Were
it not for a deluge of rain in 1887, Chandler may never have come
to be. Unable to help the region's cattle in the middle of a severe
drought Dr. Alexander John Chandler, the
first appointed veterinary surgeon in the region, made plans to move
on to California.
Stopped
by a sudden storm in Phoenix, he watched as the desert blossomed -
moved by the renewal of life he cancelled his departure and began
researching irrigation methods. With the financial backing of two
friends, Dr. Chandler formed the Consolidated Canal Company.
Completion
of the Granite Reef Dam in 1908 brought water for irrigation and thousands
of acres were cultivated - but there was not enough water to keep
the land from remaining dry. The Roosevelt Dam, completed in 1911,
brought more water but each land owner was allowed to irrigate only
160 acres.
Forced
to subdivide his nearly 18,000 acre ranch, Dr. Chandler began to advertise
his land to draw settlers to the area. The planned community with
its spacious lots, wide boulevards and town green are thanks to his
vision in hiring a city planner and architect. On May 17, 1912, Dr.
Chandler opened the townsite office. Excursion trains on the newly
completed Arizona Eastern Railroad brought 300 speculators who spent
$50,000 for land that day.
The
town then consisted of three wooden shacks -- the townsite office,
a dining hall and the Morrison Grocery. There was also a billboard
marking the site of the elegant future Hotel San Marcos.
Dr.
Chandler had an ambitious plan that was well ahead of his time. He
envisioned a landscaped central park that would be surrounded by businesses.
The walkways in front of the buildings would be covered by a trellis-like
roof, supported by colonnades. Deed restrictions required land owners
to build on their land within one year
One year after the first land sale, Chandler was beginning to look
like an established town. Businesses had been built along the west
and south side of the park, including the Bank of Chandler and the
Eastern Railroad depot.
Graded
dirt roads encircled the park, and there were wagons, carts and Model
T Fords busily moving about the town. The park was covered by grass,
with newly planted trees, and was divided into a north and south side
by the Commonwealth Canal.
The grand
opening of the Hotel San Marcos took place
on November 22, 1913. Among the 500 guests present were Governor George
P. Hunt and Vice President Thomas Marshall. The hotel was an immediate
success with wealthy visitors coming from all over the country every
winter.
But
agriculture was still the big business in Chandler at the time. Cotton,
grains and alfalfa were the primary crops. Farmers also raised cattle,
sheep and, yes, ostriches. Ostrich feathers
were used to adorn popular women's fashions. Top quality feathers
sold for as much as $250 a pound.
As the
years passed, cotton became the most common and profitable crop in
Chandler. By the time World War I began, long-staple cotton was in
demand to be used for the production of rubber tires and aircraft
fabrics. During the war, the Goodyear Tire Company leased 8,000 acres
south of town from the Chandler Improvement Company
and built the town of Goodyear.
By 1920,
Chandler had more than 1,000 residents. Automobiles had become the
main form of transportation, so the town's roads needed to be paved.
The water and sewage systems were also outdated and the utility services
were unreliable.
Arthur
Price, the local Justice of the Peace, drafted the town's first charter,
and in May of 1920, the citizens voted to incorporate and become the
Town of Chandler. Dr. Chandler agreed to serve as the first mayor
until one could be elected. They soon after elected a mayor and council.
Chandler's
population reached 3,800 by 1950 and on May 24, 1954 Chandler became
a city.
Chandler
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