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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. |
