Carl Hayden

The Sheriff on Capitol Hill

From the Arizona Desert to United States Capitol

In 1899, after his father became ill, Carl Hayden dropped out of Stanford University, returning to Arizona to care for his family. Hayden soon became active in the Democratic Party and pursued a political career. Early in the new century, Hayden became involved in the Democratic Party in Maricopa…
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The Stalwart Pioneer

The Mexican-American War and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo that ceded much of what would become the American Southwest to the United States set in motion a long process of transformation. Many “aspiring landowners” knew of the fresh land and acts such as the Gadsden Purchase further pushing such…
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Hayden House

La Casa Vieja

The Hayden House, or La Casa Vieja as it came to be known, is the longest-standing Mexican-adobe structure in Arizona. It was originally constructed in 1873 near the South bend of the Salt River by local Mexican and indigenous craftsmen for Charles Trumbull Hayden. "The original house was a…
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Hayden Flour Mill

A little more than a hundred years ago, Tempe was all farmland.The Hayden Flour Mill that still stands at the north end of Mill Avenue reminds us of the agricultural roots of the city and the importance of water for human habitation of the region. In 1874, Tucson-area businessman and judge…
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San Pablo

A Local Community Erased

The area in Tempe between College Avenue and Veterans Way, on the northside of University Drive, is currently home to several Arizona State University (ASU) buildings such as the Fulton Center, Mona Plummer Aquatic Center, as well as several popular restaurants. The triangular shaped area has also…
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Women Get the Vote

How Western Women Won the Vote

In the 19th century, women migrating to the West had opportunities not available to those in the East. These include the right to vote, equal pay for teachers, and more liberal divorce laws. Women confronted and supported the creation of the mythical rugged and untamed frontier. Contradictions…
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Building South Mountain

The CCC and the Landscape of the New Deal

In an effort to ease economic issues during the Great Depression, the federal government created the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) through the New Deal. The CCC was dedicated to employing young men for public improvement projects, such as constructing roads and public parks. Some of these projects were right constructed right here in Arizona.
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Crossing the Salt River

Modest Ferry to Urban Bridge

Looking at the Salt River on a map today, the vast water source is now merely drybed. What little water remains hardly resembles the great and powerful rapids of the past. For the early settlers of the Arizona territory, finding methods of crossing this waterway during high waters was a challenge for travelers and traders alike.
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The Theodore Roosevelt Dam

Developed along the banks of the Salt River, the cities of Phoenix, Tempe, and Mesa, Arizona, both both depended on the river and feared its seasonal flooding. Controlling the river emerged as a central challenge to economic development in the Salt River Dam. Construction of the Roosevelt Dam…
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Central Arizona Project

The Salt River Valley has a long history of agricultural production. The ancient canal systems were hand built long before the age of electricity. Fast forward to 1920 and the round table of George H. Maxwell and Arizona state representative Fred T. Colter, both of whom had experience with canals…
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Hohokam Canals

The Hohokan people dug a sophisticated network of canals in the Salt River Valley as a foundation for a flourishing civilization. With a population estimated to be as many as 80,000 individuals at its height, the culture flourished for more than 1000 years in the unforgiving Sonoran desert before disappearing in about 1450 CE.
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Interning the Japanese

Gila River Concentration Camp

On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 which gave permission for the War Department to relocate Japanese and Japanese-Americans living in the western United States to concentration camps. In March 1942, with the aid of US Census data and military support,…
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Hayden Library

A Lasting Legacy Lives On

Dedicated in 1966, the Charles Trumbull Hayden Library stands at the center of the Arizona State University Tempe campus. Presently under renovation, the Library's unique and changing architecture--including an underground entrance and lantern skylight protruding from the lawn--seeks to create a bridge between past and present on the campus.
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