The Archaeology of Swilling's Ditch: Phoenix' First Historic Canal

Summary

This report details the findings of a research project focusing upon the Swilling Ditch, conducted by Pueblo Grande Museum staff for the City of Phoenix, Aviation Department. Swilling's Ditch was originally constructed in 1868 and represents the first historic period canal of the early Phoenix settlement. A small segment of this canal had escaped destruction for many years and recently had become incorporated into the northeast portion of Sky Harbor International Airport. Air traffic planning has indicated that the airport must expand to meet future demands, and the area containing the preserved canal segment is scheduled for construction of a bypass holding pad to aid in relieving congesting on the north runway. As a consequence, Pueblo Grande Museum prepared a data recovery plan for the ditch segment in June of 1985. The interplay of detailed archival research and archaeological findings has significantly enhanced our knowledge of the events relating to the development of early historic irrigation systems in the Salt River Valley, and has also provided a context within which to evaluate aspects of the prehistoric Hohokam irrigation systems in the Phoenix area.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Salt River Project Digital Library

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Daniel Garcia

Contributor(s): Suzanne K. Fish

Submitted To(s): City of Phoenix, Aviation Department

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