Seeds of Growth: Neighborhoods on the Salt River Floodplain

Summary

The Salt River is a large and powerful river. While its size and power present major challenges even today, it is the ultimate source of much of the growth of Phoenix in both the city's prehistoric incarnation and in its second form as the nation's sixth largest metropolis.

The project that defined the focus of this report (see locational map, inside front cover) wraps around three sides of today's much larger Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. In some ways, the boundaries that frame this project are arbitrary, but the Salt River and its floodplain provide a unifying theme that is reflected in the stories of the people who worked in and lived on this floodplain. A remarkable variety of groups and individuals made this locality a unique corner of the world. It seemed appropriate that this report should tell the story of the area through the diverse people who shaped it, from prehistoric times to the present.

Some of the people featured in the following pages, for example the Hohokam, Jack Swilling, John Y T. Smith, and Calvin Goode, may be known to many readers. Others, such as Ann Ott and J. Parker Van Zandt, are probably lesser known, yet they played key roles in the development of the area. A few, such as Concepcion "Chona" Faz, are inadequately known, yet they left a significant mark on the landscape through the items they made and used. And still others, including Pete Bugarfn, Sister Mary Luca Junk, and Cesar Chavez, were suggested by members of the community in response to outreach efforts to identify people important to the history of the area.

This report is not a "Who's Who" of all the important people who have lived or worked in this area. Instead, it is intended to whet the reader's appetite. Each of the following stories has human interest but also touches on larger themes in local history: agriculture, commerce, transportation, neighborhood change, civil rights, heroism. The writers hope that these sketches will encourage readers to explore, on their own, the history and people of this special area. For those readers hoping to delve into family history, an introduction to the subject is provided on page 43. Finally, for those individuals seeking a deeper understanding of local prehistory and history, a Recommended Readings section is included at the end of this report (see page 44).

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Salt River Project Digital Library

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Daniel Garcia

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