History of the Phoenix Area-Part V
The city of Phoenix had now been around for just over 20 years.In 1890, the Arizona
Republic was established as a daily paper.1891 marked the greatest flood in the Valley
known to that time; none of the upriver reservoirs had been constructed yet, so nothing
was there to control the flow when large amounts of water entered the Salt and Gila
Rivers.
1893 saw the replacement of horse drawn streetcars by electric ones; these streetcars
were a prominent feature of downtown until 1948. Phoenix was connected to northern
Arizona via the Santa Fe, Prescott, and Phoenix Railroad in 1895;now travelers and
goods had another way to connect to destinations in the East and West. This no doubt
helped to solidify Phoenix’s economic pre-eminence in Arizona. The Phoenix Union
High School was also established in 1895, and enrolled its first class.
In 1897, a group of ladies known as the Friday Club began work on setting up a public
library system, and the Phoenix Library Association was established in 1899, the
forerunner of what we have today. The Phoenix Country Club and Women’s Club were
founded in 1900.
A permanent home for the state Capitol was created when a 10 acre parcel was donated at
the west end of Washington Street. The new Capitol was inaugurated in February
1901.The population had reached just over 5500!