The Phoenix Grand Canal

The Grand Canal is the oldest remaining pioneer canal on the north side of the Salt River. It was constructed in 1878 by the Grand Canal Company.  The federal government purchased the Grand Canal for $20,488 in June 1906. At that time it served about 17,000 acres. It runs 21 miles through Central Phoenix.

Nine canals make up the system in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area, constructed between 1870 and 1913.  In addition to the main canals, the Valley is home to 924 miles of “laterals,” ditches that take water from the large canals to various delivery points in irrigated areas. Many of the older Phoenix neighborhoods, churches, and golf courses receive irrigation water through the lateral system. Water is routed into and through these laterals by a series of turnout gates. Residential irrigation customers take their water entitlement at regularly scheduled intervals throughout the year by opening valves that release water onto their property for specific time periods.

In the background you can see Brophy Chapel, one of the most beautiful buildings in Phoenix. The chapel was featured on this blog on January 9, 2010, and you can see it up close by CLICKING HERE.

To return to the main blog for a history of Phoenix's canals which started with the ancient Hohokam Indians, CLICK HERE.

Walking Through Roosevelt

Two more examples of the beautiful turn-of-the-century homes in the Roosevelt Historic District.

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Pioneer & Military Memorial Park

This photograph, looking east, shows the proximity of the cemeteries to the downtown Phoenix skyline.

Constructed in 1878, the Loring Vault is the oldest mauseleum in the park.  According to a pamphlet given to visitors, it is made primarily of river rock and has walls that are 15 inches thick.  However, it appears , due to the "window" showing the river rock and brick, that at some later date it was covered with adobe, perhaps due to a deteriorating condition.  Please note that this is merely surmise on my part.   Several members of the Loring family are buried in the vault, the oldest being Agnes Robinson Loring who died in July of 1878.

Darell Duppa, an Englishman who traveled the world before being lured to Arizona by the mining boom of the 1860s, was one of 300 villagers cataloged in the 1870 census living on the banks of the Salt River.  Duppa was a man of some education who marveled at the great expanse of canals left behind by the Hohokam, the ancients who had first inhabited this Sonoran Desert valley.  He predicted the settlement would one day become a great city, rising like the Egyptian bird of mythology, the phoenix, from the ashes of the old civilization.  The name caught the fancy of the citizenry and Phoenix was the name given to the new town.  Duppa later became a saloonkeeper and dabbled in mining.  He was also responsible for naming the settlement of Tempe, named for the Valley of the Gods in Greek mythology.  Duppa has changed his residence twice since his death in 1892.  Originally buried in the Masonic section of this cemetery he was moved to Greenwood by the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1921 because they believed the old cemetery was not properly maintained.  After the establishment of the Pioneer & Military Memorial Park, Duppa was returned and laid to rest for the third, and hopefully last, time in late 1991.

My thanks to Marge and Sterling of the Pioneers' Cemetery Association for their hospitality during my visit.  Only two of the cemeteries were open today when I went to visit because excavacations for tree planting  which will take place next week on Arbor Day posed a danger to visitors, but when I expressed an interest in seeing the Duppa gravestone, Sterling gave me a personal tour. 

To return to the main blog, please CLICK HERE.

Papa Ed's Mailbox

To return to the Kathy Goes A Ramblin' 365 blog to see Papa Ed's Ice Cream Parlor, CLICK HERE!

Kenilworth School/Kenilworth Historic District

These two photos show the detail of the colums and the frieze of the Kenilworth School.  If you click on the left picture to enlarge it, you may be able to see the yellow plastic material which I presume is a pigeon detractor.  It's not working very well because when I was there, there was a lot of pigeon poop on the walkway below.  But isn't this a beautiful school?  This is what schools should look like, in my opinion!

Two beautiful examples of bungalow/craftsman architecture homes close to, if not already, 100 years old in the Kenilworth Historic District.  In the first photo I was experimenting with putting text on a photo and by the time I got to the second one, I had already forgotten that that was my goal.  Oh, well, there are other things more important!

Kenilworth Historic District is an 80-acre subdistrict within the Roosevelt Neighborhood MRA. The tract of land was sold by A.G. Hubbard in 1910 to H.I. Latham who two weeks later sold the property to the Hartranft-Tweed Real Estate Company. So property flips were going on even a hundred years ago!


Kenilworth developed into an exclusive residential area due to three major influences: the extension of the Phoenix Railway streetcar line through the addition; a vigorous advertising campaign which went so far as to say that “the air is better in Kenilworth”; and the construction of the Kenilworth School in 1920.

For a picture of the beautiful neoclassical Kenilworth School, which is still in operation today, please return to my main blog HERE.

Question for Garden Guy

I thought I had deleted this post.  In the past when I've e-mailed "The Garden Guy," one of our local TV station's experts, I was unable to attach a photo to my e-mail because it's an on line submission so they don't give away his e-mail address.  So I got it all ready so when I e-mailed him I could give him a link to this blog so he could see the pictures.  Then, lo and behold, when I opened his submission form, he has added a way to e-mail three pictures.  So, like I said, I thought I had deleted this - but all I managed to delete was the text.  So since there have been comments, I've decided to leave it. 

These are the heirloom tomatoes I started growing from seeds back in January.  I wound up with around 70 plants.  Then some of them just didn't make it, I gave many away, kept about 20 for myself and now after these nasties have attacked them I think I have 9 left, so I am sorely pissed!  And I still haven't heard from The GG, but late yesterday I doused them with a good helping of a detergent spray, as Cher suggested, so maybe I'll save a few of them yet.  Thanks for stopping by.  (For some reason Blogger is not allowing me to align this text aywhere except centered!  What gives?)

The Garden of St. Mary's Basilica

Today was a fine day to go strolling downtown and at the beautiful garden at St. Mary's Basilica 

spring was all dressed up in her Sunday finest. 

I like this shot of a family, baby snoozing in the stroller, brother climbing a tree,

while mom just took in all the pretty sights.

Mother and baby admire the fountain.

As I got closer to the fountain, I discovered someone's jeans laying on the edge!  I wonder where the person went and I wonder what state of dress they went there in!

To Return to the Main Blog and a picture of the Basilica,

CLICK HERE.

Gazania

For more examples of beautiful flowers from around the world,

please visit TODAY'S FLOWERS by clicking HERE!

Blue Tiles at St. Francis Mausoleum

To return to the main blog and Bobby Blue Worth, CLICK HERE.

Willo Historic District/Bougainvillea

For information on the Willo Historic District, please return to the MAIN BLOG.

Happy Easter!