|
HISTORY OF PHOENIX
The first people to settle and farm in the Phoenix area were the
Hohokam Native Americans who arrived around 300 AD. They built
135 miles of waterways which fed their crops and villages from
the water of the Salt River. It is still a mystery why these
ancient people vanished, but the accepted theory is their
settlement was destroyed by a long drought.
 It wasn't until the 1800s
that modern history began to rebuild from these prehistoric
ashes. In 1867, a farmer by the name of Jack Swilling of
Wickenburg discovered the conditions of Phoenix to be quite
suitable for farming. He established an irrigation canal
company and began digging canals.
Not
long after water began flowing into the region, a growing
number of settlers arrived to establish permanent homesteads.
A resident by the name of Darrell Duppa suggested that they
name the town "Phoenix" after the Phoenix Bird of Egyptian
legend -- a bird that was burned in its nest and from the
ashes a new and more beautiful bird arose. Druppa and other
settlers felt that the town would rise from the ashes of the
ancient cultures who had occupied the land so long before and
grow into a new and more beautiful city.
 In 1874 a patent for the site
of Phoenix was issued by Ulysses S. Grant and the city was
officially incorporated on Feb. 15, 1881. Phoenix was surveyed
and lots were established within the 96 blocks of the townsite.
Phoenix remained a small
farming community until the 1930s when tourism began to
flourish due to the warm climate and healthy environment. The
population grew in rapidly, making Phoenix the 7th largest
city in the U.S. today.
|
