Archaeological evidence indicates that people have been in the area that is now Phoenix for more than 8000 years. From the 8th century through the 14th century the Hohokam people, a society of desert farmers in the region, used water from the Salt River for an extensive irrigation canal system. Fort McDowell, the first permanent white settlement in the area, was established in 1865 about 40 km (about 25 mi) east of present-day downtown Phoenix. Two years later, Jack Swilling, a former Confederate army officer, envisioned the agricultural potential of the broad and level Salt River Valley. Swilling organized a canal company near modern Tempe to irrigate the valley.
The company's irrigation system followed the network of canals that were built there by the Hohokam some 500 years earlier. In October 1870, several settlers founded the site of modern Phoenix. In recognition of the former Hohokam culture, settler Darrell Duppa likened the new community to the phoenix, a mythological bird that consumed itself by fire every 500 years and arose anew from the ashes. Thereafter, the group adopted Phoenix as the settlement's name. Within a short time the area was producing hay, beef, flour, figs, beer, ice, eggs, and butter for the Arizona territory's growing population, particularly the mining boomtowns. Canals in the Phoenix area totaled about 386 km (about 240 mi) in 1886.
Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Phoenix Information info
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