USA > Arizona > History of Arizona, Vol. VI > Part 12
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"I, J. T. Alsap, Probate Judge of Maricopa County, do hereby appoint M. P. Griffin, John B. Montgomery and John P. Osborn, commis- sioners for the Townsite of the Town of Phoenix, under and by virtue of Chapter 89, Compiled Laws of the Territory of Arizona."
On June 4th, 1874, the appointed members met at the office of William A. Hancock for the purpose of organizing. M. P. Griffin called the meeting to order, when credentials were pre- sented and officers chosen, John P. Osborn being elected Chairman, and Captain Hancock, an attorney and resident of the town, Secretary.
The first meeting of the Commission after its organization was held on June 22nd, when it was decided that sessions should be held every successive Monday, commencing with Monday, June 29th, throughout a period of six weeks; that these sessions should commence at 10 A. M. and end at 3 P. M., and were to be "for the pur-
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pose of securing evidence of the ownership of town lots or parts of lots," and "that the clerk post notices to that effect in three conspicuous places in the town, inviting all parties interested to appear and show their title, if any they have." Instead of consuming six weeks, the meetings of the commission stretched over a period of nearly a year.
On July 11th, 1874, the Commissioners caused the following notice to be published in the news- papers of the Territory :
"All persons interested are hereby notified that the Commissioners of the Townsite of Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona, will be in session on Monday of each week until August 3rd, 1874, for the purpose of trying titles of claimants to town lots on said town site. Par- ties living at a distance can send their certifi- cates or other evidences of title to the Clerk of the Board."
Whenever a lot had been sold by the town Association after the laying out of the townsite, a "certificate of sale" had been given, with the understanding that this would be later super- seded by a regular deed. Upon the regular ses- sion days of the commission, holders of these certificates, or their representatives, would pre- sent themselves before that body and claim ownership to the lots therein described. In many instances. however, the property de- scribed by the certificate of sale from the Town Association had been transferred to others, and, in those cases, ownership was determined to be in the holder of the last "transfer document." John T. Alsap was the first to present a "cer-
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tificate of sale" to the commission, which had been issued by the Town Association to J. M. Williams for lots 3 and 4, in Block 34, and later assigned to Col. King S. Woolsey, who was ad- judged the legal owner. A few instances of conflicting claims of ownership to some of the town property came to light during the sessions of the Commission, which contests were ad- judged by the Commission and acquiesced in by all parties. When records of the titles to all the lots within the townsite were adjusted, the com- missioners proceeded to fix the values of the improvements on the lots.
Block 21, bounded by Washington, Center, Adams and First Streets, was the first to be considered, on October 29th, 1874, and the im- provements on Lot 2, being the northwest cor- ner of Washington and First Streets, upon which "Hancock's Store" was situated, and now known as Berryhill's Corner, were valued at $800.00. The improvements on a portion of Lot 4, just to the west of Hancock's Store, and belonging at that time to H. Morgan and Co., where the Goldberg Bros.' building now stands, were valued at the same amount as Hancock's improvements. Then came Johnny George, who had valuable improvements on a portion of Lot 4 and on Lot 6, fronting on Washington Street, about where the Capitol pool hall is now conducted, which were appraised at $2,500. Next to Johnny George was established Heyman Menassee, on Lot 8, where the Anheuser room- ing house and pool hall is now located, whose improvements were considered to be worth $200.00. Next to Menassee, on Lot 10, about
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where the Casino pool hall is now situated, which belonged to C. F. Cate, there were no improve- ments of value in 1874; neither were there any improvements on Lot 12, now generally known as the Busy Drug Store corner, which belonged at first to James Murphy, and later to Miguel L. Peralta. James Grant, the stage proprietor, was the owner of lots 9 and 11, being the south- east corner of Center and Adams Streets, known to-day as the Heard Corner, but belonging to the Goodrich estate, and his improvements were valued at $2,000. Lot 7, which belonged to J. H. Pierson, had no improvements, while Lots 1, 3 and 5, being the southwest corner of Adams and First Streets, where the Vantilburg Block now stands, and which belonged at that time to Johnny George, had improvements thereon which were estimated at $800. On April 24th, 1875, the first assessment against town property was ordered by this set of commissioners, fifty per cent of the original price being levied against all town lots owned by private individuals. On March 15th, 1875, the Commissioners ordered the following notice to be published in the "Prescott Miner" and the "Tucson Citizen":
"Notice is hereby given to all persons con- cerned or interested in the Townsite of Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona, that on the 22nd day of April, A. D. 1875, the Commissioners of said Townsite will proceed to set off to the persons entitled to the same, according to their respec- tive interests, the lots, squares, or grounds to which each of the actual or constructive occu- pants thereof shall be entitled."
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Not long after the publication of this notice, the commission held its last meeting, on May 18th, 1875, when the following was entered in their minutes :
"And it is further ordered that, the business for which we were appointed being completed, we, this day, turn over, in accordance with law the foregoing record, the accompanying list of lots with the names of the owners or occupants thereof, with the amount assessed upon each lot, and the plat of the Townsite with the value of the improvements upon the respective lots, and the names of the owners thereof, to the Probate Judge of Maricopa County, and this Board of Commissioners adjourn without day."
After the completion of their labors, the Com- missioners transmitted their report to Probate Judge Alsap, who, in accordance with the infor- mation and data therein contained, proceeded to issue deeds to the various owners of town property.
The first deed given by him under town pat- ent was to Jacob Starar, on May 18, 1875, and was for Lot 12, in Block 10, there being, on the same day, twelve other lots and parcels of town property deeded to various owners, among whom were Edward Irvine, James A. Young, C. F. Cate, Julius A. Goldwater, John Smith, Chas. W. Stearns and Morris Goldwater. In 1884, Starar's lot, on the northeast corner of Adams and Second Streets, was occupied by W. F. Mc- Nulty's private residence, while to-day, it is covered by the substantial brick building of the Arizona Republican Publishing Company.
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CHAPTER IX. EARLY HISTORY OF PHOENIX.
STORES - HOTELS - FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRA- TION - THANKSGIVING DAY-BIOGRAPHY OF J. J. GARDINER-BUILDER OF FIRST PLANING MILL, ALSO CITY HALL; VALLEY BANK BUILDING, ETC .- SALOONS-BREWERY-MATT CAVANESS, BIOGRAPHY - BARBER SHOP - PHYSICIANS AND DRUG STORES - BUTCHER SHOP - OTHER BUSINESSES - ANECDOTE OF WORMSER-CORRALS-FIRST LARGE WELL IN PHOENIX-BIOGRAPHY OF J. D. MONIHON -- THE GOLDMAN BROTHERS - H. MORGAN & Co .- NUMBER OF SALOONS-DANCE HOUSES AND GAMBLING PLACES - THE GOLDWATER BROTHERS - GRAND BALL - MARRIAGE OF CHARLES H. KENYON AND MISS MOORE-DR. W. W. JONES, JOE AND MIKE GOLDWATER ATTACKED BY INDIANS - JOE GOLDWATER WOUNDED -JOE GOLDWATER FIRST POST- MASTER OF EHRENBERG.
To give with perfect accuracy the early his- tory of Phoenix is a most difficult task. The printed records are fragmentary and incom- plete, and the historian must rely upon evi- dence given by the few old settlers remaining, and the descendants of others.
The year 1872 marked a new area in the de- velopment of the future capital, and again I wish to express my thanks, particularly to James M. Barney, who has placed at my dis-
EDWARD IRVINE.
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posal a manuscript which shows great labor in its preparation and in the accumulation of facts relative to Phoenix and the Salt River Valley during this most interesting period, as well as to James A. R. Irvine, Mrs. Mary H. Gray, Miss Caroline G. Hancock, Mrs. Laura B. Gardiner, and others familiar with occurrences during the early seventies.
In 1872 Heyman Menassee, a merchant of Wickenburg opened the fourth store in Phoenix, during March of that year. Edward Irvine, in March or April of the same year, opened the first book and news depot under the firm name of E. Irvine & Co. Mr. Irvine, at this time, was the regular correspondent for the weekly "Miner" of Prescott, writing, as a rule, under the nom de plume of "Bob." His pioneer news depot was located on south First Street, just off Washington, fronting on the west side of the City Hall Plaza, and was used by Mr. Irvine also as a law office, he having been regu- larly admitted to practice in the Territorial. courts. Mr. Irvine came to the Salt River Val- ley in 1870, and was well known among the early settlers. He was the owner of what was afterwards known as the Irvine Addition to the City of Phoenix. In 1879 he built the two story building on the southwest corner of Washington and First Streets, now occupied by the J. W. Dorris Grocery Co. This was the second brick building in Phoenix, and was at the time the most pretentious structure in the town. Many of the professional men of that day had their offices on the second floor. The corner lot occupied by the building was, as before noted,
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the first one sold in the town of Phoenix. Mr. Irvine left the Salt River Valley about the year 1905, settling in Berkeley, California, where he died in the year 1916, leaving quite a large es- tate in Phoenix. His oldest son, J. A. R. Irvine, accompanied his father to the Territory in 1870, and is still a resident of Phoenix, and one of Maricopa County's representatives in the first State Legislature. He was the junior member of E. Irvine & Co., and severed his connection with that firm on May 21st, 1875. Another son, Thomas, came to the valley about twenty years after his father, and at this writing, 1918, is a member of the well known corporation of The McNeil Co., printers and stationers, in Phoenix.
The pioneer hostelry of Phoenix was built and conducted by John J. Gardiner, and was known as the "Phoenix Hotel." It was a one story adobe building, constructed in the form of a hollow square, and stood at the northwest corner of Washington and Third Streets, where the Capitol Hotel is now located. This ground is still owned by the heirs of Mr. Gardiner, who are to-day among the largest owners and heaviest tax payers in Phoenix. In the early days this hotel was extensively patronized, and contained, among other luxuries, a curious swimming pool for the benefit of the summer guests. From the acequia along the west side of Third Street a small ditch ran into the inside court of the hotel, where it formed a large pool in a deep excavation, the overflow water finding an outlet in another small ditch which connected with the acequia along the north side of Wash- ington Street. The pool in the court was cov-
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ered with a canvas house, and in summer time the hotel guests could always enjoy a fresh cool plunge, a rare luxury at that season. Mr. Gard- iner rented his hotel at times to other parties, it being conducted for a short time in August, 1872, by Steele & McCarty, and in October of that same year by Van Warren & McCarty. For many years after it was opened to the pub- lic, Gardiner's Hotel, as it was locally known, was one of the most popular establishments in the town. Its proprietor and his wife took a commendable interest in the affairs of the com- munity. The "Fourth of July" celebration of 1872, is thus described by the correspondent of the "Miner" at Phoenix, under date of July 5th :
"But few people were in town yesterday. The great and glorious Fourth passed off very quietly. It was ushered in by a salute of small arms just after midnight, and a booming of anvils in the early dawn.
"When light enough to distinguish objects, a flag, the only one in Phoenix, was seen grace- fully waving over 'Gardiner's Hotel.' This flag was made expressly for use on the occasion. Mrs. Gardiner provided an excellent Fourth of July dinner, while the lads and lassies held a ball in the evening, and so passed the day."
The correspondent of the "Miner," under date of December 17th, 1875, gave the following account of Thanksgiving Day in Phoenix :
"On Thanksgiving Day, the boarders at the Phoenix Hotel sat down to a Thanksgiving dinner, with a huge turkey served up in Thanks- giving style. The Hon. John Y. T. Smith with
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Mrs. Smith at his right, and Judge Alsap at his left, sat at the head of the table and did the honors of the occasion in a Thanksgiving manner. Wit and wisdom flowed freely; wine and lemonade were in abundance, though the latter remained entirely untouched. At the end of the repast, the guests retired, we hope, with a Thanksgiving disposition."
Mr. Gardiner was born June 21st, 1841, in Gloucestershire, England. He learned the busi- ness of millwright and machinist, being em- ployed in a flour mill at the age of eighteen. He came to America in 1862, arriving after a voyage of three weeks on the sailing vessel, "John J. Boyd." He first located in Omaha, Nebraska, and in partnership with Henry Clif- ford he bought teams and for several years was engaged in freighting across the plains. His first trip was to Salt Lake City, from whence he went to Montana and Nebraska. The Indians being very troublesome, and a constant menace to travelers, they only went in large companies, and though some were not so fortunate, Mr. Gardiner was never molested, and prospered financially. In 1869 he went to Los Angeles, and the following year came to Arizona, settling in Phoenix, where he died February 9th, 1905. For twelve years he engaged in hauling supplies from Yuma to Tucson, Camp Grant and Pres- cott, as well as to different mining camps in the mountains. In this service he had five wagons, each provided with ten mules, and frequently as much as six tons were transported in a trip.
During this time Mr. Gardiner invested largely in Phoenix property, among them the
JOHN J. GARDINER.
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machine and blacksmith shop at the corner of Adams and Second Street, which was carried on under his supervision, and in 1886, the fine city waterworks plant was inaugurated, he being made president of the company. Wells were dug, and a well equipped plant was placed in running order. A stand pipe one hundred feet high was built; a pressure of forty pounds was maintained, and perhaps no other one im- provement has done so great a service to the city as this enterprise, with which Mr. Gardiner was connected until the year 1890. About the year 1888 he organized the Phoenix Electric Light Company, of which he was president until he sold out to the present management. The fine modern works were built under his direction on Block 19. The first planing mill in Phoenix was built and operated by him for some time, and he also erected under contract the buildings known as the City Hall, the Valley Bank Build- ing, which was then on the corner of Wall and Washington Streets and many other well known structures. In 1894 the largest flour mill in this Territory was built by him, and for six years he was at the head of the enterprise, after which he leased it. This mill was situated on the corner of Second and Adams Streets, and was three hundred by three hundred feet in dimensions, in- cluding the warehouse. All the latest improve- ments were employed in it, and it had a capacity of a hundred and twenty barrels a day. At this time Mr. Gardiner owned a fine improved farm of a hundred and sixty acres, situated about three miles from Phoenix. He was never a
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politician, nor an aspirant for office. He was affiliated with the Republican party.
His first wife having died, he married in Phoenix Miss Laura B. Franklin, to which union two children were born, Charles and Mary. Mrs. Gardiner was born in Los Angeles and educated in Mills College, Oakland, California. Her father, Samuel Franklin, was a pioneer farmer of California, and for many years was a miner in and around Prescott, after which he settled in the Salt River Valley. A son was born to Mr. Gardiner by his first wife, who now resides in Riverside, California.
Johnny Roach was the pioneer saloon man of the town. In what was known as the "Old Brewery," Cromwell A. Carpenter operated a saloon in the early part of 1872, his place of business being located about where the Central Hotel, owned by Joe Thalheimer, now stands. In April of that year Carpenter retired from business, and was succeeded by Cavaness & Cos- grove, whose saloon was well stocked with favor- ite brands of liquors and cigars. This of course, became the favorite resort of those requiring liquid refreshment.
Cavaness & Cosgrove also conducted a good wagon and blacksmith shop in the rear of their establishment, where repairing and shoeing could be done "on short notice," and owned ox teams which freighted government stores throughout the central portion of the Territory. Aside from these enterprises they also managed what was called Phoenix Wells Station, on the Agua Fria, on the direct road from Phoenix to Wickenburg and Camp McDowell, which was
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fitted up expressly for the convenience of travel- lers. In the old Brewery building where their saloon was located had been manufactured the first beer ever made in the Valley, by Abe Pee- ples, of Rich Hill fame, George Roberts, and others from Wickenburg. Matt Cavaness was widely known as a freighter, and at a later date his teams and wagons hauled much of the ore from the Silver King mine during the years of its early development. Frank Cosgrove, his partner, was one of the most popular men in this part of the Territory. He passed away at his home in Phoenix on October 13th, 1875, at the age of thirty-nine years. He had been one of the early settlers of Central Arizona, coming to this section in 1863 in the employ of Butter- field's Overland Stage and Express Company. In 1864 he settled at Maricopa Wells, where he followed his occupation, that of blacksmith, for eight years. From there he went to Camp Mc- Dowell and served as post blacksmith for one year, after which he made his residence in Phoe- nix. He was well known throughout the Terri- tory, and his genial disposition made him many friends. His death occurred suddenly from con- gestion of the lungs, and cast a feeling of gloom over the entire community, where he left a wife and five children.
W. H. Pope conducted a well equipped barber shop at this time.
Early in the history of Phoenix there was con- structed on the northeast corner of Washington and First (then Montezuma) Streets, a substan- tial adobe building by James M. Cotton and George E. Mowry. It was built in connection VI-13
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with a store house belonging to Murphy & Den- nis, which adjoined the Cotton & Mowry Build- ing on the east. The following in reference to it is found in the "Miner" of September 21st, 1872 :
"Messrs. Mowry & Cotton's new building on the corner of Washington and Montezuma Streets is fast approaching completion. This and the house of Dennis & Murphy are connected so as to form one. Sawed lumber is used en- tirely in the roof, and is found to be as cheap as and superior to the cottonwood poles. A piazza extends around it on Washington and Monte- zuma Streets and the weather boards are nicely painted."
The foundation of these buildings was com- menced in the latter part of April, 1872, and the glass doors and windows for the Mowry and Cot- ton side of the structure were received by "over- land freight" in the latter part of August, the lumber used in its construction being from the mills around Prescott.
The combination building fronted sixty feet on Washington Street and forty-five on Monte- zuma Street, the main portions of the old struc- ture standing until recently, and housing for many years the old and well-known firm of Gold- berg Bros., clothing merchants, composed of Aaron Goldberg, who reached Phoenix in June of 1875, and Dave Goldberg, a younger brother, who came to this city in December of 1876.
When the Mowry and Cotton building was completed, an old-time housewarming was had, which the press noted as follows :
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"On Saturday evening (Sept. 25th, 1872), by way of housewarming the youth and beauty of Phoenix and vicinity had a ball in the new house of Mowry and Cotton. At the upper end of the dancing floor, on a raised platform, sat the musi- cians, a young girl with a harp, a boy with a violin, and a little old man, the father of the other two musicians blowing upon a flute. Be- tween thirty and forty ladies were in attendance and gentlemen in abundance. Dancing was kept up until way in the night which, with flirtation, chit-chat, etc., made the hours pass away pleas- antly. After the dance the party repaired to the Capitol House for supper."
Messrs. Cotton & Mowry, when their building was completed, opened a high-class liquor estab- lishment, and it was used for this purpose for many years. In front of this establishment in the early days, a unique, yet serviceable sidewalk formed of empty beer bottles, turned bottom up- ward and sunk into the dirt, extended around this old building on both the Washington Street and First Street sides. The partnership between Cotton and Mowry was dissolved on August 16th, 1875.
In May, 1872, Dr. Thibodo, from Wickenburg, and Dr. Forbes, from Tucson, located in the town to practice their profession in partnership. These were the first medical practitioners in Phoenix. Commenting upon the entrance of the two pioneer physicians into the professional life of the town, the following is taken from a letter from Phoenix :
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"In case the Apache kill their victims out- right, the doctors will have to follow the honor- able profession of 'adobe making' for a living."
In the latter part of 1872, Dr. Forbes opened the first drugstore in the town in connection with his practice. Dr. Thibodo lived in Phoenix for many years, erecting the "Thibodo Building" on the south side of Washington Street, between Center Street and First Avenue, where he con- ducted a drugstore until his removal to Califor- nia, in the later nineties, where he passed away. Before removing to California he married the widow of Johnny Le Barr, who had been assas- sinated on Washington Street by a man named Mccluskey.
"Pete" Holcomb was the first butcher of the town, opening his shop at first in the pioneer building known as "Hancock's Store," in the latter part of 1871. He later took in a partner, E. T. Hargraves, the firm being known as "Har- graves & Holcomb."
In June, 1872, S. Granio, a gentleman from Sonora, Mexico, came to the valley and started a small store and butcher shop combined, in what was called the "Mexican Carriage Shop," and sold meat in competition with Hargraves and Holcomb. In October, of the same year, Copeland & Steel opened another shop.
From Elliott's "History of Arizona Terri- tory," the following description of the first butcher shop in town is taken:
"The original butcher shop was kept by Pete Holcomb, in the little building that was doing duty at the time as Courthouse, Justice's office,
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store, etc. It was in truth an original meat mar- ket, for Pete merely killed the steer, cut it in quarters, and hung them up. All customers had to cut off what they wanted, furnishing their own knives, and paying from twenty-five to thirty cents per pound for it. In those days only one beef was consumed in one week."
In June, 1872, Johnny George and Jack Wal- ters completed a new adobe building, fronting 66 feet on Washington Street, between First Street and Central Avenue and separated into two compartments by a covered alley, one of which was used for a restaurant, running back sixty feet, and the other for a saloon, running back forty feet. A second story of frame served as the hotel part of this establishment, the sec- ond to maintain accommodations for travellers arriving in Phoenix. This was also the first two-story building to be erected in the town. The saloon was opened for business on Sunday, June 9th, 1872, the proprietors serving liquors and dinner free to all. The restaurant was opened to the public soon after, in connection with which they conducted the hotel. Their place of business was known as the Capitol House, and was a very popular retreat, George having charge of the hotel and restaurant, and Walters of the saloon. This building was located on East Washington Street about where the Capitol poolroom is now located, and adjoin- ing on the west the little adobe store of Morgan and Dietrich. The main portion of this old building was destroyed in the great fire of 1886, which swept away nearly the whole of the north
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