Phoenix the countries ninth biggest city, is an agricultural and industrial service center. Cotton, dates, olives, citrus, and other subtropical fruits and vegetables are some items grown in this area. The growth of Phoenix, however, did not begin until the early 1900’s.
Hohokam Indian legends indicate that their prehistoric ancestors mastered the Salt River Valley desert by building irrigation ditches. Then around 1450, they simply disappeared. Four centuries later, in 1864, John Smith established a hay camp on the same site.
With it’s rich mining districts and prospectors, the village soon became the supply point for the North-central Arizona Territory. Phoenix was soon suggested as the name of this rapidly growing city.
Saloons and gambling rapidly sprang up to entertain all the miners, soldiers, and cowboys who frequented the town. As more stagecoaches arrived, the outlawry became rampant. In the late 1800’s the unruly actions ended abruptly after two public hangings were done in an attempt to regain law and order.
Phoenix really began to grow in the 1900’s. In 1911 when the Roosevelt Dam on the Salt River was completed, it paved the way for the desert to be converted into farmland, which supplied power for industrial development. Then in 1926 the Southern Pacific Railroad connected Phoenix with the East. This connection enabled goods to be received quicker, and enabled travelers to journey west in relative comfort and safety.
Today Phoenix is sophisticated, bold, vital, and vigorous. It is a melody of Mexican American, Native American, and American West cultures. It is the home of the cowboy, as well as the cosmopolitan, cultural, and industrial center of the new Southwest. The city of Phoenix definitely generates the spirit of it’s heritage. Phoenix has a lot of history so I created a separate page and attached the link above.
Phoenix was a mixture of the old with the present. Sometimes I felt like we were in the old west with cowboys and spurs and everything, Then the next minute you see a huge DC-10 flying over the city and realize it is actually the 21st century.
I can't talk about Phoenix and not talk about the Arizona Diamondbacks and Chase Field . As I am on my mission to get to all of the ballparks, I was really looking forward to seeing this park. It is remarkable. Chase Field was the first facility in the world that combined a retractable roof, air conditioning and a natural turf field. This unique combination of features makes Chase Field the ideal venue for a wide variety of events any time during the year. Like those 110 plus days! Yikes. I couldn’t image sitting out in that. They keep it in the mid 70’s during those games. They also are the only team in the MLB to have a swimming pool! Besides the swimming pool, the have the Suite Lounge, Strike Zone, Miller Lite Diamond Club, Peter Piper Playhouse, Left Field Sand Lot Kids Zone, Right Field Beer Garden, Lexus Club and numerous Party Suites and Friday's Front Row Sports Grill. It Is really an amazing stadium and I was glad I was able to take a tour.
We are not very far from Phoenix and thus have been there many times. I will just give you a list of some of the more exciting things we have done in Phoenix.
| Arizona Doll & Toy Museum | Arizona Science Center | Champlin Fighter Museum |
| Deer Valley Rock Art Center | Fleischer Museum | Heard Museum |
| Phoenix Art Museum | Phoenix Grayhound Park | Phoeniz Zoo |