How Phoenix got its name
July 29th, 2021 at 6:20 pm (History, Language, Vocabulary)
Recently I discovered how Phoenix, Arizona, got its name. In ancient times, people living in the area dug a bunch of canals (135 miles of them!) to direct water from the Salt River to the plains where they were growing crops. In 1867, the area was colonized by white settlers who also dug canals and named the town Swilling’s Mill (after founder Jack Swilling). Darrell Duppa suggested the name Phoenix, “inasmuch as the new town would spring from the ruins of a former civilization.” I think this is pretty cool – a recognition (however subtle) that history didn’t begin when white pioneers reached an area.
Ahmad Mortazavi said,
August 16, 2021 at 9:18 am
Thank you for sharing this story. I learned something new about Phoenix and Arizona. As one who cares for mythology, I enjoyed reading about the origin of the Phoenix city name.