SCOTTSDALE

The area which would include what would become Scottsdale was originally inhabited by the Hohokam, from approximately 300 BC to 1450 AD.[9] This ancient civilization farmed the area and developed a complex network of canals for irrigation which was unsurpassed in pre-Columbian North America.[10] At its peak, the canals stretched over 250 miles, many of which built remains

housed the first post office for Scottsdale in 1897.[15][16][18] In the early 1900s the community supported an artists and writers culture,[13] culminating in the opening of the region’s first resort in 1909, the Ingleside Inn, located just south of the Arizona Canal and west of the Crosscut Canal (Indian School Road at about 64th Street) in what is today Scottsdale.[19][20] Also in 1909, Cavalliere’s Blacksmith Shop opened in downtown Scottsdale, and the original schoolhouse was replaced by the much more expansive Little Red Schoolhouse, which remains standing to this day.[21] While not in its original building, Cavalliere’s has been in continuance operation since that time.[22]

In 1912, both the Phoenix Street Railway Company and a competitor, the Salt River Valley Electric Railway Company, proposed building streetcar lines to Scottsdale[23] but due to an economic downturn, neither was built.

Between 1908 and 1933, due to the construction of the Granite Reef and Roosevelt dams (in 1908 and 1911, respectively), Scottsdale’s population experienced a boom, growing steadily during those years. Scottsdale became a small market town providing services for families involved in the agricultural industry.[13]