George Hirko,Southeast Valley Real Estate

History of Apache Junction Apache Junction didn’t really start off as a town; it just sort of began as a settlement along the Apache Trail, which was a major transport route for construction of the Roosevelt Dam. Originally thought to have been carved out by the Salado Indians, who inhabited and farmed the area between roughly 900-1450 ...

The History of Tempe When Fort McDowell was established on the upper Salt River in 1865, it became necessary to procure steady supplies of food and animal feed. Two small encampments were set up by enterprising farmers near Tempe Butte to grow crops; one was Hayden’s Ferry, named for the river crossing service at that location, and the ...

History of the Phoenix Area-Early yearsIn a desert, there is little more precious than water. The early inhabitants of the area, theHohokam , were keenly aware of what an asset they had with the Salt River. At that time,without dams, the river flowed freely, although flow was heavier in the spring.The river, a tributary of the Gila River, which ...

History of the Phoenix Area-Part VThe city of Phoenix had now been around for just over 20 years.In 1890, the ArizonaRepublic was established as a daily paper.1891 marked the greatest flood in the Valleyknown to that time; none of the upriver reservoirs had been constructed yet, so nothingwas there to control the flow when large amounts of water ...

  By 1870, Phoenix had been named. An exact townsite needed to be selected, and the town had to be administered. Thus was the Salt River Valley Town Association formed, and an area 1 mile long and 1/2 mile wide was designated the townsite. It ran from Jackson Street north to Van Buren, and 7th Street to 7th Avenue; the intersection of ...

  Phoenix was founded in 1867, when a man named Jack Swilling came to the area from Wickenburg. Swilling, an adventurer, gold prospector, and member of the "Gila Rangers" militia, saw the potential for agriculture in the abandoned Ho Ho Kam irrigation canals in the Salt River Valley.Many people had commented on the canals before, ...

 In a desert, there is little more precious than water. The early inhabitants of the area, the Hohokam , were keenly aware of what an asset they had with the Salt River. At that time, without dams, the river flowed freely, although flow was heavier in the spring.  The river, a tributary of the Gila River, which starts in New Mexico, and ...