Peoria & Beyond
As communities formed in Southern Arizona, the Railroads were the key to growth and prosperity. The Wickenburg Road, Vulture Road, or what is better known as Grand Avenue paralleled the railroad tracks of the Santa, Prescott and Phoenix Railroad. The tracks led from Phoenix, Alhambra, Glendale, and Peoria and further West. Additional stops included Hesperia, Marinette, Beardsley on up to Wickenburg. A spur enable travelers to continue North to connect with transcontinental lines.
"Old" Waddell Dam (Lake Pleasant, Arizona)
Waddell Dam: Bringing Life to the Desert
By 1925, a group of local farmers headed up by William Beardsley to build Lake Pleasant Dam. Finding investors, mostly in New York, they raised over three million dollars to build a dam.Their intent was to control the flood of the Agua Fria River which varied greatly by season.The project was named…
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Castle Hot Springs
Elixir for what ails you.
Castle Hot Springs has been a site of healing and recreation dating to at least the fifteenth century. Advertisements hailed the waters' curative powers, which drew numerous local and national visitors to the “grand dowager” of Arizona resorts. Castle Hot Springs served as retreat for…
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Marinette, Arizona
Marinette is a ghost town in Maricopa County Arizona. It was located just northwest of Peoria Arizona, along the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. The site was promoted in the early 20th century for production of citrus fruit, apricots, olives, and other crops.
The town was purchased by…
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A Cotton Growing Community
The original pioneers settled in the area around the current city of Peoria in about 1886. Settlers started planting a variety of plants to see what would grow best. Additionally, early farmers raised horses and cattle, sheep, hogs, and grew grains and alfalfa to support their livestock.
Some of…
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Beardsley Arizona
Beardsley originated around a railroad station that honored Will H. Beardsley.
Beardsley began developing an irrigation project in the 1880's. For years it served as a sheep shearing point on the Santa Fe, Prescott & Phoenix Railroad. Beardsley was also the original junction of the…
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Riding the Rails in Peoria
New Routes Benefit the Community
A spur line of the Santa Fe, Prescott, and Phoenix Railroad passed through Peoria, connecting Phoenix to Prescott and the east-west transcontinental line of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway's main line in Ashfork.
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