.

However, thanks to his Florence community, McFarland wasn’t down on is luck for too long.

“He came back and recovered from this with the help of a lot of the old timers from Florence,” Lewis said. McFarland returned to private practice working as legal counsel for the San Carlos Irrigation Drainage District.

Senator McFarland: Father of the GI Bill

In 1940, McFarland ran and won his bid to become a senator as World War II was coming to an end.

Scarred into his memory from World War I was an event that occurred after veterans came back home from the war and were not allotted the promised bonus payments. Thousands camped out at the capitol to protest. Eventually violence and the force of the military was used to quell the protests in an event now known as the Battle of Anacostia Flats.

“What can I do to change this? I don’t want that to happen again,” Lewis recalled his grandfather’s mindset.

With this in mind, McFarland helped draft the Serviceman’s Readjustment Act, or the G.I. Bill, which provided funding to veterans. According to a website dedicated to McFarland, the senator wrote in provisions to provide home and business loans and educational benefits to veterans.

Lewis recalled many times in his life when his fellow students at University of Arizona, who did not know his relation to McFarland, told him how the G.I. Bill allowed them to go to university, changing the trajectory of their lives.

Governor McFarland

Ernest McFarland, who served Arizona as a U.S. senator and governor, is remembered for his role in passing the GI Bill.
Ernest McFarland, who served Arizona as a U.S. senator and governor, is remembered for his role in passing the GI Bill.

In 1954, McFarland ran for governor of Arizona.

Once elected, he helped defend Arizona’s case against California over water use of the Colorado River in the Arizona v. California Supreme Court Case.

Lewis described how his grandfather was just elected governor, and knew that the important Supreme Court case was taking place.

He said his grandfather, “grabbed his briefcase, jumped on a plane and went in at the nick of time to the hearing they were holding.” Lewis said his grandfather filed and won a motion to help remove blockades to Arizona acquiring Colorado River rights.

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Despite his all-encompassing work, McFarland had a constant presence in Lewis’ life and the lives of those in his beloved Florence community.

Lewis said his grandfather would often drop by unannounced to his friends’ homes in Florence.

“He was a real wonderful, social man, he cared about people,” Lewis said.

Coverage of southern Arizona on azcentral.com and in The Arizona Republic is funded by the nonprofit Report for America in association with The Republic.

Reach the reporter at sarah.lapidus@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Ernest Talks series features culture, history at McFarland State Historic Park