The History of Gilbert
Gilbert started off as a train station. There was a small farming community located on the site of the present day town . In 1902, the Arizona Eastern Railway was looking for donations of right of way for a rail line between Florence and Phoenix, and a local farmer, William “Bobby” Gilbert, donated land for the tracks and a rail siding. The town that grew up around that siding became known as Gilbert.
The railway originally transported copper and gold mined in the mountains southeast of metro Phoenix into the city.. Once established, the railway then transported cattle and agricultural produce in both directions, and the community began to thrive.The train depot was built in 1905, the road running north-south across the tracks became Gilbert Road, and the actual town of Gilbert was incorporated in 1920.
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Agriculture was the mainstay of the young town, and until the late 1920’s, it was known as “the Hay capital of the world”. Many farmers fleeing the dustbowl of the Midwest settled in Gilbert, marveling at the steady supply of water available through our system of canals.
Nowadays, Gilbert has become a mostly residential community; accolades now run to “safest city” and “fastest growing city”.It’s a fine place to call home, with fine amenities and attractions-a long cry from that quiet siding on the run from Florence to Phoenix!