"Elevation 1,261 feet. In T.2 N., R. 4E. Village east of Phoenix. Established by and named after the Rev. Winfield Scott, Civil War veteran. later a chaplain in the regular army. Stationed at Angel Island, San Francisco, 1888. Located a farm here and as a little settlement grew up around him they called it Scottsdale."
Barnes, Will C. Arizona
Place Names University of Arizona Press. 1997
p. 394
"An Army Chaplain, Major Winfield Scott (b. Feb. 26, 1837, Michigan; d. Oct 16, 1910) first visited this area in 1881. Later he homesteaded, taking out a patent in 1891. Meanwhile he served at Fort Huachuca, leaving his brother George in charge of the homestead. Following his retirement, Scott promoted property near his home as a health and agricultural center. The name Scottsdale became official in 1896 with the establishment of the school district. It had seventy residents in 1897. PO est Jan 21, 1897 James L. Davis, pm; incorporated June 25, 1951."
Barnes, Will C.; Granger, Byrd (ed.) Arizona's names : X marks the place Falconer Pub. Co. : distributed by Treasure Chest Publications, c1983. P. 550
City Profile--Arizona Department of Commerce
http://www.commerce.state.az.us/pdf/commasst/comm/scttsdle.pdf
City Code
http://www.municode.com/
The Arizonan
http://www.arizonan.com/scottsdale/index.html
Local Government Website
http://www.ci.scottsdale.az.us
East Valley Tribune
http://www.aztrib.com/
Arizona Republic-Scottsdale Edition
http://www.azcentral.com/community/comstories/comscottsdale.html
Scottsdale Public Library District
http://library.ci.scottsdale.az.us/
Scottsdale Historical Museum
7333 E Scottsdale Mall Scottsdale
AZ 85251
September through June Wednesday
through Saturday
10:00 am to 5:00 pm Sunday Noon
to 4pm
(480) 945-4499
http://www.scottsdalemuseum.com
Buffalo Museum of America
10291 North Scottsdale Road
Scottsdale, Arizona 85253
Open Mon -Fri, 9 - 5; Sun, 1 - 4
(by appointment).
(602) 951-1022
http://www.buffaloexpress.com/muse.html
Books/Manuscripts found in the ASU Library Catalog
Winfield Scott : a biography of Scottsdale's founder / by Richard E. Lynch.
Recollections of early Scottsdale : "the way it was" / by Bill Kimsey.
Recollections of Elizabeth Benton Frémont, daughter of the pathfinder General John C. Frémont and Jessie Benton Frémont, his wife. Comp. by I. T. Martin.
Road to Scottsdale / Albert J. Lieber ; foreword by Kurt Vonnegut.
Scottsdale : a portrait in color/Michel F. Sarda ; contributing photographers, Brad Armstrong ... [et al.].
Scottsdale, jewel of the desert : an illustrated history / by Patricia Seitters Myers
The story of Scottsdale/ by David S. Matthews
Items on the Arizona and Southwest Index
Lillian Carroll Henkel: Cook Stove in the Orchard.
FM MSM-344
Fact Sheet for Los Arcos Mall Shopping Center, Scottsdale, Arizona,
C.1969.
FE EPH W-37
Neighborhood Strategy Area Plan, Scottsdale, Arizona.
FE EPH FA-35
Arizona Highways Jan 1952
Scottsdale "the west's most western town"
Sheriff Magazine June 1954
the Early Annals of Scottsdale, History of Winfield Scott and his farming
operation before the incorporation of the townsite which grew into a thriving
economic and tourist community.
Arizona Business october 1958
Recent migration to Scottsdale
Profile of Arizona HC 107. A62p7x
Growth and Facilities of Scottsdale 1963 january
Profile of Arizona April 1966
Tourism is a primary economic force, expanding industry assisting growth.
Western City May 1968
Scottsdale's town enrichment program involves people
Western City Jan 1969
City hall reflects Scottsdale's success in involving citizens
Phoenix Magazine Jan 1976
Scottsdale Vs. Business
Phoenix March 1986
Home, Home on the ranch
Where Scottsdale's planned communities offer abundant amenities: McCormick
Ranch, Montana Ranch, and Gainey Ranch
Phoenix magazine November 1986
Scottsdale: 'the west's most western town" becomes a sophisticated
tourism and culture center: brief discussion of the major changes which
have taken place over the past twenty years.
Photograph: Street scene of Scottsdale Road. Scottsdale, Arizona, C.1925
CP MCL 97830.S4
Photograph: Aerial of the downtown area looking northwest from the intersection
of Braun and Main Streets. Scottsdale, Arizona, 1936
CP MCL 97795.PHX102
Photograph: Aerial. Scottsdale, Arizona, 1936
CP MCL 97795.S4
Photograph: Looking south on Scottsdale Road at Main Street. Scottsdale,
Arizona, C.1940
CP MCL 97832.S4
Photograph: Street scene of Scottsdale Road & Main Street. Scottsdale,
Arizona, 1941
CP MCL 97831.S4
Photograph: Combine harvesting barley from a field at the northeast
corner of Scottsdale Road and Camelback. Scottsdale, Arizona, 1946
CP MCL 918.PHX103
Photograph: Home. Scottsdale, Arizona, 1946
CP MCL 189
Photograph: Street scenes. Scottsdale, Arizona, 1955
CP MCL 36974.S4
Photograph: Aerial of Scottsdale and Tempe. Arizona, 1957
CP MCL 62559.T3
Photograph: Aerial of rodeo grounds on the northeast corner of Scottsdale
Road and Camelback. Scottsdale, Arizona, December 14, 1957
CP MCL 63057.PHX103
Photograph: Aerial of the intersection of Scottsdale& Camelback
Roads. Scottsdale, Arizona, 1957
CP MCL 63057.S4
Photograph: Aerial Looking Northeast from about 4,000 Feet of the Area
Near the Intersection of Hayden and McDowell Roads, Scottsdale, Arizona.
CP MCL 64343.PHX104
Photograph: Aerial of the intersection of Scottsdale and McDowell Roads
from about 1000 feet looking southwest. Scottsdale, Arizona, 1958
CP MCL 65365.PHX105
Photograph: Aerial of the intersection of Scottsdale and McDowell Roads.
Scottsdale, Arizona, 1958
CP MCL 65365.S4
Photograph: Aerial of the Arcadia District south of Camelback looking
east, lower left Camelback Road &44th Street with Scottsdale at the
top. Phoenix, Arizona, 1959
CP MCL 65980.A2
Photograph: Aerial from 15,000 feet of the Arcadia District, Camelback
Road, 44th Street, Camelback Mountain and Scottsdale Road. Phoenix, Arizona,
1959
CP MCL 65981.A2
Photograph: Aerial. Scottsdale, Arizona, 1970
CP MCL 98260-12.S4
Photograph: Oblique aerial of the Scottsdale Civic Center. Phoenix,
Arizona, June 29, 1970
CP MCL 98319-4.PHX86
Photograph: Aerial of the Scottsdale Municipal Airport. Scottsdale,
Arizona, 1970
CP MCL 98335.PHX86
Photograph: Aerial of the downtown area. Scottsdale, Arizona, 1970
CP MCL 98347.PHX102
Photograph: Aerial of Scottsdale Fashion Square mall on the northeast
corner of Scottsdale Road and Camelback. Scottsdale, Arizona, 1970
CP MCL 98350.PHX103
Photograph: Aerial looking northeast from about 4,000 feet of the area
around the Motorola plant at the intersection of Hayden and McDowell Roads
Scottsdale, Arizona, 1970
CP MCL 98354.PHX104
Photograph: Oblique aerial looking northwest from the intersection of
McDowell and Pima Roads. Scottsdale - Pima Roads. Scottsdale - Phoenix,
Arizona
CP SPC 196:1/ODD
Chronology of Scottsdale
Courtesy of the Scottsdale Historical Museum
1883: The Arizona Canal is built through the Scottsdale area.
1888: Chaplain Winfield Scott visits the valley in February. In July he makes a down payment of 50 cents per acre for a section of land extending east from Scottsdale Road and Indian School Road to Hayden Road, north to Chaparral Road, west to Scottsdale Road, then south back to Indian School Road. He deeds that portion of the property north of the canal back to the government because he cannot irrigate it with water from the canal. The total cost of the property is $3.50 per acre.
1889: Chaplain Scott asks his brother, George Washington Scott, to move to the property to start clearing the land for farming. Chaplain Scott asks to be transferred to Fort Huachuca in southern Arizona so he can be closer to his farm.
1893: Chaplain Scott's old Civil War wounds begin to make it difficult for him to continue as Army Chaplain. He retires and settles on his farm.
1894: The section of land just south of the Scott property is bought by Rhode Island banker, Albert G. Utley. He plans to sub-divide the 40 acres on the northwest corner of the property into a town site he plans to name Orangedale. For some unknown reason, the town site is changed to Scottsdale.
1895: The week before Christmas, a tragic house fire destroys all the Scott's belongings. All of Scott's books and papers are destroyed. His wife, Helen Scott, also loses the few reminders she has of her New York home. Fortunately, no one is injured.
Scott plants olive trees around the perimeter of a citrus grove between Scottsdale Road and Civic Center Boulevard and Second Street and Osborn Road. A few of the trees still stand along Civic Center Boulevard near the hospital.
1896: By the summer of this year, with enough students moving into the area, Winfield Scott and some of the first settlers petition the Maricopa County School Board Supervisor to form a school district. School District #48 is formed and named Scotts-Dale. Scott, John Tait and Frank Titus are appointed by the community to the first school board. In September, the men of the community meet and build the one-room schoolhouse east of the present Scottsdale Historical Museum.
1897: J.L. Davis builds a wood frame building on the corner of Brown Avenue and Main Street. It is the first store in Scottsdale.
1898: Winfield Scott is elected to the Territorial House of Representatives.
1902: John Rubenstein "Popcorn John", mail carrier, shoots and kills Peter Johnson and Amos Nigh on Scott's property. Their hay wagons are blocking the place where Rubenstein wants to park his buggy and eat his lunch. These are the first murders in the small community.
1903: Scott is appointed as chancellor of the University.
1909: The student population has outgrown the original one-room schoolhouse. The red brick building that houses the Scottsdale Historical Museum, is built for $4,000.00.
E.O.Brown replaces J.L. Davis's 1896 wood frame store with a cement block building.
1910: Winfield Scott dies in a hospital in Phoenix on October 19 from complications from his old Civil War wounds. Mrs. Scott lives until 1933. They are buried in San Diego.
George Cavalliere builds his blacksmith shop at the corner of Second Street and Brown Avenue. The city fathers say they do not want a "smelly, dirty, and noisy" blacksmith shop on Main Street. He can build it on the "outskirts" of town where it "won't bother anyone".
1912: The Baptist Church is formed in Scottsdale. Prior to this time, the church services are ecumenical.
1917: Cotton farming becomes very important to the community during World War I. Mexican immigrant families are sponsored to help in the cotton fields. The Tomas Corral family is one of the first Mexican families to arrive in Scottsdale. Mr. Corral opens an adobe brickyard near where the Center for the Arts now stands. During the Depression, Mrs. Corral sells tamales door to door. Today, the Corral family owns Los Olivos Patio Restaurant on the corner of Second Street and Wells Fargo. It is named for the olive trees that were on Second Street.
1918: The Pima Indians tie up their wagons on First Avenue. When businesses are first built on First Avenue, the street is called Pima Plaza for them.
1920: Two buildings are built south and east of the Red Brick School House. There are six teachers and 410 students in the school. E.O. Brown adds a much appreciated ice house to the back of his store. The town continues to grow. Brown's Scottsdale Ginning Company begins operating on Second Street south of Brown Avenue. Mort Kimsey incorporates Scottsdale Light and Power Company and buys power from Arizona Falls generating plant. The number of businesses increases from three to nine. Joining E.O. Brown's General Store are Johnny Rose's Pool Hall, McComb Brothers, Farmer's State Bank, A.F. Mahoney Mercantile, Sterling Drug, Herron and Walker Barbershop, Eckley's Soft Drink Emporium and Stage Office and Kubelsky's Clothing Store (originally the Boston Store).
1922: The first newspaper, Scottsdale Bulletin, is published by Roy George.L.O. Duross is appointed first superintendent of the Scottsdale School District.
1923: Scottsdale High School is built on Indian School Road. There are three students in the first graduating class. Johnny Rose razes his store and builds a new two-story, white-glazed, brick building on the site at the corner of Brown Avenue and Main Street.
1924: The Scottsdale Methodist Church is established.
1928: Scottsdale Grammar School--later known as Loloma School--is built on the corner of Second Street and Marshall Way. Garland White is the first principal. The red brick schoolhouse on Main Street becomes known as Coronado School. It is a community center and school for the first three grades. Grace Thomas Crews teaches at the school from 1929 to 1957 The first post office is built on Brown Avenue. It is now the site of Porter's Western Shop.
1929: J. Chew Song buys Johnny Rose's store. It later becomes Mexican Imports run by the Song family.
1933: The Farmer's State Bank closes March 2 for a "bank holiday" called by Governor B.B. Moeur. It never reopens. The Catholic Church is built at the corner of First Street and Brown Avenue from adobe made by the Corrals.
1937: Frank Lloyd Wright sets up a rustic outdoor camp at the base of the McDowell Mountain. It later becomes known as Taliesin West. Four inches of snow fall in Scottsdale January 20.
1941: Malcolm White buys a service station at the southeast corner of Main Street and Scottsdale Road. He turns it into Whitey's Cafe and Bar. He later builds a movie theater on Main Street. The building has a false front, a wooden sidewalk and hitching rails. They are still there.
1944: Christmas Eve several German prisoners of war escape from the Prisoner of War Camp on 64th Street South of Thomas Road through a tunnel they had dug.
1947: With the help of Tom Darlington and K.T. Palmer, Mathilde Schaefer, Lew Davis, Philip Sanderson, Lloyd Kiva New, Wes Segner and Leonard Yuschik establishes Arizona Craft Center in the E.O. Brown building. The Village Patio, Scottsdale's first shopping center, opens on the north side of Main Street with three stores. The Scottsdale Chamber of Commerce is incorporated.
1948: Lou Witzman starts Rural Metro Fire Department, a private company that served Scottsdale through the years. James H. Boyd first publishes the Scottsdale Progress as a weekly newspaper.
The Arizona Craft Center is destroyed by fire. With the help of Mrs. Fowler McCormick of farm implement fame, Lloyd Kiva New and Wes Segner begin building on two acres west of Scottsdale Road. It is known as Craftman's Court.
1951: The town of Scottsdale is incorporated. The town council appointed on July 2 includes Malcolm White, Jack Sweeney, Bill Miller, E.G. Scott (no relation to the Chaplain) and Mort Kimsey. Malcolm White is appointed as mayor by the town council. Hurley Pruitt is the first town marshal. The town signs its first contract with Rural Metro Fire Department for $4,260 per year.
1953: The Scottsdale Jaycees take over the Sunshine Festival and rename it Parada del Sol. The old bank is bought and is turned into the Rusty Spur Saloon. The bank vault is used to store the liquor.
1955: The first Scottsdale Stadium is built on the corner of Civic Center Boulevard and Osborn Road. The Baltimore Orioles is the first Major League baseball team to play there.
1957: Motorola opens on McDowell Road.
1959: Paul Messinger opens Messinger's Mortuary, Scottsdale's first, on the corner of Miller Road and Indian School Road.
1962: An ordinance is passed by the city council prohibiting the erection of new billboards. This is the forerunner to a 1969 ordinance that regulates the size and placement of signs. The City of Scottsdale Hospital is built on the corner of Osborn Road and Civic Center Boulevard. It later becomes Scottsdale Memorial Hospital
1967: Eldorado Park, Scottsdale's first major park, is built. McCormick Ranch is annexed. Scottsdale Airpark opens on the site of World War II's Thunderbird Field on north Scottsdale Road. Indian Bend Wash floods. With no bridges, traffic is kept from crossing the Wash. Schools are closed. Bennie Gonzales is hired to design the civic center. It would include the city hall, the library and the arts center with a walking mall.
1969: The Scottsdale Historical Society is formed. The city wants to tear down the red brick schoolhouse for the expansion of the mall area. The building becomes known as the "Little Red Schoolhouse". Money is raised to preserve the building by selling slates with the "Little Red Schoolhouse" logo on them. The Chamber of Commerce offers to help raise money to save and preserve the "Little Red Schoolhouse".
1970: The Scottsdale Community College is opened on the Salt River Indian Community to the east of Scottsdale.
1972: The Chamber of Commerce signs a 25 year lease with the city for the "Little Red Schoolhouse" for $1.00 a year.
1973: The Indian Bend Wash Green Belt project begins. City social services are set up at Vista del Camino. The Scottsdale Senior Center is built at the corner of Second Street and Wells Fargo.
1974: The Scottsdale Symphony is formed with Irving Fleming as director.
1980: Molly the Trolly system comes to Scottsdale. Visitors and residents are transported to the shopping areas and hotels around the town.
1985: United Cable Television comes to Scottsdale. Loloma School is bought for their headquarters. The Scottsdale Historical Society is given space for an office and displays.
1989: The Scottsdale Historical Society opens a small historical museum in the Scottsdale Financial Center on the site of Chaplain Scott's farm.
1991: The Chamber of Commerce moves to larger quarters on the Scottsdale Mall. The Scottsdale Historical Society opens the Scottsdale Historical Museum in the "Little Red Schoolhouse."
1993: The City of Scottsdale was awarded the Most Livable City Award by the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
Last Updated: July 24, 2002
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