Timeline of Mesa, Arizona

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Mesa, Arizona, United States.

Prior to 20th century

• 1878 - Mormon settlers arrive.[1]
• 1883
  • Mesa City incorporated. The townsite's bounded by Broadway Road on the south, Mesa Drive on the east, University Drive on the north, & Country Club Drive on the west.
  • Alexander Findlay Macdonald becomes mayor.
• 1892 - Mesa Free Press newspaper begins publication.[2]
• 1896 - Sirrine House built.[3]

20th century

1900s-1960s

• 1902 - Evans School for Boys opens; later renamed Mesa Ranch School
• 1908 - Granite Reef Diversion Dam is completed; the Salt River Valley Water Users' Association permanently provides water for irrigation canals in Mesa from this point, replacing the earlier Mormon-lead efforts
• 1909 - The original "Old Main" campus of Mesa High School opens
  • Mesa installs potable waterworks system
• 1911 - Roosevelt Dam is completed, regulating the flow of the Salt River for the first time, and providing cheap electrical power to parts of Mesa
  • Mesa takes over irrigation system operation within incorporated city limits
• 1915 - Mesa installs sanitary sewer system and septic tank tract at Riverview
• 1917 - Mesa purchases existing gas and electric utilities from Dr. A.J. Chandler
• 1921 - Mesa Welfare League founded.
• 1923 - Mesa Tribune newspaper begins publication.[2]
• 1927 - Mesa Arizona Temple dedicated (first time).[1]
• 1928 - first production of the Mesa Arizona Easter Pageant
• 1931 - Town area expanded.[1]
• 1937 - City Hall built.
• 1941
  • U.S. Williams Air Force Base established.
  • British Flying Training School at Falcon Field active near Mesa[4][5]
• 1948
  • Mesa Country Club established.[6]
  • Falcon Field becomes part of Mesa[5]
• 1949 - Modern wastewater treatment plant built at Riverview
• 1950
  • KTYL-FM radio begins broadcasting.
  • Population: 16,790.
• 1953 - General Motors Desert Proving Grounds opens
  • KTYL-TV (channel 12; the current day KPNX) launches. The NBC affiliate continues to be licensed to Mesa, but operates from Phoenix
  • Mesa celebrates 75th anniversary Diamond Jubilee
  • 10 million gallon Pasadena city reservoir completed
• 1962 - Westwood High School opens
• 1965 - Mesa Community College, and Adelante con Mesa[7] established.
• 1967
  • Regional Maricopa Association of Governments established.
  • Original "Old Main" building of Mesa High School burns to the ground
• 1968
  • Tri City Mall in business.
  • KMND radio begins broadcasting.
  • City of Mesa takes over operations of Falcon Field[5]

1970s-1990s

• 1970
  • Lehi becomes part of city.[8]
  • Population: 63,049.
• 1971 - Prehab of Mesa (youth-related nonprofit) established.[9]
• 1972 - Mesa High School reopens at a new location (farther east and south)
• 1972 - Mesa Central High School opens at site of original Mesa High campus
• 1973 - Dobson Ranch planned community began selling homes in the first phase of its 26-year development
• 1975
  • After extensive renovations, the Mesa Arizona Temple is rededicated
  • The Park of the Canals is added to the National Register of Historic Places; work then commences for developing park facilities and later the botanical garden
• 1976 - Mountain View High School opens
• 1977
  • Mesa Southwest Museum (later renamed the Arizona Museum of Natural History) founded
  • the original Hohokam Park opens
• 1978 - Western Design Center is founded by Bill Mensch
  • Mesa celebrates 100-year Centennial
• 1979
  • Fiesta Mall in business.
  • Mesa Amphitheatre built.
  • Mesa Weekly News begins publication.[2]
• 1980
  • Population: 152,453.[10]
  • Arizona Museum for Youth opens
  • Used Cars, filmed primarily in Mesa, opens in theaters
• 1981
  • Mesa Sister Cities Association[11] and Mesa United Way[12] active.
  • Sister city relationship established with Guaymas, Mexico.[11]
  • Champlin Fighter Museum opens
• 1983
  • Dobson High School opens
  • Sister city relationship established with Upper Hutt, New Zealand.[11]
  • Mesa Golfland opens, expanding to become Golfland Sunsplash by 1986
• 1984 - Al Brooks becomes mayor.
• 1987
  • Mesa Historical Museum opens
  • Living Word Bible Church active.[13]
• 1988
  • Peggy Rubach becomes mayor.
  • Red Mountain High School opens
• 1989 - Sister city relationship established with Caraz, Peru.[11]
• 1990
  • Population: 288,091.[14]
  • Superstition Springs Center opens
  • first section of Arizona State Route 202 opens; downtown Lehi was removed to make way for it
• 1991
  • East Valley Institute of Technology Main campus opens
  • Mesa Community Action Network active.[7][15]
• 1992
  • Willie Wong becomes mayor.
  • Mesa Solar Sox is founded
• 1993
  • Sister city relationship established with Kaiping, China.[11]
  • Williams Air Force Base closes, begins transition to Williams Gateway Airport
• 1994
  • Williams Gateway Airport opens
  • Paz De Cristo Community Center opens[16]
• 1995
  • A.T. Still University's Arizona School of Health Sciences opens
  • Heritage Academy (Arizona) opens
  • the current Organ Stop Pizza location in Mesa is opened
• 1996
  • City website online.[17][18]
  • Wayne Brown becomes mayor.
  • Arizona State University at the Polytechnic campus opens on the former Williams Air Force Base
  • Sun Valley High School opens
• 1997
  • Harkins Superstition Springs cinema in business.[19]
  • Noah Webster School opens.[20]
  • the new HoHoKam Stadium opens
• 1998 - Tri City Mall closes, all existing buildings demolished except for former site of JCPenney store, which remains standing until 2006
• 1999
  • Skyline High School opens
  • AMC Mesa Grand 24 cinema in business.[19]
  • Saint Ignatius of Antioch Church active (approximate date).[13]
  • Sister city relationship established with Burnaby, Canada.[11]
• 2000
  • Keno Hawker becomes mayor.
  • Population: 396,375.[21]

21st century

• 2002 - Desert Ridge High School opens; it is physically located in Mesa, but is part of Gilbert Public Schools instead of Mesa Public Schools.
• 2003
  • Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health opens at A.T. Still University's Mesa campus
  • Champlin Fighter Museum closed
• 2005
  • Mesa Arts Center built.
  • Mesa Miners is founded
  • Mesa adopts city flag
• 2006 - Mesa Preparatory Academy opens
• 2007
  • Mesa Riverview opens
  • Gateway 12/IMAX Theatre (cinema) in business.[19]
  • A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona opens at A.T. Still University's Mesa campus
• 2008
  • October: Immigration raid by Maricopa County Sheriff.[22]
  • Sycamore Drive and Main Street Valley Metro Rail station opens, in front of the former Tri City Mall location; it is the first Metro Light Rail station in Mesa, and is the eastern terminator until future expansions are completed
  • Scott Smith becomes mayor.[23]
• 2009
  • closure of the General Motors Desert Proving Grounds is completed
  • East Valley Mormon Choral Organization established, as part of the Millennial Choirs and Orchestras
• 2010
  • United Food Bank active.[24][25]
  • Population: city 439,041;[26] metro 4,192,887.[27]
• 2011
  • East Valley Institute of Technology East campus opened, adjacent to ASU Polytechnic
  • Humanist Society of Greater Phoenix active.[13][28]
• 2012
  • February 22: Republican Party presidential primaries debate held.[29]
  • December 10: Alexander murder trial begins.
• 2013
  • Mesa Grande Cultural Park opens.[30]
  • Matt Salmon becomes U.S. representative for Arizona's 5th congressional district and Kyrsten Sinema becomes U.S. representative for Arizona's 9th congressional district.[31]
  • the inaugural Visit Mesa Gateway Classic annual golf tournament is held
• 2014
  • Cubs Park opens

See also

• History of Mesa, Arizona
• List of Mayors of Mesa, Arizona
• Timeline of Arizona[32]
• Timelines of other cities in Arizona: Phoenix, Tucson

References

1. Federal Writers’ Project (1966). Arizona, the Grand Canyon State. American Guide Series (4th ed.). New York: Hastings House. p. 351. OL 5989725M.
2. "US Newspaper Directory". Chronicling America. Washington DC: Library of Congress. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
3. Lonely Planet 1995.
4. Mesa Public Library, Brief History of Mesa, Arizona, City of Mesa, archived from the original on March 7, 2012
5. "Falcon Field History", MesaAz.gov, City of Mesa, retrieved 2012-05-05
6. "Mesa Country Club". Retrieved February 18, 2014.
7. "MesaCAN: Timeline". Mesa, AZ: A New Leaf. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
8. D.L. Turner (2006). "Forgotten City of the Saints: Mormons, Native Americans, and the Founding of Lehi". Journal of Arizona History. 47 (1): 57–82. JSTOR 41696951.
9. "About Us". Mesa, AZ: A New Leaf. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
10. United States Census Bureau (1984), County and City Data Book, 1983, Statistical Abstract, Washington DC, OL 14997563M
11. "About". Mesa Sister Cities Association. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
12. "History". Mesa AZ: Mesa United Way. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
13. Pluralism Project. "Mesa, Arizona". Directory of Religious Centers. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
14. Population of the 100 Largest Cities and Other Urban Places in the United States: 1790 to 1990, US Census Bureau, 1998
15. Mike Tigas and Sisi Wei (ed.). "Mesa, Arizona". Nonprofit Explorer. New York: ProPublica. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
16. "History of Paz de Cristo". Mesa, AZ: Paz de Cristo. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
17. Annual Report, City of Mesa, 1996
18. "Mesa Arizona Homepage". Archived from the original on January 1997 – via Internet Archive, Wayback Machine.
19. "Movie Theaters in Mesa, AZ". CinemaTreasures.org. Los Angeles: Cinema Treasures LLC. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
20. "Mesa". Public School Search. Phoenix, AZ: Arizona Department of Education. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
21. "Mesa (city)". Arizona QuickFacts. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on March 9, 2005.
22. "Arizona Sheriff Conducts Immigration Raid at City Hall, Angering Officials". New York Times. October 18, 2008.
23. "US mayors". City Mayors.com. London: City Mayors Foundation. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
24. "History". Mesa, AZ: United Food Bank. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
25. "Arizona Food Banks". Food Bank Locator. Chicago: Feeding America. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
26. "Mesa (city), Arizona". State & County QuickFacts. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on March 9, 2005. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
27. "Largest Urbanized Areas With Selected Cities and Metro Areas (2010)". US Census Bureau. 2012.
28. "Humanist Society of Greater Phoenix". Archived from the original on November 2, 2011. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
29. "About Last Night". New York Times. February 23, 2012.
30. "Mesa Indian ruins open after decades of effort". USA Today. January 18, 2013.
31. Civic Impulse, LLC. "Members of Congress". GovTrack. Washington, D.C. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
32. Federal Writers’ Project (1956). "Chronology". Arizona, the Grand Canyon State. American Guide Series (4th ed.). New York: Hastings House.

Bibliography

• Ory Mazar Nergal, ed. (1980), "Mesa, AZ", Encyclopedia of American Cities, New York: E.P. Dutton, OL 4120668M
• Otis, Reta Reed (1996). Mesa, desert to oasis. Mesa, Ariz.: Mesa Historical Society.
• Rachowiecki, Rob (1995), "Phoenix: Mesa", Southwest, Lonely Planet, OL 24220208M

External links

• "Mesa (Ariz.)". Collection Directory. Arizona Memory Project.
• Arizona Archives Online. Materials related to Mesa, various dates
• Digital Public Library of America. Items related to Mesa, Arizona, various dates
• Library of Congress, Prints & Photos Division. Materials related to Mesa, Arizona, various dates
• Heritage Wall, Arizona Museum of Natural History