Bird's Eye View of Phoenix, Arizona - Maricopa Co.

Summary

Artist aerial of Phoenix facing northeast

"Phoenix. The county seat of Maricopa County, is situated in the Salt River Valley, 28 miles north of Maricopa Station, on the Souther Pacific Railroad. The town is embowered in shade trees and shrubbery, has streams of living water though every street, is surrounded by orchards, gardens, and vineyards, and is one of the handsomest in the West. The streets face the cardinal points, are broad and spacious and lined with trees. The County Courthouse, in the center of a square and surrounded by trees, is a handsome two-story brick, surmounted by a tower. The School House is a large and commodions brick structure, of two stories, almost hidden in a cottonwood grove. The Methodists, Baptists and Catholics have tasteful places of worship. There are several large mercantile establishments, a steam flouring mill with daily capacity of 130 barrels, two ice factories and a planing mill. The Odd Fellows, Masons Workmen, Knights of Pythias, Good Templars and Chosen Friends have flourishing organizations. Two newspapers, the Herald and Gazette, have daily and weekly editions. The Altitude is 1800 feet above the sea level and the climate is one of the healthiest in the world. Snow never falls and roses are in bloom in December. Phoenix is the center of an extensive and fertile valley almost 30 miles in length by 10 in width, and containing over 300.000 acres. Every variety of grain, grasses, fruits and vegetables give a prolific yield. For fruits, grape culture and win making the soil and climate are especially adapted. Everything is grown by irrigation. Eight canals convey the water for the Salt River over the land. The Arizona Canal is one of the largest works of the kind in the United Stated; it i is over 40 miles in length, 36 feet wide on the bottom and 58 feet on top, is 7 feet deep and has a capacity of 46,000 miner's inches. It has reclaimed and made valuable over100.000 acres of rich land. The office of the company is at Phoenix; the President is Hon. Clark Churchill and the Chief Engineer is Charles A. Marriner. The Territorial Insane Asylum is situated near the town, also the extensive and beautiful grounds of the Arizona Industrial exposition. The Normal school is situated nine miles up the river. A branch road from the Southern Pacific will be completed to Phoenix by January 1, 1886. The town is rapidly growing, and its charming situation will yet make it the leading city of Arizona. Population about 3,500." - From the excerpt at the bottom right.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Salt River Project Digital Library

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