Apache Trail History

The Apache Trail: THE Lifeline of the Arizona Desert!

Little did mankind know the impact of an ancient migratory route through the Superstition Mountains used by the Salado Indians in 900AD.  The conception of the Apache Trail resulted in the birth, growth and development of what would become Phoenix, the 5th largest city in the United States today.

During the late 1800s, when farmers began settling in the townsite of Phoenix, the farmers utilized the prehistoric Hohokam canal system to transport water to their crops from the Salt River.  They soon realized that the inconsistent rainfall and irregular water flow from the Salt River would not ensure adequate water would reach their crop from year to year.  The discouraged farmers united and petitioned Congress for aid in constructing a dam on the Salt River to help regulate and guarantee a consistent flow of water so desperately needed to survive in the harsh and arid Arizona desert.  

In the early 1900s, manifest destiny prevailed with the U.S. Government encouraging settlement of the west.  President Theodore Roosevelt signed the National Reclamation Act in 1902 which would provide federal loans for construction of massive dams in the western United States.

Local Valley farmers pledged their land as collateral for these loans, and made plans to construct a dam at the juncture of the Salt River and Tonto Creek.  Before any work could begin at the dam site, an access roadway would need to be built.

The Apache Trail began its humble beginning as the wagon-haul road for the transportation of men, equipment, and supplies from the townsite of Mesa to the proposed construction site of the Tonto Dam.  

Construction of this 62 mile haul road began in August of 1903.  The announcement of the building of the Apache Trail and the Tonto Dam brought in approximately 1500 Apache and 400 Pima Indian laborers seeking employment.  The Apache’s brought their family members with them.  As they completed each section of the new roadway, they would construct their homes (wickiups) mile by mile.  The building of the Apache Trail was finally completed in September 1905 and construction of the Tonto Dam ensued.

Louis C. Hill was hired as the supervising engineer for the construction of the Tonto Dam.  Initially, the main purpose of the Dam was to control and regulate the water flow to the Valley.  As time progressed, Hill suggested the addition of hydroelectric generators to produce power and electricity.  Although this inclusion increased construction costs by several million dollars, he stood behind his belief that the sale of power to Arizona would be the ideal source of income to repay the cost of building the Dam.  Hill was correct.  Not only was the payoff completed in record time, a transmission power line to Phoenix via Mesa began delivering power to about 6 customers in 1909.

After completion of the Tonto Dam in February 1911, the Dam was renamed and dedicated to President Roosevelt.  It then became known as Roosevelt Dam.  Approximately 1600 people and a contingent of 30 Apache Indian laborers watched as Roosevelt pressed a button releasing the reservoir waters for the very first time. Some of the first water spilled was saved in a glass bottle.  In June 1915, an Arizona delegation including Governor George Hunt and 13 year old Esther Ross from Prescott, carried the glass bottle to the Brooklyn Naval Yard in New York.  The bottle was wrapped in a copper wire mesh provided by 2 of the local mining companies in Arizona, and was then used to christen the USS Arizona, United States’ most powerful battleship.  This bottle of water collected from Roosevelt Dam represented liquid gold for the State of Arizona.  Water was and will always be, sustenance for a land of promise and opportunity – Arizona.

As we look back on Arizona’s history, this meager footpath used by the ancient Salado Indian tribe laid the groundwork in the development of Arizona while the Dam set the cornerstone for supplying the life sustaining water and power to the city rising up from the desert floor.  This is OUR LIFELINE in the Desert!  

Roosevelt Dam still supplies much needed water and power to millions of full-time residents who now reside in the metropolis of Phoenix and its suburbs. Tourists from all over the world continue to flock to the area to gaze upon Roosevelt Dam and to experience the breathtaking beauty which abounds en-route along the Apache Trail.  

Both Roosevelt Dam and the Apache Trail played a monumental role in transforming a dry and hostile desert into the lush and prosperous land it is today.  While Roosevelt Dam maintains its distinctive roles of supplying water and power to Central Arizona, the Apache Trail is deteriorating daily after being closed following the flood damage caused in 2019 by Tropical Storm Lorena.  If not repaired and reopened, the Apache Trail will vanish as did our ancient Indian tribes and we will forever lose that valuable part of our Arizona history. 

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