As the vacant adobe homes stood silent for 400 years, the Vally waited patiently for a another civilization to show up. One day in 1867 a man named Jack Swilling stopped to rest his horse by the white tanks mountains. He look down and across  the expansive salt river Vally and to his eyes caught the rich gleam of the brown dry soil turned up by the horses hooves. He saw farm land in the Vally of the sun. All it needed was water....

In march of 1868 water flowed through the Vally once again. A colony had formed approximately 4 miles east of the present city. The town was first named " SWILLINGs MILL " then " HELLING MILL ", after which it became " MILL CITY ". Years later " EAST PHOENIX "

It was meant to say that the city of phoenix rose from the ashes of the " HOHOKAM   <  THE PEOPLE WHO WENT MISSING >

It was DARREL DOPPA who suggested the name " PHOENIX " because the town would spring from the ruins of a former civilization.   Phoenix was officially recognized on MAY 4th 1868.   It was named after the mythical Egyptian bird.