History/ Websites/Newspapers/Books/ Manuscripts/Weather "The story of Avondale is so closely allied with that of a place called Coldwater that the two must be treated simultaneously. Billy Moore had a freight station on the west bank of the Agua Fria River (Spanish: "Cold Water") where he had a well with clear, cold water. For both these reasons he called his place Coldwater, although many old-timers referred to it simply as Billy Moore's. Billy's place was near a ranch known as Avondale. When the railroad established a station in the area, it was a mile west of Coldwater. The new station on the Avondale ranch, however, was called Litchfield, and around it a community took shape. Moore's lost its importance as a freighting station so that the name Coldwater was gradually abandoned. It is not known why the post office was not named Litchfield when it was re-established after a lapse of six years, but the name Avondale was used instead of Coldwater because of the post office rule that once-used post office names could not be re-instated." Post Office established as Coldwater July 2, 1896. Discontinued October 3, 1896. Re-established December 29, 1897. Discountinued July 11, 1905. Post Office Re-established as Avondale March 23, 1911. Barnes, Will C.; Granger, Byrd (ed.) Arizona
Place Names University of Arizona Press. 1960
"Billy Moore, a renegade who supposedly rode with the infamous Civil War's Quantrill Gang, was fond of embellishing facts with fiction. He was also shrewd enough to invest money in land speculation. In the early 1900s, one could buy an acre in the West Valley for a quarter, and Moore became the largest land owner by buying 280 acres for 70 silver dollars. Moore demonstrated his gambling spirit by opening a general store and saloon. His Coldwater Station was a watering hole for stagecoach drivers who crossed the arid desert for the promised land of California." From Avondale City Website
City Profile--Arizona Department of Commerce
Local Government Website
Southwest Valley Chamber of Commerce
The Arizonan
West Valley View: The Weekly Newspaper of Avondale, Buckeye, Goodyear,
Litchfield Park, and Tolleson, Arizona
Arizona Republic Community Information/News
Books/Manuscripts found in the ASU Library Catalog City of Avondale, Arizona, community development plan, 1985. Miscellaneous journals, records and account books, 1864-1968 (bulk 1870-1931)
Items on the Arizona and Southwest Index Biography of Lattie F. Coor, Sr.
Primeras Familias Campesinas Association.
CE EPH DTO AVONDALE
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