Scottsdale: Jewel In the Desert
Collection: Winfield Scott
Title
Scottsdale: Jewel In the Desert
Subject
Scottsdale, Arizona
Scott, Winfield
Roots of an Oasis
Description
Information about the settling of the Scottsdale Arizona region. In 1888 Winfield Scott bought land and began development of what is now known as Scottsdale Az.
Creator
Unknown
Source
Unknown
Publisher
Winfield Public Library, Winfield, Kansas USA
Date
1983
Rights
Format
text/plain
Language
English
Type
Books
Citation
Unknown, “Scottsdale: Jewel In the Desert,” Winfield Digital Collections, accessed June 24, 2026, https://winfield.digitalsckls.info/item/204.
Text
CHAPTER ONE
Roots of an Oasis
The desert north of Scottsdale in 1983 appeared much as the land did to Chaplain Winfield Scott when he arrived nearly 100 years earlier—sun-parched, with only scrub vegetation, and the mountains in the distance. But he envisioned an oasis springing from the land, where people would live and enjoy the clean air and spacious surroundings. His vision came to be, and with it came the city now famed for its residential comfort and cultural ambience. Photo by Rick Mueller
The year was 1888. A bearded man sat on horseback, gazing across the central Arizona desert. He looked at the barren, sun-parched land and imagined an oasis that could nurture a new community. The man was U.S. Army Chaplain Winfield Scott, a Baptist minister who had been raised in western New York farming country who dreamed of a flourishing town site in the desert and then worked to turn that dream into reality. The result was the city that eventually bore his name—Scottsdale, Arizona.
Scott, the fourth of ten children, was born in a log cabin in West Novi, Michigan. He was college-educated, a devout minister, and a dedicated educator who became an innovative farmer, a progressive politician (serving in the territorial house of representatives in 1898 and supporting the concept of women's suffrage), and an always-enthusiastic promoter of the Salt River Valley, and especially of his own town.
That town took root in mid-February of 1888 when the 51-year-old chaplain, assigned to an Army post on Angel Island in San Francisco Bay, accepted an invitation to visit the Phoenix area, which then had a population of about 3,000. Civic and business leaders involved in the Arizona Improvement Company had contacted Scott and suggested that he check the development potential of the Salt River Valley. Although Scott was known to be a promoter of immigration, he came, in his own written words, "full of doubts . . . skepticism and prejudice." He stayed a week and, as he rode horseback around the east end of the valley, he liked what he saw and decided it would be his retirement base.
Scott was familiar with the irrigated citrus orchards of Southern California and recognized the land's potential. Five months after first coming to the valley, he proved his enthusiasm by arranging to pay two dollars and fifty cents an acre for a 640-acre section. Section 23, the nucleus of Scottsdale, is bounded today on the west by Scottsdale Road, on the south by Indian School Road, on the east by Hayden Road, and on the north by Chaparral Road.
On July 2, 1888, Scott made a down payment of $320 through an agent at the U.S. land office in Tucson. His claim was filed under the Desert Land Act of 1877, which required that land grants be irrigated within three years. He had no qualms about being able to irrigate the arid terrain. William J. Murphy, a New York contractor,
13
SCOTTSDALE: JEWEL IN THE DESERT
14
ROOTS OF AN OASIS
Opposite page
Captain Winfield Scott (far left), who was severely injured while serving in the New York Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War, remained an active farmer, rancher, minister, and traveler despite lifelong complications and pain. He was promoted to the rank of major following his retirement from the Army. Scott's wife, Helen Louise Brown Scott, is pictured at left. Courtesy, Interlaken Historical Society
Bottom
George Washington Scott, Winfield Scott's brother, was Scottsdale's first citizen-in-residence and worked with Pima Indians from the nearby reservation to clear away brush, plant crops, and dig irrigation ditches. Courtesy, Mrs. Lena Scott Pol-glase/City of Scottsdale
Below
Winfield Scott made a down payment of $320 (50 cents an acre for 640 acres) for land that became the nucleus of modern-day Scottsdale. Courtesy, Scottsdale Historical Society
already had completed construction on the 35-mile-long Arizona Canal, which crossed the northwest corner of Scott's section, diverting river water to the area after rainfall. If Winfield Scott is to be designated as the father of Scottsdale, Murphy most certainly could be called the godfather.
But the father of Scottsdale was not the first resident of the future town. Because Scott still had Army obligations to fulfill, he asked his brother, George Washington Scott of San Francisco, to go to the area and start cultivation. George arrived in December 1888 to become Scottsdale's first citizen in residence. He cleared away greasewood growth, dug irrigation ditches, and planted crops. By February he had planted 80 acres of barley, a 20-acre vineyard, and a seven-acre citrus orchard. He probably was helped by Pima Indians hired from the nearby reservation.
Meanwhile, Winfield Scott spread the word about opportunities in Arizona during an assigned chaplain's tour of the Midwest. He said the area was as fertile as Egypt's famed Nile Valley, perfect for commercial fruit ventures, and more advantageous than California at market time because crops ripened a month earlier and the area was two days closer to eastern buyers.
After Scott was transferred in February 1889 to Fort Huachuca in southern Arizona, he attended to his developing ranch on furloughs, while also filling pulpits in Phoenix, Tempe, and Mesa.
Scott made his final land payment of $1,200 in September 1889 for a total of $1,520. A bit earlier he had sold 40 acres for $30 an acre to Mrs. Mary Brown White of Rochester, New York, probably to meet his payment. He also had to sustain the expense of water access. So in October 1889 he sold canal-builder Murphy 360 acres for $25 an acre. He returned title to the federal government for 40 acres located north of the Arizona Canal and of today's Camelback Road because they had not been irrigated. Scott retained 200 acres on which he grew citrus and other fruits, sweet potatoes, and peanuts.
In February 1894, a year after Scott retired from the Army and moved to his ranch, Rhode Island banker Albert G. Utley, who owned another section south of Scott's, announced plans to subdivide 40 acres into a town site by 1895. He put Scott in charge of the enterprise. Utley had bought the section for $1,000 in 1890 from his niece, Nannie C. Utley Fulwiler. (Her mother was Mrs. Leander Utley, the former Margaret Murphy, sister of canal king W.J. Murphy.)
Utley's plans included daily bus service to Phoenix, a sanatorium for respiratory patients, a complex of small homes to be rented to winter visitors, and a large resort hotel. Scott himself had plans to colonize an area north and east of the town site and to attract
15.
SCOTTSDALE: JEWEL IN THE DESERT
farmers to plant citrus trees and vineyards.
In 1894 the tiny desert colony was still a place without a name and had only a few residents living south of Scott's land. During his early development of the land, the chaplain was a good press agent for his work. He kept in contact with The Phoenix Herald, stopping by to tell the editors of his progress and often leaving a sack of sweet potatoes or a crate of raisins as proof. In early 1894 in a story announcing the newest phase of development, the Herald praised the innovative chaplain for his early successes in agricultural work, noting: "To his energy and devotion to the interests of that part of the valley is largely due the founding of this town."
Apparently the territorial press was influential in naming the chaplain's town. Some people had suggested that the area be named Murphyville in honor of the canal builder or Utleyville for the new developer. Utley, however, preferred the site to be called Orangedale because of the growing orange belt south of the canal along the length of Camelback Mountain's south face. But late in the summer of 1894 the name was changed from Orangedale to Scottsdale.
In the spring of 1895 The Phoenix Herald carried the first Scottsdale land advertisement, proclaiming in bold-face type: "Scottsdale Fruit Lands/New Town Just Starting" The ad told of the area's agricultural potential, about the many types of fruit already growing, and it promoted the chance to buy undeveloped land or near-mature orchards. There was even a quote from a physician stating that the location was ideal for health problems. The land was offered for $100 to $250 an acre—up to a 100 percent increase from Chaplain Scott's original cost.
Until 1895 only a few health-seekers and land speculators had shown interest in the area and had made their homes on the fringes of Scott's section. At that time it was said by local wags that the only reasons to live in Scottsdale were "busted health, busted wealth, or busted reputation." Most preferred the amenities available in Phoenix over the spartan, pioneer way of life in the desert to the east. But soon some people came to Scottsdale to enjoy the clean air, soft water, and fertile soil, while others came to experience a simple, wholesome way of life.
Of those who first came to join Scott, each brought his or her own particular visions and dreams to add to his. Many came hoping that the pure, clean, dry desert air would soothe lungs marred by tuberculosis, or relieve labored breathing caused by asthma and other respiratory ailments. Most of these settlers were cultured and nurtured the arts in this dusty little turn-of-the-century settlement.
Right
George Blount brought his wife Alza and three children to the desert for Alza's health, calling Scottsdale's environment “the cleanest, driest air" he could find. The Blounts were the first family, after Scott's, to settle in the townsite proper. Courtesy, Scottsdale Historical Society
16
ROOTS OF AN OASIS
Above right
Scott's Army mule, Old Maud, retired with the chaplain in 1893. Although Helen Scott is seated on the animal here, the children of the little town usually used the patient beast for rides. Courtesy, Mrs. Elsie Elliott Severance
Right
The Titus House, the oldest existing residence in Scottsdale, was built in territorial days in 1892. It has hardwood floors, 14-foot-high ceilings, and an Italian marble fireplace for one of its three chimneys. Courtesy, Scottsdale Daily Progress
17.
Original Format
paper
Title
Scottsdale: Jewel In the Desert
Subject
Scottsdale, Arizona
Scott, Winfield
Roots of an Oasis
Description
Information about the settling of the Scottsdale Arizona region. In 1888 Winfield Scott bought land and began development of what is now known as Scottsdale Az.
Creator
Unknown
Source
Unknown
Publisher
Winfield Public Library, Winfield, Kansas USA
Date
1983
Rights
Format
text/plain
Language
English
Type
Books
Citation
Unknown, “Scottsdale: Jewel In the Desert,” Winfield Digital Collections, accessed June 24, 2026, https://winfield.digitalsckls.info/item/204.Text
CHAPTER ONE
Roots of an Oasis
The desert north of Scottsdale in 1983 appeared much as the land did to Chaplain Winfield Scott when he arrived nearly 100 years earlier—sun-parched, with only scrub vegetation, and the mountains in the distance. But he envisioned an oasis springing from the land, where people would live and enjoy the clean air and spacious surroundings. His vision came to be, and with it came the city now famed for its residential comfort and cultural ambience. Photo by Rick Mueller
The year was 1888. A bearded man sat on horseback, gazing across the central Arizona desert. He looked at the barren, sun-parched land and imagined an oasis that could nurture a new community. The man was U.S. Army Chaplain Winfield Scott, a Baptist minister who had been raised in western New York farming country who dreamed of a flourishing town site in the desert and then worked to turn that dream into reality. The result was the city that eventually bore his name—Scottsdale, Arizona.
Scott, the fourth of ten children, was born in a log cabin in West Novi, Michigan. He was college-educated, a devout minister, and a dedicated educator who became an innovative farmer, a progressive politician (serving in the territorial house of representatives in 1898 and supporting the concept of women's suffrage), and an always-enthusiastic promoter of the Salt River Valley, and especially of his own town.
That town took root in mid-February of 1888 when the 51-year-old chaplain, assigned to an Army post on Angel Island in San Francisco Bay, accepted an invitation to visit the Phoenix area, which then had a population of about 3,000. Civic and business leaders involved in the Arizona Improvement Company had contacted Scott and suggested that he check the development potential of the Salt River Valley. Although Scott was known to be a promoter of immigration, he came, in his own written words, "full of doubts . . . skepticism and prejudice." He stayed a week and, as he rode horseback around the east end of the valley, he liked what he saw and decided it would be his retirement base.
Scott was familiar with the irrigated citrus orchards of Southern California and recognized the land's potential. Five months after first coming to the valley, he proved his enthusiasm by arranging to pay two dollars and fifty cents an acre for a 640-acre section. Section 23, the nucleus of Scottsdale, is bounded today on the west by Scottsdale Road, on the south by Indian School Road, on the east by Hayden Road, and on the north by Chaparral Road.
On July 2, 1888, Scott made a down payment of $320 through an agent at the U.S. land office in Tucson. His claim was filed under the Desert Land Act of 1877, which required that land grants be irrigated within three years. He had no qualms about being able to irrigate the arid terrain. William J. Murphy, a New York contractor,
13
SCOTTSDALE: JEWEL IN THE DESERT
14
ROOTS OF AN OASIS
Opposite page
Captain Winfield Scott (far left), who was severely injured while serving in the New York Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War, remained an active farmer, rancher, minister, and traveler despite lifelong complications and pain. He was promoted to the rank of major following his retirement from the Army. Scott's wife, Helen Louise Brown Scott, is pictured at left. Courtesy, Interlaken Historical Society
Bottom
George Washington Scott, Winfield Scott's brother, was Scottsdale's first citizen-in-residence and worked with Pima Indians from the nearby reservation to clear away brush, plant crops, and dig irrigation ditches. Courtesy, Mrs. Lena Scott Pol-glase/City of Scottsdale
Below
Winfield Scott made a down payment of $320 (50 cents an acre for 640 acres) for land that became the nucleus of modern-day Scottsdale. Courtesy, Scottsdale Historical Society
already had completed construction on the 35-mile-long Arizona Canal, which crossed the northwest corner of Scott's section, diverting river water to the area after rainfall. If Winfield Scott is to be designated as the father of Scottsdale, Murphy most certainly could be called the godfather.
But the father of Scottsdale was not the first resident of the future town. Because Scott still had Army obligations to fulfill, he asked his brother, George Washington Scott of San Francisco, to go to the area and start cultivation. George arrived in December 1888 to become Scottsdale's first citizen in residence. He cleared away greasewood growth, dug irrigation ditches, and planted crops. By February he had planted 80 acres of barley, a 20-acre vineyard, and a seven-acre citrus orchard. He probably was helped by Pima Indians hired from the nearby reservation.
Meanwhile, Winfield Scott spread the word about opportunities in Arizona during an assigned chaplain's tour of the Midwest. He said the area was as fertile as Egypt's famed Nile Valley, perfect for commercial fruit ventures, and more advantageous than California at market time because crops ripened a month earlier and the area was two days closer to eastern buyers.
After Scott was transferred in February 1889 to Fort Huachuca in southern Arizona, he attended to his developing ranch on furloughs, while also filling pulpits in Phoenix, Tempe, and Mesa.
Scott made his final land payment of $1,200 in September 1889 for a total of $1,520. A bit earlier he had sold 40 acres for $30 an acre to Mrs. Mary Brown White of Rochester, New York, probably to meet his payment. He also had to sustain the expense of water access. So in October 1889 he sold canal-builder Murphy 360 acres for $25 an acre. He returned title to the federal government for 40 acres located north of the Arizona Canal and of today's Camelback Road because they had not been irrigated. Scott retained 200 acres on which he grew citrus and other fruits, sweet potatoes, and peanuts.
In February 1894, a year after Scott retired from the Army and moved to his ranch, Rhode Island banker Albert G. Utley, who owned another section south of Scott's, announced plans to subdivide 40 acres into a town site by 1895. He put Scott in charge of the enterprise. Utley had bought the section for $1,000 in 1890 from his niece, Nannie C. Utley Fulwiler. (Her mother was Mrs. Leander Utley, the former Margaret Murphy, sister of canal king W.J. Murphy.)
Utley's plans included daily bus service to Phoenix, a sanatorium for respiratory patients, a complex of small homes to be rented to winter visitors, and a large resort hotel. Scott himself had plans to colonize an area north and east of the town site and to attract
15.
SCOTTSDALE: JEWEL IN THE DESERT
farmers to plant citrus trees and vineyards.
In 1894 the tiny desert colony was still a place without a name and had only a few residents living south of Scott's land. During his early development of the land, the chaplain was a good press agent for his work. He kept in contact with The Phoenix Herald, stopping by to tell the editors of his progress and often leaving a sack of sweet potatoes or a crate of raisins as proof. In early 1894 in a story announcing the newest phase of development, the Herald praised the innovative chaplain for his early successes in agricultural work, noting: "To his energy and devotion to the interests of that part of the valley is largely due the founding of this town."
Apparently the territorial press was influential in naming the chaplain's town. Some people had suggested that the area be named Murphyville in honor of the canal builder or Utleyville for the new developer. Utley, however, preferred the site to be called Orangedale because of the growing orange belt south of the canal along the length of Camelback Mountain's south face. But late in the summer of 1894 the name was changed from Orangedale to Scottsdale.
In the spring of 1895 The Phoenix Herald carried the first Scottsdale land advertisement, proclaiming in bold-face type: "Scottsdale Fruit Lands/New Town Just Starting" The ad told of the area's agricultural potential, about the many types of fruit already growing, and it promoted the chance to buy undeveloped land or near-mature orchards. There was even a quote from a physician stating that the location was ideal for health problems. The land was offered for $100 to $250 an acre—up to a 100 percent increase from Chaplain Scott's original cost.
Until 1895 only a few health-seekers and land speculators had shown interest in the area and had made their homes on the fringes of Scott's section. At that time it was said by local wags that the only reasons to live in Scottsdale were "busted health, busted wealth, or busted reputation." Most preferred the amenities available in Phoenix over the spartan, pioneer way of life in the desert to the east. But soon some people came to Scottsdale to enjoy the clean air, soft water, and fertile soil, while others came to experience a simple, wholesome way of life.
Of those who first came to join Scott, each brought his or her own particular visions and dreams to add to his. Many came hoping that the pure, clean, dry desert air would soothe lungs marred by tuberculosis, or relieve labored breathing caused by asthma and other respiratory ailments. Most of these settlers were cultured and nurtured the arts in this dusty little turn-of-the-century settlement.
Right
George Blount brought his wife Alza and three children to the desert for Alza's health, calling Scottsdale's environment “the cleanest, driest air" he could find. The Blounts were the first family, after Scott's, to settle in the townsite proper. Courtesy, Scottsdale Historical Society
16
ROOTS OF AN OASIS
Above right
Scott's Army mule, Old Maud, retired with the chaplain in 1893. Although Helen Scott is seated on the animal here, the children of the little town usually used the patient beast for rides. Courtesy, Mrs. Elsie Elliott Severance
Right
The Titus House, the oldest existing residence in Scottsdale, was built in territorial days in 1892. It has hardwood floors, 14-foot-high ceilings, and an Italian marble fireplace for one of its three chimneys. Courtesy, Scottsdale Daily Progress
17.
Original Format
paper