History of the Phoenix Area-Part IV
In 1878, the National Bank was established, to provide a safe place for money being
earned in the area. The Salt River Valley Herald, which had been established several
years earlier, changed its name to Phoenix Herald in 1880, and became a semi
weekly.This year also saw Phoenix’s first legal hanging. The town now had an ice
factory, and the Holsum Bakery opened its doors in 1881.
In 1881 the Phoenix Charter Bill was passed by the 11th Territorial legislature,toestablish a mayor-town council form of government. Governor John Fremont signed it
into law the same year. That year also saw the creation of the official city seal, with a
phoenix rising in the center.
One of the first electric plants in the West was established in Phoenix in the 1880’s,with
its steam boilers fired by mesquite wood. The coming of the railroad in 1887 was a
major economic event of the time, with the Southern Pacific train arriving for the first
time on July 4th. Goods no longer had to be moved by wagon. Phoenix became a tradingcenter, with local goods moving easily east and west. 1887 also saw the first two miles of
horse drawn streetcar, on Washington Street. The streetcars would eventually cover the
Phoenix area, going as far as Glendale.
Due to the increased pace of trade, the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce was established
in 1888. City offices were moved into the new city hall, where the central bus depot
stands today.One year later, in 1889, the territorial government moved from Prescott to
Phoenix, and things really started to happen.