To truly get to understand the place you are visiting, taking some time to step into their past is a must! Scottsdale has a long and storied history, one that we are proud to share with anyone who wants to learn about it, so today we are going to take a few minutes to touch on some of the more fascinating times in the history of Scottsdale.
Late to Statehood
Arizona only became an official state in the early 1900s, 1912 to be exact, but that doesn’t mean that is where our history began. The Wild West was truly crazy, and Scottsdale, known as the West’s Most Western Town, was no stranger to the crazy! Originally known as Orangeville because of the delicious citrus fruit that grew (and still grows) so readily, it was the Native Americans who first recognized the potential of our desert town, making the eastern borders of town their home. When settlers started migrating to the desert, excited by the possibilities and intrigued by the health benefits, the town became a ranching town, with life made easier by the construction of the Granite Dam in 1908 and the Roosevelt Dam in 1911. (If you have the time, a visit to the Roosevelt Dam is worth adding into your itinerary!) DC Ranch, still in operation today, is stretched out over 44,000 acres, and if you dig deep into the archives, you can still photos of cattle drives on what is now Scottsdale and Indian School Roads!
Not So Depressing
Although times were hard all over the nation during the Depression, Scottsdale soon became a sort of artists’ colony, attracting the world’s best artists and architects, including Frank Lloyd Wright. We’ve discussed it before and we will discuss it again, but if you do nothing else during your Scottsdale adventures, a visit to Taliesin West, his home and architecture school, should be at the top of your Arizona bucket list!
So Much More
The opening of Thunderbird Airfield during World War II and an internment camp for German prisoners of war gave our town a military edge, and the opening of Motorola just outside the borders of Scottsdale helped secure our place in the technology world. But at the end of the day, Scottsdale’s heart lies in the nickname it has had since the 1950s, the West’s Most Western Town. We at I Love Scottsdale are proud of our place in Arizona history, and our homes reflect all that is new and modern with hints of the historic elements you will love. Reserve your favorite escape today!
