Phoenix 1870 - 1970: Born of natural assets & human energy

50 people comprised what was known as Phoenix Settlement. These pioneers had been aware of the need for a name several years before any actual town was established. Swilling was in favor of "Stonewall" and Jacob Starter had suggested "Salina" but this was vetoed when it was discovered the word meant "salt marsh." It was the educated Englishman, Darrel Duppa, who related the story of the mythical Phoenix bird's symbolic immortality. He is reported to have said, "Let us call it Phoenix, for here on the ruins of the old, a new city will arise."

The name was adopted at that time and whole-heartedly accepted by the founding fathers at that fateful 1870 meeting.

There are still some Phoenicians around who recall hearing the late Neri Osborn (who served as a page in the First Territorial Legislature of 1864, and was the father of Governor Sidney P. Osborn) recount a boyhood experience during which he witnessed the purchase of the original townsite property.

He was chopping wood with his father, John P. Osborn, in a mesquite thicket where the Adams Hotel now stands, when they heard two homesteaders arguing violently about their adjoining claims. It occurred to Neri's father that the two quarter sections would make a much more suitable townsite than Swilling's proposed location near what is now 40th Street and Van Buren. No land filed for homestead purposes could be used as a townsite, so John Osborn settled the raging dispute by purchasing the land himself for about $50. He then relinquished ownership to the property so that it could be used as the original townsite.

Surveyed by Capt. William A. Hancock in November of 1870, the original townsite was one mile long (from Seventh Street to Seventh Avenue) and one-half mile wide (from Van Buren to Jackson Street). Main streets such as Washington, Jefferson, and Center (now Central Avenue) were made roo feet wide, while the others were 80 feet. Most blocks were 300 feet long and contained 12 lots.

The manuscripts of the late Phoenix historian, James M. Barney, reveal 1871 was a year of many firsts. Capt. Hancock, often referred to as the "Father of Phoenix" due to his many contributions to early development, constructed the first building upon the townsite. Known as Hancock's Store, it played an important part in the history of both the town and county. Within its adobe walls the business of Phoenix Townsite was conducted, and when Maricopa County originated in theSpring of the year, it also housed the county offices. In the same building William M. Smith started the first general merchandise store, and James P. Holcomb opened a butcher shop.

It was an "original meat market" in that Holcomb simply killed a steer and cut the meat in quarters which he then hung up. Customers, furnishing their own knives, cut what they wanted and payed 25-30 cents per pound. In those days only one beef was consumed per week by the community. It should be noted that there was no railroad within 1,000 miles of the state and all supplies were hauled in by wagon train from St. Louis or Yuma. Flour sold for $10 gold per 100 pounds, and bacon was bought at $1 per pound.

That was the year Judge William H. Kirkland constructed the first family residence within the townsite limits, and the first flour mill, The Bichard Mill, began operation in the Valley. Col. James D. Monihon planted the first cottonwood tree, a practice which was to become so popular that the community would be nicknamed "Forest City.

By far the most exciting event of the year was the first election, held May 1, 1871, for the purpose of choosing a county seat for the newly created Maricopa County and the first set of county officials. The election caused the first bloodshed on the townsite when James Favorite, a candidate for sheriff, was killed by his rival, John A. Chenoweth, during a shootout following a violent argument. Sorry about the loss of his friend, Chenoweth withdrew from the political race and the office was later claimed by Tom Barnum.

Though Phoenix and her champions won the day, historian Barney reports the contest for county seat was close, for Swilling and his "Peoples Ticket" favored Mill City, site of the old Phoenix Settlement. Elections at that time were conducted in a free and simple manner with few restrictions and much opportunity for trickery, which seemed to appeal to both sides. Advocates of Phoenix's "Railroad Ticket" even went so far as to "induce" some Papago Indians to vote in the guise of Mexicans at the polls on the Gila River. They were then taken by wagon loads to the Phoenix polling place where they again voted as Mexican residents of the county, and returned in a few hours to vote another time in different attire before being quietly rushed out of town.

And so Phoenix savoured the taste of achievement and started her amazing saga of success. Water, through irrigation, had given her life and promise . . . promise attracted people . . . people brought progress.

Infancy-Through the 1870-1880 decade

In the first ten years of her infancy Phoenix changed a great deal both in appearance and personality. As families rumbled down the dusty road to town, more real estate was sold. Adobe houses (made of mud bricks which were sun dried) and farms began to dot the desert. All manner of business and community enterprises sprang up to meet the needs of the citizenry.

Sundays in 1876 saw the main street thronged with people as farmers donned white shirts and came to town. The Tucson Citizen reported "Farrow, Monte, 7-up, Droppover, Cassino, Cocktails, and Cayusse races are the order of the day," but the item also noted a minister was teaching Sunday School on the quieter side of town. Phoenix witnessed one of its first lynchings that year during the traditional New Year's Eve "Grand Ball when a drunken soldier from Ft. McDowell shot the dance majordomo.

Charles McClintock's weekly Salt River Valley Herald became the town's first newspaper in 1878 and went on to become the first daily the following year. This pioneer journalist noted the economic potential of the town's first ice producing plant established by Samuel Lount in 1879.

Guided and molded by the faith, muscle, hope, and determination of the people, Phoenix flourished in the 1880's on that same foreboding desert which nurtured the young Saguaro. Lumbering freight wagons exported hay, grain, and flour to mining camps and other settlements, providing the chief source of revenue. Steamboats operating on the Colorado River teamed with freight wagons to import supplies to the isolated townTravelers often viewed the town through the windows of jostling stagecoaches, which rattled down the main street constantly. They saw Phoenix blossom with broad streets attractively bordered by running water and stately cottonwood trees. As building materials became available, adobe structures were replaced by frame and brick. Handsome public buildings began to appear.

The hospitality which, from its earliest days, has characterized Phoenicians, was symbolized by The Plaza. The cooling green shade of the park offered rest and refreshment to both resident and stranger. Its most popular feature was a well which supplied water the lifeblood of the desert community to all who passed by.

This was the Phoenix that was incorporated February 25, 1881. The people elected four councilmen and John T. Alsap as mayor. When the first regular city council meeting took place on May 9th, the leaders adopted the official seal of Phoenix and Mayor Alsap forecast the most vital issue would remain the water situation and further development of irrigation.

Another great day in the history of Phoenix occurred July 4, 1887 when the Maricopa and Phoenix Railroad Company initiated a special branch line connecting the six-year-old city with Southern Pacific's main route across Arizona at Maricopa. The ground trembled as the "iron horse" arrived, and the air was filled with shouts of excitement as Phoenicians rejoiced over this noisy link with the outside world. It was a link which would soon become vital in the growing chain of commerce, tourism, agriculture, and industry.

During the same year Phoenix inaugurated her first street car line. Operated by the Valley Street Railway Company, the original line was a narrow-gauge with about four miles of track. The light, open cars were drawn by mules and horses.

The coming of the railroad played a major role in helping the enterprising city obtain the grandest accomplishment of her existence the state capitol! Long a topic of bickering among state politicians, the site of the capitol, which was originally at Prescott in 1864, moved to Tucson in '67 and returned to Prescott in 1877. It remained there for 12 years before the permanent move was made to Phoenix in 1889. Thus, eight years after incorporation, this city became the hub of political activity in Arizona.

A childhood of disaster & determination

As the city prospered so had its people. Phoenix was virtually surrounded by flourishing green acres which yielded grain, hay, and a wide variety of citrus and other fruit.

Range cattle were brought in from the mountains to graze in the rich alfalfa fields which also helped support a thriving bee keeping industry. An early harvest season enabled farmers to send their crops to market ahead of California and Florida competitors, thus securing a premium price. The raising of poultry, dairy cattle, swine, and sheep was also popular. There was even a prospering ostrich farm with a herd of 23 birds, each weighing 300 lbs. and valued at $500. The farm supplied coveted plumes to milliners and served as a tourist attraction as well.

When the first Phoenix Chamber of Commerce was organized in 1888, some far-sighted soul requested farmers to keep crop records and report on the potential of the area at a later date. One of these farmers was C. W. Mills, who lived 11 miles west of Phoenix. Having come to the Valley in 1888 with $75, one horse, and a family of five, he bought 40 acres of land. This was fenced with cottonwood posts, hauled with one horse and a spring wagon some four miles along the Grand Canal. These posts later sprouted into a fine row of stately trees surrounding the farm. From his one acre of strawberries in 1890 he sold 2,700 boxes of fruit at an average of fifteen cents per box. That year he had a family orchard of peaches, apricots, quinces, and other fruits, with the balance of farmland devoted to alfalfa, hay, and heavy pasture. Owning siz head of cattle in addition to the one horse, he said, "This is the county for a man to start in when he is broke!"

A hint of foreboding lingered in these words, for prosperity would turn to poverty for many Phoenicians in the 1890's. Annual Spring flooding was an expected part of farming in those days, and the high water usually damaged the crude dams of rock and brush used to divert river water to canals.

But no one was prepared for the raging force which ravaged the Valley for almost a week in the Spring of 1891. Having gorged itself on abundant snow which had fallen on its lofty watershed area, the bloated Salt River rose 27 feet above its normal level, and stretched 8 miles wide in some places. The Tempe Railroad Bridge collapsed, and more than roo homes were wiped out along with crops and livestock. It's said business streets looked like canals; gamblers closed down their games, took up a collection for the needy, and helped sandbag canal banks.

An amateur show staged at the Opera House to raise funds proved so successful that the local paper wrote: "Phoenix does nothing by halves, whether it's drowning out or helping out afterwards."

Full recovery was hastened when Phoenix was connected by rail with the North in 1895 when the Santa Fe Railroad built a line by way of Ash Fork, Prescott, and Wickenburg. The city now had transcontinental ties with both the North and South. (In 1910 Santa Fe would also provide her with a direct rail connection to Los Angeles and San Francisco.) Despite man's greatest efforts, progress came to a standstill in the late 1890's, one of the blackest periods in Phoenix history. The Saguaro continued to grow, but the city withered,