The first people to settle and farm in the Phoenix area were the Hohokam Native Americans who arrived around 300 AD. They built 135 miles of waterways which fed their crops and villages from the water of the Salt River. It is still a mystery why these ancient people vanished, but the accepted theory is their settlement was destroyed by a long drought.

It wasn't until the 1800s that modern history began to rebuild from these prehistoric ashes. In 1867, a farmer by the name of Jack Swilling of Wickenburg discovered the conditions of Phoenix to be quite suitable for farming. He established an irrigation canal company and began digging canals.

Not long after water began flowing into the region, a growing number of settlers arrived to establish permanent homesteads. A resident by the name of Darrell Duppa suggested that they name the town "Phoenix" after the Phoenix Bird of Egyptian legend -- a bird that was burned in its nest and from the ashes a new and more beautiful bird arose. Druppa and other settlers felt that the town would rise from the ashes of the ancient cultures who had occupied the land so long before and grow into a new and more beautiful city.

In 1874 a patent for the site of Phoenix was issued by Ulysses S. Grant and the city was officially incorporated on Feb. 15, 1881. Phoenix was surveyed and lots were established within the 96 blocks of the townsite.

Phoenix remained a small farming community until the 1930s when tourism began to flourish due to the warm climate and healthy environment. The population grew in rapidly, making Phoenix the 6th largest city in the U.S. today.

Phoenix Skyline Today