Arizona republican., 1900-12-25
THE FIRST HOUSE
How the Phoenix Townsite Looked
 Thirty Years Ago.

1HlrIy years ago the tOWn Slte or Phoenix was a desert waste. Mesquite and sagebrush covered the greater part of it. and the chipmunk, lizard and jack-rabbit were its only inhabi- tants. There were a few little adobe ranch houses in the surrounding coun- try, but only few. There was a stage station out beyond the asylum at the place now known as the Gardiner ranch, or Vairs Mill Jack Swilling, the notorious, had a ranch a little south and east of there, and Captain Hancock, now a resident of Phoenix, had a little store near by. John T. Dennis, also a present resident owned 8 tract including what is now known as Dennis addition to Phoenix, and James Murphy, who a number of years ago closed his eyes in death owned a ranch joining him on the south, a part of which is now Murphys addition.
 South of that was the ranch of Andy Staar, west of that, Jake Stars ranch. now the Linville addition, and to the west of that was tract on which John Montgomery and Baron Darrell Dup pa had settled and a part of which is now Montgomery addition. But as meEsioned in the beginning. the FhOe- nix town site proper was a wilderness, not even enliveed by the songs of many varieties of birds that following the track Of civilization now flock in the trees planted by man and in the brush of still uncu!tivated tracts in the val ley.
 Though the residents of those early days little dreamed what the future had in store, they saw great possibili- ties and the experimental irrigation of the time taught them there was at least a living, and perhaps wealth for some, in the raising of grain and other things for the surrounding camps as nearly everything at that time had to be brought into the territory at great expense by means of wagon trains and through a country filled with hostile Indians. It was therefore, easy to see that a town would eventually be To- cated somewhere in this valley. But where?
 Swilling wanted the town at his place, and Dennis and Murphy wanted it nearer to them. It was then par tiauy decided to place it midway be- tween the two localities, a couple of
 
 cock began the erection of an adobe. Before work was far advanced a coun- ter movement was begun. Montgomery, Staar, Murphy, Dennis and others thinking their interests were in the majority, favored the present location of Phoenix, it being nearer to them. A meeting was called to consider the To- cation of a town site. Jack Swilling attended and cast his vote for the present site, on the theory that it was so far out of the world it would have to be moved and would eventually be brought to the vicinity of his ranch.
 This settled, the next thing was to get it surveyed. There wasn't a full set of instruments in the country and the expense of importing a surveyor was not to be thought of. Captain Hancock could do the work but he had no instruments. After some time he secured an old-fashioned outfit from Florence and laid out Washington street and a few blocks on each side each way from the present city hall square. The town site association was formed, Captain Hancock stopped work on his first house near the present Pat rick ranch and took possession of the lOt OH W illCn b. 11eNl1ldn $ store now stands, agreeing to pay the association whatever price similar lots would bring when the auction sale took place. | This followed in due time and MT. | Hancock paid $70 for his lot.
 Meantime, he had begun the erection of the first house ever built on the | present town site. It was an adobe | structure and stood on the west side of | the lot. the twenty-eight feet on the | corner being vacant. Later he sold the | lot and house for $1,5OO, again secured | possession of it and still later sold it | for $2,600. It is now worth perhaps ten | times that price.
 When the town finally became a vil- lage of 500, Probate Judge John T. Alsap pre-empted it for a town site, in the interest of the association, and it was set apart by the government for that purpose, With MT. Alsap as trus- tee.
 The second house built in Phoenix was hat remembered by the timers