OUTOUT OF OF THE THE ASHES ASHES THE HISTORYHISTORY OF THE CITY OF PHOENIX Early Life Along the Salt River and the land became fertile. The ultimate fate of this ancient society, however, is a mystery. undreds of years before any of the cities The accepted belief is that it was destroyed by in the eastern part of our country were a prolonged drought. Roving Indians, Hso much as clearings in the wilderness, observing the Pueblo Grande ruins and the vast a well established, civilized community canal system these people left behind, gave populated the land we know as Phoenix. The them the name “Ho Ho Kam” – meaning the Pueblo Grande ruins, which were occupied people who have gone. between 700 A.D. and 1400 A.D., are a Phoenix’s modern history begins in the testament to our city’s ancient roots. second half of the 19th century. In 1867, Jack The wide Salt River ran through the Valley Swilling of Wickenburg stopped to rest his of the Sun, but there was little rain or melting horse at the foot of the north slopes of the snow to moisten the brown earth from river to White Tank Mountains. He looked down and mountain range on either side. But former across the expansive Salt River Valley and his residents were industrious, enterprising and eyes caught the rich gleam of the brown, dry imaginative. They built an irrigation system, soil turned up by the horse’s hooves. He saw consisting mostly of some 135 miles of canals, 1 farm land, predominately free of rocks, and in a place beyond the reach of heavy frost or snow. All it needed was water. Returning to Wickenburg, he organized the Swilling Irrigation Canal Company, and moved into the Valley. The same year, the company began digging a canal to divert some of the water from the Salt River onto the lands of the Valley. By March 1868, water flowed through the canal, and a few members of the company raised meager crops that summer. 2 Jack Swilling, one of the Phoenix is Born founders of Phoenix. Phoenix officially was recognized on By 1868, a small colony had formed May 4, 1868, when the Yavapai County Board approximately four miles east of the present of Supervisors, the county of which we were city. Swilling’s Mill became the new name of then a part, formed an election precinct here. the area. It was then changed to Helling Mill, A post office was established in Phoenix on then Mill City, and years later, East Phoenix. June 15, 1868, and Jack Swilling was named Swilling, having been a confederate soldier, postmaster. wanted to name the new settlement Stonewall The sharp whistle of the first steam mill in after Stonewall Jackson. the Valley added a brisk note to the sound of Others suggested the name Salina, but emerging industry. It announced the Richard neither name suited the inhabitants. It was Flour Mills, built in 1869, where the Luhrs Darrell Duppa who suggested the name Tower now stands. Phoenix, inasmuch as the new town would Selecting a Townsite spring from the ruins of a former civilization. That is the accepted derivation of our name. The rapid influx of pioneers continued and by 1870 it was clear that a townsite had to be 3 Washington Street in selected. On Oct. 20, 1870, a meeting to Darrell Duppa Wm. B. Hellings & Co. the 1870s. select such a site took place in the home of Barnett and Block Thomas Barnum John Moore. James Murphy John T. Dennis This well-known farmer offered 40 acres to William A. Holmes James M. Buck the cause, but 320 were purchased by a popular Jacob Starar John T. Alsap subscription that raised $50. The official Columbus H. Gray Martin P. Griffin designation of this new townsite was the North James McC. Elliot J. P. Perry Half of Section 8, Township 1 North, Range 3 William Rowe Michael Connell East. It encompassed the area – today’s Daniel Twomey Charles C. McDermott downtown business section – bounded on the Edward Irvine John P. Osborn north by Van Buren Street, on the south by Andrew Starar Paul Becker Jackson Street, on the east by Seventh Street James D. Monihon and on the west by Seventh Avenue. To administer this new townsite, the Salt John T. Alsap, James Murphy and J. P. Perry River Valley Town Association was formed with were selected by majority vote to be the townsite its articles bearings the following signatures: commissioners. Alsap was the chairman and Capt. William A. Hancock was secretary. 4 Parades were common in downtown Phoenix (far Capt. Hancock was also a surveyor, and he of the more easily remembered numbers – with left) in 1884. conducted the first survey of the townsite and streets designated to the east of Central Avenue laid out the lots and the town. The first town of and avenues to the west. The Columbus and Adeline Phoenix was one mile long, a half-mile wide The Great Sale Gray mansion (left) on and contained 96 blocks. Washington Street Seventh and Mohave was the main roadway and on the early maps is streets was a Phoenix The Prescott Miner carried the following shown to be 100 feet wide. advertisement on December 7, 1870: showplace in the 1890s. The east and west streets were named after our presidents. Washington Street was placed in “GREAT SALE OF LOTS AT the middle and Adams, who was the second PHOENIX, ARIZONA president, was given the first street to the north. on the 23rd and 24th of December.” Our third president, Jefferson, had the first street south of Washington named after him. The first effort resulted in the sale of 61 lots And the pattern followed – one to the north and at an average price of $48 each. The first lot one to the south – until recent years. was purchased by Judge William Berry of The north-south streets originally carried Prescott. His purchase of the southwest corner Indian names, but these were changed in favor 7 of First and Washington streets cost him the adobe church building, the Sacred Heart of rather steep price of $116. St. Louis at Third and Monroe streets, replaced The first store building in the new town a home as a place for Catholics to worship. was Hancock’s Store, a general store opened Yavapai County was divided on Feb. 12, in July 1871, by William Smith. The adobe 1871, when Maricopa County was created by structure was built on the northwest corner of the Legislature. Maricopa, the sixth county in First and Washington streets and served as the the state, gave up portions of land in 1875 and town hall, county offices and general meeting 1881 to help form Pinal and Gila counties. place for early Phoenicians. The first county election was held in 1871, Although various religious organizations when Tom Barnum was selected the first had been formed by 1870, the first church sheriff of Maricopa County. It was a building in Phoenix was the Central Methodist contentious race. As a matter of fact, a Church built in 1871 at the corner of Second shooting between two other candidates for the Avenue and Washington Street. office, J. A. Chenowth and Jim Favorite, The first Catholic priest came to Phoenix in resulted in Favorite’s death and Chenowth’s 1872, but it was not until after 1881 that an withdrawal from the race. 8 Schooling for Phoenix’s youth began on the Prescott Land Office on Feb. 15, 1872. September 5, 1872. About 20 children studied Official entry was made at the Florence Land under the guidance of Jean Rudolph Derroche Office on Nov. 19, 1873. The total cost of the in the courtroom of the county building. By 320-acre Phoenix Townsite was $550, October 1873, a small adobe school building including all expenses for services. was completed on Center Street (now Central In 1874, downtown lots were selling for $7 Avenue), a short distance north of where the to $11 each. That year also marked the entry San Carlos Hotel now stands. Miss Nellie of the first telegraph line into Phoenix. Morris Shaver, a newcomer from Wisconsin, was Goldwater was the first operator of the appointed as the first female schoolteacher in telegraph station, located in his father’s store Phoenix. on the northwest corner of First and Jefferson streets. Whole Town Worth $550 By 1875, there were 16 saloons, four dance On April 10, 1874, President Grant issued a halls, two monte banks and one faro table in patent to Judge Alsap for the present site of Phoenix. The townsite-commissioner form of Phoenix. The declaratory statement was filed at government, however, was not working well. 9 Cyclists add to the heavy traffic at Washington and At a mass meeting held at the courthouse on new brick sidewalk in front of the Tiger First streets in the late Oct. 20, 1875, an election was held to select Saloon. On Nov. 26 of that year, Maricopa 1880s. three village trustees and other officials. County had its first legal hanging. John Smith became the chairman of the Incorporation in 1881 trustees, Charles W. Stearns was selected treasurer and Capt. Hancock was chosen Just as Phoenix had outgrown its original secretary. townsite-commissioner form of government, it As business flourished, a safe place was grew too large for the village trustee operation. needed for the Valley’s money. To solve the “The Phoenix Charter Bill” was passed by the problem, the National Bank was established in 11th Territorial Legislature.