Item Detail
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11661
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0
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0
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English
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The Rise of the Southeastern Salt River Valley : Tempe, Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, 1871-1920
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Tempe, Arizona
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Arizona State University
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Ph.D. diss.
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"The towns of Tempe, Mesa, Chandler, and Gilbert, situated in the southeastern Salt River Valley in central Arizona, came into existence during the period from 1870 to 1920. Each town developed out of its predecessor. Tempe grew out of the business endeavors of Charles T. Hayden who built a store, mill, and ferry south of the Salt River. Two other elements helped bring about Tempe: San Pablo, the early Mexican town, and the Johnson community of Latter-day Saints. During the 1880s, Tempe embarked on a movement to improve the quality of life for the entire community. This movement was a part of the Progressive Movement. Tempe, in turn, gave the support that helped make possible the founding of Lehi and Mesa. Latter-day Saints from Utah started the community of Lehi in 1877. The second colony that arrived the following year chose to move from the Lehi Valley up to the mesa where they located a village. During the 1890s the homogeneous Mormon village metamorphosed into a heterogeneous town. This period also saw the beginning of a Progressive Movement similar to that of Tempe. South of Mesa, Alexander John Chandler acquired, using loopholes in the land laws, a huge ranch. During 1911-12, Chandler developed a town partly by using an attractive hotel, the San Marcos, to lodge potential investors in the community. At that same time, Gilbert arose alongside a railroad in an adjacent area. The settlement was not planned. It grew up as businesses, attracted by economic opportunity, came to a railroad siding where farmers shipped their crops. The community building process in these four towns came through voluntary associations such as churches, schools, and farmer associations. These voluntary associations had a kindred relationship with Progressivism and, in the case of the four communities of this study, the volunteer associations were the salient force of Progressivism. Progressivism was an attempt to improve the quality of life so that people could have more and better education, more leisure time, and longer, healthier lives. Tempe, Mesa, Chandler, and Gilbert evinced elements of this movement expressly in the form of voluntary organizations." [Author's abstract]