Arizona republican., 1905-12-08
THE PHOENIX BATH
 FROM TOWN DITCH
The Evolution Through a Quarter of
 a Century.

Phoenix isn't a very old city nor very large one but there have been numerous changes even in Phoenix in the last quarter of a century and many things that happened no longer agu than that are now interesting histori- cal incidents. In this connection the story of the evolution of Phoenix's first bath house may prove entertaining.
 This bath house was a minor enter prise in connection with the Phoenix hotel, which was then the only cara vansary in the place, though there were a few Chinese restaurants. Most of the resident population who recogniz- ed the general utility of an occasional bath, indulged themselves surrepti- tiously after dark in the town ditch, but once in 9 while a stranger came to town who did not know about the ditch and after a long ride across the desert it was not unusual for these travellers to mention the desirability of a bath. The time came when it was positively necessary for the hotel to provide this convenience.
 The Phoenix hotel was on the north west corner of what is now Washing ton and Third streets and spread itself out over all that area between the pres ent site of the New York store and the corner east. The building, like all the others in those days days, was built of adobe. The hotel office was the little room now oc- cupied by grocery store adjoining the New York store on the east. The din- ing room was in the rear. From the office to the kitchen, on three sides of an open court. stood an adobe struc- ture which was a long string of rooms for guests, arranged like horse stalls around a corral. The main part of the hotel enclosed the west side of the court, which was a sort of a holy of holies set apart for the comfort of 1 guests. Charlie Salari, who is still a resident of the city, was the landlord, and the fact that he had a little patch of bermuda grass in the court, which was shaded by cottonwood tree, made it the finest place in town on a summer 1 evening.
 The bath house about to be described was in this court. The first construc- tion necessary was to divert a small stream of water from the ditch along the alley, through the courtyard. Next | a big whisky barrel was sunk in the ground in the course of this little court | yard brook. And that's all there was to PhoeniX's first bath house when it was first put into commission. Guests naturally had to be a little discreet in ! taking their turns and the bathing had for the most part to be done after dark. The resort became so popular
 that there was a demand for the use ] of the bath in the daytime so at great expense the landlord built four adobe walls around the barrel, except that it was necessary to leave the two ends open for the most part, so the water could run through, but in order to
 guarantee a little privacy to the batheI a sheet was spread across each door ir the end. Eventually the structure was
 adorned with a roof and it is said by
 some old timers that shelves were put
 in and it served for time as a milk
 house. But before that time quite .
 number of fellows who wore white col
 lars, drifted in here from the east anC
 it wasn't long until the Lemon hote
 was built, with a bath house in con-
 nection, in which there was real zint
 lined tub and a hose leading from {
 force pump in the well.