After living in a large city like Phoenix with what seems like endless suburban sprawl, it’s easy to forget that the area was very different in the past. It’s also a pleasant surprise to discover peaceful enclaves away from all the hustle and bustle right in the middle of town. Such is the case with Sahuaro Ranch Park, not far from downtown Glendale, one of the numerous suburbs in the Phoenix area. Sahuaro Ranch was originally founded way back in 1886 on land that would later become part of the City of Glendale.
This ranch was started by William Henry Bartlett from Illinois, who no doubt was searching for new horizons as so many migrants to Arizona have done for 160 years and more. Bartlett was interested in making the desert bloom, and this idea became more appealing by 1885 once the Arizona Canal was completed. This technological feat allowed some 100,000 acres of desert to be opened for cultivation (or the equivalent of 156 square miles!) – and was instrumental in prodding Arizona to become a major agricultural producer.
Just as the Nile River was the lifeblood of Egypt from antiquity to the present day, so the Colorado River and other water sources did, and are still sustaining Arizona today. In fact, it was another “William” (William John Murphy) originally from Upstate New York who was in charge of building the 40 mile canal which made large-scale agriculture possible in this part of what was Arizona Territory by 1885. Bartlett’s ranch benefited richly from this project, and he soon had 640 acres of land growing alfalfa, figs, pecans, and citrus. When I visited the ranch in early 2020, my imagination wandered as to what a typical workday might have been like on the ranch and thought how fragrant the air must have been all those years ago in spring with everything blossoming.
It was also pleasant to imagine the area as it would have been in 1885 – without the dense population, traffic congestion, and air pollution which are thorny issues in 2023. In the 1880s and 1890s though, Bartlett continued adding to his ranch raising cattle and pigs. Another owner of Sahuaro Ranch would add cotton to the roster of crops by the 1910s. However, while the ranch still belonged to Bartlett a number of buildings were added to the property including a foreman’s house, dairy barn, a fruit packing house, a building for feed and storage, etc. Unfortunately, the original blacksmith shop, and granary building (both built prior to 1927) burned in an unsolved 2017 fire. The milk house from 1932 also burned prior to the first incident.
Nonetheless, this park still contains many original structures of interest including the main house built for Bartlett to stay when he wasn’t traveling elsewhere and a guest house for his son who suffered from tuberculosis. Along with period farm machinery on display, there is still the original garage from 1905 which used to house Bartlett’s wagons and the first autos to appear on the property. Electricity arrived by 1901 and a well house was built in 1920. All of these can be viewed while walking around the property, and it’s fun to imagine a simpler, and (hopefully!) less hectic way of life during those times. However, back then central air conditioning was unknown – and that definitely would have been a problem having to cope with the heat of the summer season! I don’t know how they did it!
In any case, its unfortunate that much of the ranch land became developed over time, but at least the city of Glendale (which administers the park) had foresight to save 80 acres between 1966-1977 and restore most of the buildings on the property. Sahuaro Ranch became listed on the It’s also a good thing that the site was finally listed on the National Register Of Historic Places in 1980. Furthermore, it’s interesting to note that some 64 years after the ranch was established, Glendale was still a small town of only 8,179 in 1950. However, by 1970 it had increased to 36,228 and more dramatically to 97,172 by 1980.
Now the city is almost at 250,000 people. Despite the fact that Glendale’s growth encroached on the surrounding area, obliterating most of the pastoral character from long ago, the remnant of Sahuaro Ranch is an enjoyable respite worth touring, is open to the public, and is located at 9802 N. 59th Ave. Glendale, AZ. For more information about Sahuaro Ranch, check out: http://www.glendaleaz.com
