History of Phoenix Arizona
GetCoveredUSA.com
June 10, 2007
Originally, archeologists thought the Hohokam of around 700AD were the earliest civilization to occupy what we now know of as Phoenix. The Hohokam created approximately 135 iles of canals for irrigation and much of which would later be used (the locations) for modern day canals and aqueducts. It is believed that somewhere between 1300-1450 AD, severe droughts and flooding lead to the Hohokams disappearance.
In 2006, a major ground up renovation of the Phoenix Civic Plaza yielded something very interesting, three of the earliest known pit houses of the Phoenix metropolitan area that were 3,000 years old and remnants of an ancient civilization were unearthed. Thousands of artifacts are being analyzed in a Tempe Laboratory by archaeologist Mark Hackbarth. Pioneers that settled early Phoenix were aware of remnants of its previous society, so they appropriately named it Phoenix after the mythical bird that dies in flames and is reborn in the ashes.
Phoenix was incorporated in 1881 and became a mayor-council type government. Judge John T Alsap was elected by a margin of 20 votes (127 to 107) to become the city's first mayor. The railroad in the 1880's turned Phoenix into a trade center and the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce was organized in 1888 to help promote business in the area.
Phoenix had Rail Mass Transit over 100 years ago!
Phoenix also had an electric streetcar system in 1893 and was decommissioned in 1948. The motto of the transport system was "Ride a mile and smile a while". The streetcar system serviced Central Phoenix on the Indian School Line traveled Washington and Van Buren Streets out to 24th Street and West past the Capital to 22nd Avenue. A route also went northwest to the Arizona State Fairgrounds. By 1920, the line reached as far as Glendale by traveling down Orangewood Ave from Central and Indian School.
The original owner and founder of the Phoenix Street Railway System, General Moses Hazeltine Sherman, had suffered too many losses, first a fire in the car bar in 1910 then an employee strike in 1913 started the deterioration of the rail system. Ridership declined and in 1925 he sold the company to the City of Phoenix for $20,000. After a great deal of debate, the City of Phoenix became the operator of the system and in 1927 the citizens voted for a $750,000 bond to fix and repair it.
The Great Depression caused the system to have a drastically reduced rider base and forces the city to cut service and increase fare, which only accelerated its decline. In 1933, the City Commission tried to revive the system by implementing a return to maximum service and a fares priced at a nickel. For the next 7 years a battle ensues over the electric car system and a new private bus operation called the Menderson Bus Line. In the late 1930's citizens start to complain and initiate the removal of the streetcars because of the noise they make. In 1940 a decision was made to replace all the streetcars with busses, however they were saved a few more years due to wartime transportation needs. There was fierce competition between the Menderson Line and the Phoenix Operated electric and bus lines, however an agreement had to be made to not engage in "wasteful competition" due to shortages of materials and fuel during the war.
By 1946, Menderson sold his Bus Company to a group of 5 lawyers and it was renamed the Metropolitan Lines. The electric streetcars were warn out and the city purchased 12 Ford 27 passenger busses because that was all that could be delivered at the time. In 1947 another fire destroys the car barn, consuming all but 6 of the electric street cars, leaving a total of 7 operational on the system. The city at the time had to make a choice between rebuilding the track and facility or just switching to the more modern busses.
In February 1948, the electric streetcars were all retired from service.
Rail Transit Makes a Return to Phoenix
Fall 2003, Ground breaks on the new Light Rail system in the Phoenix Metro Area after years of debate and public support/opposition to the idea. The following year the project is named "Metro" by public contest. The light rail line is scheduled to open in Late 2008.
The Light Rail system in many regards was late in arriving to the area due to massive growth in the Phoenix Metro Area, which is now considered the 5th largest city in the country. Freeway plans in Phoenix have been moving forward but very slowly for the last 20 years and growth has easily outpaced roadway expansion. Like many other large cities, Phoenix must deal with expansion woes on an ongoing basis.
The Metropolitan - Phoenix - Prescott - Tucson
Close to 150 years ago, Prescott and Tucson were both Capitals of Arizona before Phoenix. Oddly enough, Prescott had the crown twice! It is estimated that the future of these three cities will end up as one and be considered a just one large Metropolitan Area.
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