Fountain Hills

Address 16705 E. Ave of the Fountains Fountain Hills, AZ 85268
Phone (480) 816-5100
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Paleo and Archaic Indians

Sloping land, fertile soil and water have always attracted people to our valley. Paleo Indians came to the Southwest over 10,000 years ago. Archaeologists have found spear points amid bones of ancient bison. A cooler, wetter climate supported ancient species of camels, bison and giant sloths. As it became warmer and drier, plants, animals and people changed. As early as 1000 B.C., Archaic people followed seasonal routes along waterways here as they harvested plants and animals.
Hohokam Culture

Around 100 A. D., gradually, primitive gardening techniques evolved into complete agricultural systems and permanent settlements. They channeled water from the Verde River to irrigate the many food sources that are still present in our native vegetation. Later they began to try some of the seeds from corn, beans and squash that had evolved in what is now Mexico and Central America. This addition to their diet improved nutrition and life spans were lengthened. By 800 A. D. population was increasing rapidly here. This was the northeast corner of the Hohokam cultural area and a major traffic way of the Southwest. 10,000 people lived along the Lower Verde River. Azatlan was a significant city located near present day Rio Verde. Excavated features include four ball courts, trash mounds, fire pits, artifacts and parts of their canal system.

Their numbers peaked about 1200 A. D. and then declined. In 1358 A. D., after thirty years of extreme dryness, the Salt River swelled to its highest level in 450 years. Unpredictable water flows may have forced changes and disintegration of their Hohokam lifestyle Hohokam is a Pima Indian word, roughly translated to “Those who have vanished”.

Four Peaks

The Proterozoic (1700 million years ago) rocks at the top of Four Peaks were once mostly sand and mud at the bottom of a sea. Over time, the deeply buried mud became shale and sandstone became hard quartzite. Amethyst crystals formed between some layers. Then about 1500 million years ago, a mass of molten rock rose through the earth and came to rest below the quartzite. When the magma cooled, it crystallized into solid granite that forms the base of Four Peaks. The resistant quartzite protected the granite below from erosion, leaving Four Peaks as the highest landmark (7,600 feet) visible from Fountain Hills.

McDowell Mountains

Deposits from the Proterozoic era – over 1700 million years ago – were gradually buried and changed by heat and pressure into schist and other metamorphic rocks. These are some of the oldest rocks in Arizona. Later, igneous material forced its way up under the mountain and created the granite (1400 million years ago) found at the northern end of the mountain range and in pockets under the southern end (visible in Sunridge Canyon and Stone Ridge). Heat and chemical interaction from quartz intrusions created green epidote. After the Verde Valley dropped (faulted) during the Basin and Range formation (15-8 million years ago) erosion of the mountains created the gentle slope of the east side.

Explorers, Trappers, Prospectors

The first to record the presence of the Verde River were the Spanish in the late 1500s. Coronado came looking for the Seven Cities of Cibola.

Little in the way of written history is present until the diaries of trapper Ewing Young in the 1820s. He writes of the confluence of the Verde River (then called the San Francisco) and the Salt River. In 1828 Apaches ambushed his trapping party and 18 men were lost. In 1829 he returned with Kit Carson as a member of his group and they recorded harvesting as many as 30 beaver per night in their traps. The 1800s Verde River was a meandering, slow-moving stream, perfect habitat for beavers. Their dams gave the water opportunity to soak into the subsoil.

Dixie Mine

Prospectors were certain that the McDowell Mountains contained rich ore deposits. They were to be sorely disappointed. Our closest “glory hole” was the Dixie Mine, located in the extreme southwest corner of the McDowell Mountain Park just over two miles northwest of the northwest corner of Fountain Hills.

Details of the mine’s history are vague but the earliest report found in archives is dated 1917. At this date, 500 feet of shafts and tunnels had already been constructed. It is believed that most of the work had been done in the 1880s. Assays of 18 samples were cited, most of which showed traces of silver, gold and copper. Another mining engineer’s report in 1940 indicated that there should be “good primary ore” at the bottom of the shaft.

New investors were gained and lost about every 10 years during the first 75 years of the last century. No records have been found of any appreciable ore shipments ever being made from the Dixie Mine.

The vertical shaft and two nearby horizontal drift tunnels are barred to entry. Many petroglyphs, about 1000 years old, are visible in a wash a short hike from the horizontal tunnels.

Four Peaks Amethyst Mine

The first documented discovery of the Four Peaks Amethyst mine was around 1900 even though amethyst arrowheads indicate that Native Americans found an outcropping of some loose stones. Spanish explorers either found the deposit or obtained crystals from the Native Americans because stones were shipped to Spain where they became part of the Crown Jewels of Spain.

In 1900, Jim McDaniels was looking for gold. While he found purple crystals littering the floor of a canyon, he merely noted the find and kept looking for gold.

Ownership of the mine is vague until 1925 when records show that Gertrude Evelin of Phoenix sold the mineral rights on 20 acres of land to the Juchem Brothers. While the stone-cutting brothers from Germany would go camp out for a day or two at a time and bring back a sack of crystals, they never really operated it as a mine.

In 1963, Al and Cecile Storer purchased it and worked it for many years. They operated the Rock Hobby Shop in Phoenix and the House of Amethyst Gem Shop in Scottsdale and later in Fountain Hills. The mine was sold again in 1972 and yet again in 1977.

While the quality of the amethyst crystals rival even Siberian amethyst (said to be the finest in the world) the remote, almost inaccessibility of the mine made it financially infeasible for many decades. The mine is located between the southern-most two peaks of the Four Peaks range about 300 feet below and slightly to the right of the notch between the two peaks. It is such a rugged location that in the 1960s the Storers used burros to pack out the crystals. In the 1970s all transportation was done by helicopter.

Kurt Cavano and Jim McLachlan purchased the mine in 1997. Mining began in 1998 and continues to this day. Teams of 3-4 men spend four to five days per shift hand mining the crystals. Again, all is transported by helicopter. While there is an arduous trail going to the mine, it is closed to the public.

Military & Fort McDowell

In 1865 Major Clarence Bennett and volunteers of the 7th Infantry Regiment (7 officers and 464 men) left California for Arizona to subdue hostile Indians hiding in the Verde-Salt River Wilderness. In September, Bennett established Camp Verde west of the Verde River, eight miles above it’s junction with the Salt River.

In October, General Mason designated the site as a permanent post to be named for General Irvin McDowell. He ordered the troops to clear the land and begin construction of the fort. Mason also issued orders for conducting the war against the Yavapais. He directed the troops to scout the area north of the Salt River and east of the Verde until all Apaches were brought into submission. Mason ordered that the troops kill all male hostiles old enough to carry arms until they surrendered, capture all women and children and destroy all villages and possessions including their food supply. To Mason “Apache” was synonymous with “enemy”. Unhappily for the Yavapais, most white men, military and civilian, erroneously called them Apaches, confusing them with the more warlike Indians to the southeast.

Civilians, a clerk, a guide, a blacksmith, three herders and a post surgeon, conducted the post business. One hundred Pimas led by Chief Anton Azul and 94 Maricopas led by Chief Juan Chevariah enlisted as the first Arizona volunteers. The California volunteers labored so many hours in post construction that they had little time for pursuing the enemy, leaving that effort to the Pimas and Maricopas.

In 1866, the Civil War was over; one cavalry and three infantry companies of the United States Army replaced the California Volunteers. Captain George Sanford took over Fort McDowell’s command, serving intermittently as commander for over five years.

Men stationed at the post on the lower Verde, especially in the early days suffered great hardships. The extreme heat, long hours at work on the post farm, and a diet lacking fresh fruits and vegetables resulted in illness and even death. After much protesting by officers and men, civilians were hired as farm laborers.

McDowell troops in the 1860s went on intermittent scouts, killed or captured a few Indians, destroyed their fragile villages and food supply and infrequently recaptured stolen animals. They often did not know the names of the bands or their leaders that they confronted, nor that those attacked were guilty of any crimes against the white men. Most of the time the troops performed guard and escorting duties.

In 1868 Delche and other Indian leaders came to McDowell seeking peace. Peace was not possible because the fort commander had no authority to make peace, and no reservation had been established.

In 1871 protests in the East against Indian atrocities resulted in attempts to find a peaceful solution. In September Commissioner Vincent Colyer, personal representative of President Grant, came to Arizona. Colyer and representatives of four Indian bands held a peace conference at McDowell. The commissioner left Arizona believing that his mission to place all peaceful Indians on reservations had been successful. Meanwhile, General George Crook prepared to bring the hostile Indians to submission.

Fort McDowell reached its peak of importance in 1872 when it became the regimental headquarters for the 5th Cavalry. The post became the home of four cavalry companies and one infantry company, a total of 219 men.

In February 1872 General Oliver Howard arrived in Arizona to preserve the peace; Crook postponed his offensive. The general, a devout Christian, spent five days at McDowell. Major Eugene Carr, the post commander, denied Howard’s request to speak to the troops of religious matters.

Finally in November, Crook began his well-planned offensive against the hostile Indians. Troops from McDowell led by Captain James Burns, Chief Scout Al Sieber and Company G left the post to conquer the enemy. They participated in the Salt River Canyon Battle where 75 Yavapais, mostly women and children, died and 35 were captured.

Yavapai bands led by Chalipun surrendered to General Crook in April 1873 and agreed top live on reservations. Delche, Crook’s most wanted Indian, and his renegade band remained at large until Crook placed a bounty on his head.

In February 1875, despite Crook’s promises, the Yavapais were forced to leave the Camp Verde and Camp Date Creek reservations to live with Apaches on the San Carlos Reservation. They would remain at San Carlos for nearly 25 years.

In 1872 the Arizona volunteer companies, their ancient enemy subdued, were abolished. The following years found the Pimas’ economy disintegrating. Water from the Gila River that for centuries had irrigated their crops was diverted to the white men’s fields. McDowell troops helped settle confrontations between the Maricopas and the Pima Indians and white settlers. Other duties included protecting travelers from Indians who were out on pass or had escaped from San Carlos.

Troops led by Captain Adna Chaffee defeated rebellious Indians at the Battle of Big Dry Wash (Mogollon Rim) in 1882. It was the last major confrontation in Arizona between the United States Army troops and hostile Indians.

During the Geronimo uprisings of 1885 and 1886 small bands of Apaches often escaped from San Carlos. Troops from McDowell scouted for renegades. Occasionally, McDowell detachments participated in expeditions that guarded passes between Arizona and Mexico.

Fort McDowell’s mild winters and its proximity to the Verde and Salt Rivers and the Mazatzal and Superstition Mountains attracted many visitors from the East. By 1889 the post had become a popular resort where visitors could obtain board and room for $16 a month. Hunting rabbits and quail was a favorite sport.

In 1890 Lt. James M. Baldwin, the last of 52 officers commanding McDowell, was relieved of his command and the post was turned over to the Department of the Interior. In 1903 the area was designated as an Indian reservation.

Water In The Desert

As long ago as 200 B. C. water from the Verde and Salt Rivers was diverted to irrigate crops. The Hohokam people built 250 miles of canals in the Salt River Valley to grow cotton and vegetables. When the Hohokams disappeared around 1400 A. D., their canals were abandoned and left to melt back into the desert.

While canals were still used along the rivers by the Yavapai and Anglos for farming, there were no canals bringing the water farther into the arid desert. During the late 1800s there were several schemes going to get investors to dig canals from the rivers into the desert to increase farmlands.

It wasn’t until 1867 that two men, John Y. T. Smith and John W. (Jack) Swilling recognized the potential of the ancient ditches. They harvested Galleta hay, which grew wild along the Salt River near present day 40th Street in Phoenix to feed the cavalry horses at Fort McDowell. By clearing the ancient ditches, they could grow more crops.

In November, 1867 Swilling and the other stockholders of the Swilling Irrigating and Canal Company filed for water rights and the area claimed was “Opposite the buttes on Salt River, at a big rock about two miles above the point known as the hay camp and about twenty-five miles above the junction of the Gila and Salt Rivers.”

A settlement called Phoenix was formed in the northwest part of the township during the winter of 1867-1868.
The River Tamers

By the late 1870s the settlement called Phoenix continued to grow into a substantial agricultural community. Many more miles of irrigation canals were built. The 42-mile long Arizona Canal was constructed between 1883 and 1885 to irrigate the northern portion of the valley; five more miles were added in 1894.

But the Salt River’s flow varied more than any other river in the country. The residents were subject to the vagaries of the river, which periodically flooded and wreaked havoc on the canals. The river could become a raging torrent or become a dry riverbed and disappear all together.

The river had to be tamed, but how? Funding was the major stumbling block. As a territory, Arizona could not assume the debt necessary to build an effective dam and not enough local capital was available. Two prominent Phoenix residents, Dwight B. Heard (founder of the Heard Museum) and Benjamin Fowler went to Washington in the early 1900s and lobbied Congress for federally funded water reclamation projects that would allow local organizations to repay the government over time.

President Theodore Roosevelt signed the National Reclamation Act in 1902 and the valley citizens organized to take advantage of the new legislation. The Salt River Valley Water Users’ Association was formed in 1903.

Construction of the Theodore Roosevelt Dam began in 1904 and was completed in 1911 at a cost of $10.3 million. The original 280 foot tall structure was built from block and cement. Hundreds of laborers worked on the project, laborers forming a unique, multicultural settlement. The Apaches built the roads, Hispanics maintained supply routes and African-Americans worked in the quarries. There were Italian stonemasons, Chinese cooks and laborers of German and Irish decent as well.

Former President Theodore Roosevelt dedicated the dam on March 18, 1911. A major expansion of Roosevelt Dam was completed in 1996. This increased the height of the dam by 77 feet and doubled the capacity of Roosevelt Lake.

Just as work was beginning on Roosevelt Dam the winter floods in late 1905 and early 1906 washed out the Arizona Dam that was located one mile downstream from the confluence of the Salt and Verde Rivers. This dam was a diversion dam originally built in 1885. Work on the new dam, to be called Granite Reef Dam, was begun in 1906 and is the closest dam to Phoenix, located just south of Red Mountain.

In the 1920s the Association constructed three more hydropower dams below the Roosevelt-Mormon Flat (which formed Canyon Lake), Horse Mesa (Apache Lake) and Stewart Mountain (Saguaro Lake)

The Salt River was not the only river to be dammed. On the Verde River, Bartlett Dam was completed in 1939 forming a lake of the same name and in 1946 work was completed on Horseshoe Dam.

Ranching

As the Civil War ended, veterans and others moved west. As the prehistoric inhabitants before them, they sought fertile lands on which to farm and graze sheep and cattle. The lower 15 miles of the Verde River valley had appeal for several reasons. The valley could be irrigated for growing crops, there was plenty of rangeland for grazing cattle and sheep and it had the protection of Fort McDowell.

Two families operated a ranch north of Fort McDowell; they expanded old Hohokam canals, established cattle herds, and planted 200 acres in hay and grain. They supplied the Fort with grain, hay and beef.

In the early 1900s several ranchers operated in the Verde Valley. John Sears and Kenneth Anderson ranched in the Horseshoe Lake area and E. O. Brown in the Bartlett Lake region.

Pancho Monroy, Jack Steward and Jeff Adams were among those who ranched near Fountain Hills while George Cline and Bernard Hughes were among the prominent ranchers in the vicinity of Four Peaks. Frank Asher and William Moore operated the Box Bar, located about 10 miles north of Fountain Hills in what is now the Rio Verde area. Henry Pemberton founded his ranch on land that is now part of McDowell Mountain Park.

Sheep were periodically pastured in the Bartlett Lake areas. The main sheep trail in the state, the Heber-Reno Driveway, is located just a few miles east of Fountain Hills. This route is still used by flocks moving from winter quarters in the Salt River valley to summer pastures in the White Mountains, in eastern Arizona.

P-Bar Ranch

The early history of the P-Bar Ranch, which later became Fountain Hills, is vague. It is believed that Henry Pemberton homesteaded the early ranch sometime between 1906 and 1919. The location of his first well and ranch house is in present day McDowell Mountain Park. Some metal remains of ranch equipment can still be seen off of the Park’s Pemberton Trail.

Henry Pemberton allegedly sold his ranch to “Pink Cole” in the early 1920s and it then passed to his son, Bill Cole (former Tempe mayor), after Pink died in 1926. It was then that the ranch became known as the P Bar (P-).

In 1935 Leland Barkdoll purchased the ranch, which at that time included about 28,000 acres. He moved onto the ranch with his wife Delsie, their young daughter and a friend Dick Robbins.

In 1938, Lee Barkdoll died in a train accident. His wife Delsie, who later married Dick Robbins, inherited the ranch.

In 1946 the ranch was in need of an additional supply of water. A man named Addison Day financed the drilling of a well near the southern end of the property near a ranch hand’s line shack. The well became known as Add’s Well and was located on the site of the present day Fountain Hills High School. In 1948, a second ranch house was built near Add’s well and it became the main ranch house and headquarters. There is a monument in the student parking lot of the high school denoting the location of this ranch house.

During these years of operation of the P-Bar Ranch cattlemen ran their stock on the ranch for about $1/month/head and one cent per pound gained. Fort McDowell Indian cowboys often helped with spring and fall roundups. The ranch grew to about 33,000 acres.

Delsie Robbins sold the P-Bar Ranch in 1955 and the family moved to Phoenix.

The land was operated as a ranch until about 1968 when development of Fountain Hills started. After a series of owners and land swaps, the original P-Bar ranch became Fountain Hills and the McDowell Mountain Park.

The Story of Fountain Hills

The land that became Fountain Hills started as the P-Bar Ranch, whose more recorded history begins in 1935. The history of legal ownership of the land is very hard to trace prior to that time.

In 1955 the owner of the P-Bar Ranch (Delsie Robbins) sold it to an unknown person. Then Robert Evans, a Paradise Valley architect, gained title to the land during that same year. In 1956 Fred Eldean bought Evans’ ranch land and another parcel known as Moore’s Pasture, land to the north of the old P-Bar.

In 1964, Page Land and Cattle Company (Fred Eldean, President) swapped some California land holdings for a deed to just under 6900 acres of P-Bar lease land. This swap gave private ownership to the south 11,380 acres of the old P-Bar Ranch. The northern portion of the ranch became McDowell Mountain Park and Maricopa County land.

Robert McCulloch, the developer of Lake Havasu City, heard about the proposed Orme Dam prior to his purchase of over 12,000 acres of land, in 1968, which later became Fountain Hills. There was a proposal before the United States Congress to build Orme Dam at the confluence of the Salt and Verde Rivers forming a lake that would have inundated most of the Fort McDowell Indian Community, but would have made Fountain Hills a lakeside community.

During 1968 and 1969 construction of the fountain and main roads into Fountain Hills and some of the infrastructure of the new town took place. One of the designers of Fountain Hills was C. V. Wood, also one of the designers of Disneyland. Congress also approved the Orme Dam at this time.

December 15, 1970 is considered to be the birthday of Fountain Hills because that is the day the fountain was turned on for the first time.

1970 and 1971 saw more roads built, electric and sewer lines laid, and water storage tanks built. Every developer needs a sales office, so one was built overlooking the fountain, what is now Messingers Mortuary. McCulloch had a unique sales strategy. He purchased older prop jet airplanes when the airlines got rid of them, and, beginning in 1972, flew people out to Fountain Hills, primarily people from major cities in the east. They were provided airfare, lodging and meals. Lodging was initially in Scottsdale until apartments could be completed in Fountain Hills. In 1973 the La Fuenta Apartments were opened and lodging was now provided in Fountain Hills. The La Fuenta Apartments are now condominiums located at the corner of Saguaro Blvd. and Gunsight Drive.

Sales of homes were brisk and businesses started opening in town. The first house in Fountain Hills to be occupied is on Calaveras and Sally Ballee and her two children moved in on February 12, 1972.

Also in 1972: Businesses opened: Fountain Mountain, U-Tote-M, and a milk delivery service. The great-great grandson of Horace Greely rode from Wisconsin to Fountain Hills on horseback.

1973 brought these openings and events: Openings: Valley National Bank, Mr. G’s Interiors, Del Camino Nursery, Huck Finn’s Restaurant, Village Bazaar Shops, Paul’s Hardware and McDowell Mountain Stationary. In addition, the golf course opened for play, the second phase of condominiums to be built were completed and, finally, there was telephone service in town thanks to the operation of the new Mountain Bell switching center.

1974: The opening of Basha’s, our first pharmacy (Don’s Pharmacy) and the publishing of our weekly newspaper, the Fountain Hills Times. Our first telephone directory was published this year as well by Mr. and Mrs. Jack Gridley.

The town continued to grow, slowly at first, then gaining momentum. Several town highlights through the early years are:

1975: First Annual Arts and Crafts show, attendance of 20,000. (This show continues to this day, it is a premier arts and craft show sponsored by the Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce) Largest 4th of July celebration in Arizona
Buick commercial shot in Fountain Hills Bobby Riggs and other Hollywood celebrities attended the grand opening of the Fontana Racquet and Swim Club.

1976: Botanical Garden opened Library opened. An April hailstorm dropped ice balls on Fountain Hills, looked like a winter wonderland. First citizen groups formed to study the feasibility of incorporation.

1978: Construction was booming. The community’s Fiesta Bowl parade float won top prize. Count Basie played to a large audience in the park.

1979: 364 building permits were issued. Study and controversy concerning incorporation continued Channel 8 (PBS) sponsored the first fair in Fountain Hills as a thank you to its viewers (this became the second arts and crafts event to be held each year along with the arts and crafts festival. Both currently sponsored by the Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce)

1981: Orme Dam project formally abandoned by Congress after years of opposition by the Fort McDowell Indian Nation, the Maricopa and Tucson Audubon Societies, the Young Republicans Committee to Save Fort McDowell, ASU students, Salt River tubers, the Arizona Wildlife Foundation, the National Wildlife Society and the Tempe Democrats Against Orme.

1982: A major storm roared through town damaging 32 homes. Slow down in building because of nation wide economy. White Castle Days (White Castle hamburgers) was held at The Pub.

1983: Economic upturn. Incorporation vote taken, defeated. Great 8 Fair drew 62,000 people. 170,000 White Castle hamburgers sold at White Castle Days.
25,000 people attended the Arts and Crafts Festival

1986: Economic upswing continues. Fountain Hills becomes well settled and attracts more than 100,000 visitors annually.
1988: Incorporation lost by 65 votes. After many years of controversy, studies, and votes Fountain Hills finally became incorporated on December 5, 1989.

Our wonderful town has grown by leaps and bounds. Our population has grown to an estimated 21,740 in 2002. The 1980 census showed a population of 2,772-quite a growth spurt!

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