Show written for me ate paper ARIZONA PIONEERS years ago a wagon train of desert travelers pitched their tents beside the waters of the salt river in arizona A fertile valley was about them and the azure of a perfect sky curved down on every side to purple tinted mountains they had journeyed patiently for months over a trackless parched marched and barren waste beneath a blistering sky through a land where human loes foes had tracked them by day and menaced them by night inight under the sun a dreaded thirst under the stars a dreading vigil rough they were in aspect uncouth perhaps in mariner manner for pioneers no matter though the divine afflatus encased beneath their rude assumption conceal their finer sensibilities with a rugged semblance of their undeveloped physical surroundings but in their midst they brought a maiden fairer than aurura aurora and a man of perfect mould faith was the name of the damsel and her coorts consorts name was industry and when the weary pilgrims took each a portion 0 of f the fertile valley they had s found na and nd laid their hearthstones hearth stones there and d turned ned with plow the brown soil up towards the smiling sky this twain dwelt with them still prior frior to this time when the mighty bells of eastern cities were ringing out their announcement of the birth of the year 1878 that portion of the great salt river valley on an which mesa city now stands was an arid and plain and practically alIv in february of that year its regeneration began seated at a campfire camp fire on the banks ot of the river a few travel stained weary men almost destitute of worldly goods planned its restoration to the markets of the world from the torpor in which it had lain since the annihilation of the aztec race long centuries before frank M pomeroy john H pomeroy george W sirrine warren L sirrine theodore C sirrine charles mallory elijah pomeroy parley P sirrine from bear lake idaho and william M newell charles I 1 robson william schwartz lob job henry sm smith t h charles crismon jesse jease D hob son william crismon and J H blair all from salt lake city were their names and when in future years the youth of a wholly developed continent read the biographical histories oi of the great pioneer heroes of america no purer source for information no nobler models for emulation will be found in all the archives of occidental achievement than the earnest patient self negating abnegating ab careers of these modest but truly great and reformers of a long forgotten and a long abandoned land there will be no thrilling tale of bloody battle on their page of that great history no incident of reckless warrior courage but it will tell of hunger and of hardships bravely borne and of bercu leau lean labor cheerfully performed of smiles which conquered grim adversity smiles smile which rain bowed the very sweat upon their brows seated at that campfire their loved ones odes sleeping near the colony in all numbering seventy nine they counseled jor for twe the morrow what were their POS sessions sessio bs what had they with which to begin their battle with undeveloped nature what did they need what could they procure an inventory was mentally taken their requirements approximately discussed and the result would have dismayed many men ot of the most determined mold not so with them the first essential requisite of course was water not to assuage their thirst but the thirst of the torrid lands ditches must be made where were the engineers with their costly inspru ments and years of college training where the heavy teams and modern implements to turn this water from its sunken bed out onto the higher plain of the adjacent soil they had them not yet that night they resolved that these ditches should be dug how did they accomplish it god only knows the story of their privations their sufferings and their achievements will be told when the history of the mormon colonization niza tion is fully written in may following lol lowing W A kimball of park any ci city charles crismon jt jr joseph cain and william brim from the neigh boyhood of salt lake joined the colony and immediately began co opera tion in all ot of its undertakings later in the same year T C sirrine located in his name the section of land upon which mesa city now stands stand which section was the true rue nucleus ot of the subsequent growth of the region now known as the mesa lands bands of the salt river valley embracing as they do the wealth of vineyards orchards bards beautiful lul farms and the numerous industrial and commercial developments which are fast becoming unrivaled in the entire west the first settlers of this city were nothing it not practical every step they took was taken with an eye single to the demands of an imperative future work was their capital and with it homes must be built fields converted into farms and lots into garden patches A choice section was decided upon for the building of a town the land chosen was deeded to a townsite company by its locator T C sirrine and plans for its symmetrical apportionment were formulated by byc C 1 I robson george W sirrine and F M pomeroy who also gave it its present name it was surveyed into lots and blocks the streets being given a width of feet by A M jones the plan adopted for or the distribution of the lots all of which were an acre and a quarter in size thus making eight lots in a block of ten acres was that the settler who held one share in the newly built mesa canal each share being then valued at 2 was entitled to four lots and he who held more than one to as many more in the same ratio the work of erecting houses was then begun aud charles mallory built the first adobe house which still stands near the geographical center of the town the other buildings were constructed mexican fashion the roof being made first supported on poles and then the walls were built up to it on the completion of the canal to a distance of nine and a half miles truit fruit trees were planted and gardens speedily laid out A schoolhouse that hat also served tor for religious purposes was wa then erected of adobe and IQ in 1882 an addition to it was made about this time the place began to take on quite a village a air and it was considered entitled adt ae 1 e to municipal incorporation A petition praying tor for such was signed by sixteen cit citizens hiens on july ath 1883 and was granted by the county supervisors july rath 1883 an election was held on the first monday of august following and the officials elected were as follows A F mcdonald mayor E pomeroy G W sirrine W and A F stewart councilmen C 1 I robson recorder J H carter treasurer H C longmore assessor W marshal H S phelps under the wise direction of this governmental ern mental body the city of mesa was steadily improved streets and sidewalks received due attention iota and in the ensuing years their successors followed in the line of progress they laid down desirable homes were erected concomitant with the growth of wealth and at the present time no city can boast more elegant residence and business structures than adorn its soil the streets and sidewalks are uniform and noble in their wide proportions and are laid out to the compass cardinal points while two plazas each ten acres in extent provide for future public demands in the way of parks or recreation grounds the wealth of foliage and fruits and flowers of deep green lawns and well kept homes add much to the facial beauty of the town As an inde to the taste displayed in the selection of this foliage the pepper a stately evergreen which grows here to a ma majestic sizie size the palm the prototype of grace in arbor age the broad reaching umbrageous china and the weeping willow may be mentioned the keynote to the stable condition of the little city its finances and all other phases of of its corporate life is the fact that its citizens are unanimous in their operation cooperation co towards its prosperity irrespective of personal creed ot party population AND WEALTH beginning with a population of seven ty nine souls in the early part ot of 1878 the community has steadily grown slow it is true but f t healthfully and permanently manent ly the last city census taken january ath 1894 shows a population of six hundred and forty eight and the increase to the present time may be safely said to have swelled the number t to seven hundred in all one of the ma most t convincing evidences of the peoples prosperity is the fact that almost every family owns its own home and lands the assessment rolls of the city and county are indubitable proof of this and what is more the per capita ot of wealth is considerably larger than in many cities ot of its size size elsewhere taking the city assessment alone the 36 ten acre blocks together with the 28 29 blocks ot of fractional size excluding public property and school lands all of which are within the city limits and owed by city people and the assessed valuation of the same amounts to 37 while the improvements and personal property thereon are assessed at making a total assessed valuation of in in round num numbers this valuation however is conce conceded dod to be exceedingly cee low more so athanis than is the general rule outside the territory for instead of being assessed at one third of its actual value as is common its it is listed lisped in many cases at not more that than ott fifth and as a rule at about one fourth this thir would give an actual and fair valuation ot t oo showing a per capita distribution of wealth of it is this general custom of low assessed valuations all over arizona that makes the rate of taxation to appear so high when in reality it is no higher than in any other territory A fact worthy of note is that the assessment rolls of mesa city show that notwithstanding the low valuation at no time during the seventeen years of its existence has there been the least evidence of retrogression but eveia year has been marked by increase and an appreciable advancement of values this statement comprehends public estimate of visible properties alone and it way may be conceived that accumulation accumulate ion of individual wealth stocks bonds bash cash deposits etc the county and other investments elsewhere ot of city denizens must necessarily have increased to some extent the per capita ol of wealth and cannot therefore be absolutely stated lor for obvious reasons ITS RELIGIOUS LIFE the there r e are three church organizations in mesa city they are the baptist the methodist and the church of jesus christ of latter day saints in point of membership the latter deno denomination initiation is largely in the majority this stake of zion was first temporarily organized in october 1878 by apostle erastus snow and party from salt lake city who appointed jesse N perkins presiding id emer elder with H C rogers and G 7 W sirrine as counselors in 1880 president john taylor called A F macdonald to the presidency of the stake and he arrived from utah in february 1880 retaining H C rogers and G W sirrine as his counselors J N perkins having left the country in id december 1882 apostles moses thatcher Tb atcher and erastus snow visited the settlement and effected a permanent organization on december loth 1882 a conference was held and a change made president macdonald was sustained as was also H C rogers but charles I 1 robson was appointed in place of G W sirrine Bir rine who was honorably released on the same date elijah pomeroy was ordained bishop of mesa ward with W as first counselor and W as second on december ath 1887 president macdonald was honorably released and charles 1 I robson chosen in his stead H C rogers and collins R hakes were appointed his first and sec ond counselors respectively bisho bishop pomeroy held office until september september 27 1891 when william succeeded him his first and second counselors were WJ le baron and henry J horn on may io 10 1894 james malen ahrn was appointed to succeed bishop and david T lebaron le baron and warner H allen alien were as his counselors the maricopa maricola Mari copa stake of aon zion as this is called is in a prosperous condition the people cultivate a pure religious spirit associating their worldly welfare with their spiritual aspirations so that their religion being practical develops the best virtues of good citizenship the present membership of the various wards embraced in this stake is as follows mesa including members residing outside the city limits limit sl lehi alma nephi papago white 27 papago indian papago southern Total membership 2496 the people of mesa city are a cul aured refined church going class mormon or gentile aud and there is a good population of the latter so that the outlook for or spiritual growth may be said to indicate an increased demand lor for larger church accommodations imperative in the near future the city is well equipped with educational facilities and the several costly edifices already erected are a source of particular pride and satisfaction to the people irrigating facilities centuries ago a transcendentally wonderful people inhabited the territory now known as arizona that they were such is evidenced by the proof more conclusive than could be supplied by any 0 of the vague and undetermined hieroglyphic problems that are open always to more or less ol of doubt defying ng the mutability of time these evi dences have descended through the ages reserved as it would almost seem by deity as the key with which again to open the great coffers of wealth so long hidden from man irrigation is that key aqueducts and viaducts have been discovered during the progress of recent years the presence of which can p point to but one conclusion namely that this region was wonderfully prolific in ag agri n i horticulture and that irrigation was the leading factor in achieving that result so indisputable are these physical links between the present day and the prehistoric time that those masterful tillers of the soil and skilful ful ingenious eng engineers speak to us today through them in ip a voice which defies the urns and sepulchres chres of mortality not only telling us to advance but pointing us the way time has rolled its billows oer the ashes of both the toltec and the he aztec race but their great accomplishments are found not as eions for reproduction but ready for u clity with simple renovation it is a fact that all modern engineering science is humbled bumbled and abashed when confront ed with these living testimonies which show that this prehistoric people were centuries in anticipation of the higher modern achievements in the establishment of many of the irrigating enterprises now perfected and in operation oper aaion in arizona frequently the ancient aqueducts referred to have been adopted by locating engineers and incorporated corp orated in their general plans without in many instances the least material change of grade this was what considerably sider ably assisted the mormon colony in 1878 in the building of the mesa canal they tapped the salt river at a point four miles below its confluence with the verde river and with their imperfect implements and circumscribed facilities it was a herculean task but by availing themselves of an old aztec ditch known as the montezuma canal they were enabled to construct i ithe ith 2 space of nearly a year nine and a half miles of operative waterway at the comparatively small cost of this system has been greatly enlarged and the entire district enjoys the benefits of a most comprehensive network of majestic canals and capacious laterals literals late rals the lands all around are absolutely level and are not merely susceptible of irrigation but in their natural topography so irrigable as aa to render these canals phenomenally valuable and effective in estimating the ultimate practical and palpable benefit derivable from an irrigation ss system estein tein the first consideration should be the original source |