Maricopa County, Arizona
Early Phoenix Industries
Mills
House, E.M. Mills, proprietor.
There is no surer index
of the business of a city than the extent and character of its hotel
accommodations, and, estimating the city of Phoenix upon this basis, we
can arrive at some correct idea of its growth and progress. There are,
in this city, a goodly number of hotels, which, taken as a class, are
equal to those of any city in the South or Southwest. One of the best
of these is the Mills House, conducted by Mr. E. M. Mills, and none
offers superior inducements to the traveling public.
Although built and opened
so recently as March last, it at once assumed a high place in the
estimation of the public, which place it has since continuously
maintained. During this comparatively short period of proprietorship
Mr. Mills has, by his politeness and care for his guests, as well as by
the improvements he makes from time to time, constantly increased his
patronage, until now the Hotel ranks among the very first in the city.
The building, a two-story brick, 50x137 1/2 feet, is situated at the
corner of Washington and Maricopa streets, in the center of the city,
and within convenient distance of the railroad depot, the street cars
for the various parts of the city passing the doors on Washington
street.
The house is finely
furnished throughout, and supplied with electric lights. The city water
is carried to each of the fifty rooms by the latest modern methods. In
short, every department of the house is complete, and no pains or
expense is spared to make the sojourn of guests pleasant and
comfortable. Ladies and gentlemen visiting Phoenix, either for business
or pleasure, will find, at this popular house, the best of
accommodations, the most polite attendance, and a table supplied with
the best the market affords, and equal to that at any similar
establishment in the city. The prices charged are reasonable, and
within the reach of all.
Mr. Mills, though yet a
young man, was for two terms a member of the City Council of Phoenix,
and is now, as he has been for the past six years, Deputy United States
Marshal. A native of Canada, he has been identified with the people of
Phoenix for the past ten years, and is one of her most popular citizens.
Having had twelve years'
experience in the hotel business, he possesses also, in an eminent
degree, all the qualifications necessary for a successful manager.
Space will not allow of all being said that is due to the proprietor of
this popular house, but this much may be said, that, in every
department of his house the most perfect system prevails. Mr. Mills is
to be congratulated upon having infused so much of his own spirit
through the establishment over which he presides with such rare
ability, and in which he has achieved such signal success, ably
seconded by his amiable wife, who is untiring in her efforts to please
the guests, and sees to it that they are well treated and made
perfectly comfortable. She is kind, affable and accommodating, and just
the kind of wife for a hotel man to be proud of.
Turburt
& Ming Manufacturing of, and Dealers in, Saddles, Harness, Etc
It is well known that
rapid and comfortable conveyance from one point to another is one of
the indispensable necessities to the business man in any well organized
city. Whether his business be within the municipal limits, or beyond
them, he has to have the means of rapid and comfortable locomotion at
hand.
Especially is this the
case in the Salt River Valley, where the agricultural and mining
interests are so extensive and so widely separated.
To meet this manifest
want in the needs of the Valley the business of Tulburt & Ming was
organized three years ago, Mr. Tulburt being its founder. Two years
later John 0. Ming joined him in the business, and the previous
prosperity of the house has been not only continued but largely
increased since his addition to the concern.
The firm carries a stock
of the goods described above of .the value of over $8,000, and does a
business of $20,000 annually. The sphere of their trade extends all
over Arizona, and there is hardly a ranch, range, or orchard in the
Territory where their name is not known and their workmanship seen and
appreciated.
Their store is on
Washington street, the main thoroughfare of the city, adjacent to the
Hartford Bank. The firm has been characterized from the first start
they made in business by ability and judgment, and their reputation
stands to-day on the same high plane on which the}' took their stand at
the beginning.
They have made it a
point, in all the manufacture of goods, to use only the best materials
and the very highest class of workmanship, consequently their
reputation extends over the whole Territory. They have the most
improved modern machinery' in use, and their workmen are the most
skillful to be obtained anywhere.
Mr. Tulburt is a native
of North Carolina and has resided in Phoenix for five years, while his
partner Mr. Ming, who is a native of Missouri, has been in the city a
little over a year.
Their business is
thoroughly established and is rapidly increasing, giving the most
flattering evidence of great and permanent success. The firm employs
four skilled workmen, and their monthly pay roll amounts to $250. Too
high commendation cannot be given to the partners for the excellent
business tact and integrity they have shown, and their increasing hosts
of patrons know by experience that they can always depend on getting a
first-class article at a fair price from Tulburt & Ming.
O.W. Peters & Co., Hatters
and Men's Furnishers
WITHIN the past decade, a
most important change has been effected in the Men's Furnishing and Hat
business of Phoenix. From small and unassuming proportions, this branch
of industry has come to be considered an important factor in the
commerce of the city.
The inconvenience
attending delay and misfits, the advantages of procuring, at short
notice, a complete outfit in this line, the ability to supply articles
as good and as cheap as can be procured elsewhere, led to the
inauguration of the establishment, a brief sketch of which is presented
to the reader. Mr. Peters, representing the firm of Peters & Co.,
is a native of Canada, and has resided in Phoenix for two years past.
He started the present business a year since, with a stock valued at
$5,000. Having traveled for years for one of the largest Furnishing
Goods Houses in the country, he brought with him one of the first
requisites, a thorough knowledge of his business. This, backed by
indomitable energy and enterprise, has placed his house in the first
rank of the line of business he represents. His storeroom, 15x60 feet,
is well appointed, and the arrangement all that can be desired. His
trade includes the entire Territory. Mr. Peters acts as agent for
Wanamaker & Brown, the Merchant Tailors, of Philadelphia. This
house is a pleasant and profitable one with which to establish business
relations, commanding the respect of the trade, and the high regard of
the community at large.
The Valley
Railroad Company
Among the conveniences of
civilization, the street railway has become a necessity, even in small
towns. Lines running through the business parts, and out into the
suburbs, are well supported in all our thriving towns and cities. These
lines enable persons of moderate means to select a suburban lot, erect
a neat cottage and, while living somewhat in country style, and, in a
semi-rural situation, yet enjoy all the advantages of those only a few
blocks from the center of business who happen to be off the line of the
street railroad. The children, too, may have all the privacy of a
country home, and yet take the cars to school a mile or two away. Is
there a lecture in the Opera House? You are only a few minutes from it.
Is there a church service? The car carries you up to the door. Is
there a circus or fair? The car is at hand.
Such a convenience is the
Street Railway of Phoenix. The company was incorporated in 1889, at the
last session of the Legislature. The President is M. H. Sherman, who is
also Manager; the Valley Bank is Treasurer; and J. McMillan is
Secretary. The lines are those of the Valley Street Railroad Co., the
Phoenix Street Railroad Co. and the Park Co.
The established
reputation of the men who are conducting this enterprise are a guaranty
of its success, and its extension according as it may seem to be
required. At present, there are about 7 miles in successful operation.
It is hoped that great success will attend this enterprise, in the
interest both of the public and of the company.
H.C. Davis, Real Estate Agent
and mining Broker
Realty is the basis of
all security," and the basis of all security, in real estate
transactions, is found in the knowledge and probity of those through
whom they are conducted. In the purchase of real estate or the taking
of a mortgage, there are few buyers or lenders who are competent to
pronounce upon the validity of a title; and hence all prudent men must
secure, in such transactions, the services of an agent who is competent
to investigate and decide upon these questions. Besides, this agent
should be a man who has an established reputation for honesty and
integrity. While transactions in houses and lands are no part of the
mercantile business of cities, they are still so intimately connected
with the growth and progress of the manufacturing and commercial
industries, that references to the real estate interests cannot be
omitted in a review like this.
Holding a prominent
position among the real estate agents of this city is H. C. Davis,
Esq., who has always borne a high character for fair dealing and
ability. The business of Mr. Davis extends to all parts of the
Territory and is conducted in such a manner as to secure the confidence
of his patrons and the public. He is well supplied with maps, abstracts
of title, and whatever is necessary to his business, and will answer
promptly all communications addressed to him. People from abroad will
find it to their interest to communicate with him before making
purchases in Salt River Valley. His offices are at rooms 1 and 2,
Porter block, corner Washington and Center streets.
P.F.
Wilson, Watchmaker and Jeweler, Center Street
To attain success in the
artistic and delicate business of Watchmaker and Jeweler, a combination
of qualities are required such as few men possess. When, therefore, we
find an individual whose work proves most conclusively that he has
those qualities in a high degree, we are justified in regarding him as
certainly worthy of the patronage of a discerning and appreciative
public.
Mr. Wilson's success in
meeting the demands of a city like Phoenix, has proved his skill and
thorough knowledge of his business as a practical watchmaker and
jeweler. Having come here five j^ears ago, he has had time to win the
confidence and respect of the community—who have ever found him a
punctual, reliable, courteous man of business.
Carrying a stock worth
$3,000, with an amount of business per annum represented by $5,000, a
trade extending beyond the city suburbs and far into the surrounding
country, he needs no further evidence of his having given entire
satisfaction to his numerous patrons.
St. Clair
& Pratt, Washington Street
For the past two years
the establishment of Messrs. St. Clair & Pratt has been a familiar
resort of lovers of music and art in Phoenix. Occupying the spacious
brick building 30x100 ft. on Washington street, the firm has at all
times the best of musical instruments and supplies, jewelry and
stationery, besides a fine collection of the Indian curios and
pre-historic relics which are now interesting so large a portion of the
civilized world. Messrs. St. Clair & Pratt make this branch of
their business a specialty; and the courteous and affable manners of
the gentlemen themselves and their employees render a visit to their
establishment not only profitable, but enjoyable. Their average value
of stock is $10,000, while the amount of business carried on per annum
reaches $30,000. The business is wholesale as well as retail, and
covering, as it does, not only the city and surroundings, but the
entire Territory of Arizona, gives ample proof that the inducements
this firm offers are fully appreciated by an intelligent and cultured
people.
The Phoenix Water Co.
The first attempt to
supply Phoenix with water was made in 1887, by J. J. Gardiner, who put
in a small pump at his planing-mill and run two or three hundred feet
of two and three inch pipe to the business part of the town. The
venture proved a success and Mr. Gardiner was encouraged to put in a
larger pipe which he did in 1888 and also increased his pump and tank
capacity. The next year the City Fathers discovered that it was
necessary to have an adequate supply of water for fire purposes and
entered into a contract with Mr. Gardiner to furnish the city fifty
fire hydrants to be supplied from a stand pipe at least one hundred
feet high. Under this contract Mr. Gardiner organized the Phoenix
Waterworks Co., with a capital stock of one hundred thousand dollars
and put in the present water system; running at that time about nine
miles of mains.
The Phoenix Water Co.
operated the system till December, 1889, when a new company also known
as the Phoenix Water Co. succeeded to the franchise and works of the
old company by purchase. The new company have made extensive
improvements, increased the water supply, raised the stand tower forty
feet and in other ways are giving a very efficient service. Capital
stock, $1,000,000.
The officers are : Thos.
W. Hine, President; M. H. Sherman, Vice-President; Jerry Millay,
Treasurer; B. N. Pratt, Secretary.
Arizona Improvement Company
To those away from the
arid sections of our country, anything contributing to give them a fair
idea of the improvements which are being made to bring the fertile,
though arid, lands under cultivation, and utilize the treasures latent
in the parched, but productive, soil must be of considerable interest.
The Salt River Valley, in which Phoenix is situated, is 15x50 miles in
area, and presents as fair a field for such operations, and yields as
fine results as can be found outside of California. The long, wide and
deep canals, aggregating over 300 miles in length, and capable of
irrigating 190,000 acres of land are an assurance—to the rest of the
world—that the people who are best acquainted with the dry sections,
and best know the capabilities of the soil when supplied with the
necessary water, have unbounded confidence in the future of these
sections. When highly intelligent men, from all parts of our country,
organize to develop lands heretofore comparatively useless, build
towns, dig canals, build railroads, invest their capital in the lands,
establish experimental farms and do all that capitalists have been, and
are, doing in developing other sections that depend upon the uncertain
rains, it is a warrant to the world at large that there is entire
reliance to be placed on the permanence of the water supply, and all
that pertains to the successful cultivation of the soil. The
experimental farm, vineyard and orchard of the Arizona Improvement
Company are a standing testimony to the great ease of propagation,
irrigation and cultivation. In no section of arid lands is irrigation
made so easy by the physical conformation of the country. The slope of
the land being about seven feet to the mile, there could be no better
plan devised than that which Nature has adopted for easy and successful
irrigation.
The soil consists of the
detritus washed into the valley from the mountainous sections adjacent,
and is exceedingly fertile. That it is so finely pulverized shows that
it has been the work of ages, and, in this respect, it differs from the
alluvial soils of the rich bottom lands of rivers, which depend for
their fertility on the vegetable matter deposited by the wash of the
river. These soils are from two to fifteen feet deep and absorb the
water in a natural and healthy manner. Finer soils to work in cannot
easily be found.
The Arizona Improvement
Company owns a controlling interest in all the canals on the northwest
side of the Salt River. Its business is real estate and irrigation. It
sells or rents lands, sells water rights, or rents them, and carries on
the experimental farm. The Falls in the Arizona Canal give a fine water
power, the whole body of water falling fifteen feet, perpendicularly,
and the current of water having the velocity of a rapid stream. The
capacity of all the canals can be more specifically given by
particularizing. The Arizona Canal, 42 miles long, yields 50,000 inches
of water, capable of irrigating 100,000 acres. The Grand Canal yields
10,000 inches, is 22 miles long, and irrigates 60,000 acres. The
Maricopa Canal yields 5,000 inches, is 18 miles long, and waters 15,000
acres. The Salt River Canal yields 5,000 inches and irrigates 15,000
acres ; it is 18 miles long.
Land can be purchased
from the Company at from $25 per acre up to higher prices, according to
location. The water rent for such lands will be from $1.00 to $1.25 per
acre annually.
The President of the
Arizona Improvement Company is W. J. Murphy. The Vice-President is
William Christy. The Secretary is W. D. Fulwiler, and the Treasurer is
the Valley Bank. The office of the Company is in the Monihon Building.
The capital stock, all paid up, is $3,000,000. It "was organized in
1887, and has been a power for* development, such as is much needed in
the Territory. The officers and stockholders are first-class men who
have come to stay, and are determined that this beautiful Valley shall
" blossom as the rose." Their young orange grove is a convincing proof
that the citrus fruits can be grown here in their perfection. This
grove stood the unusual cold of the winter of 1889-90, when only a year
had elapsed since the setting. In the same winter all the citrus trees
in Florida, under five years of age, were either killed or seriously
injured.
The Company is also
experimenting with that rich and popular jelly fruit, the guava. The
shrubs and bushes are doing well and the promise is good for this and
other semi-tropical fruits.
Strangers, before leaving
town, should surely go out to the Arizona Falls and the farm of the
Arizona Improvement Company. A Southern gentleman, M. L. Smith, who is
one of the largest orange and lemon growers in Eastern Florida, on
visiting the Improvement grove in September, 1890, said that the safety
and success of citrus culture was assured, from what he had seen.
The lands of this Company
are among the very best in the world for citrus culture.
Byers & Ryder, City
Planing Mills
In all cities noted for
enterprise and for progress in commercial affairs and growth in
population, there are no more efficient and substantial contributors
towards those desirable ends than those branches of industry which are
connected with the building interest. Through their enterprise and
exertions and the practical knowledge of the proprietors, cities are
built up, adorned and made attractive. In growing cities, men who are
conversant with the planing-mill business, practically acquainted with
its details, and, withal, energetic determined and industrious, are
certain to succeed, and they are valuable acquisitions to its trade and
aids in its progress. Such men are Messrs. Byers & Ryder,
possessing, as they do, a thorough practical knowledge of the business
in all of its departments, in a mechanical and scientific point of
view—a knowledge acquired by a practical connection with the business
for some time. This firm does a large business, employs seven hands,
obtains its motive power by using a 45 horse-power engine, and, besides
doing planing, makes door and window frames, mouldings, brackets and
all kinds of woodwork at short notice. It also does scroll-sawing and
turning. The mill and workshops are on Jefferson street, opposite the
City Hall. Their principal building is 50 x 1.37 1/2 ft. and is fitted
up in modern style with planers, scrollsaws, mortising and tenon
machines, lathes and all that is necessary to do good work. Their trade
extends into all parts of the Territory, and is rapidly growing. They
are enterprising citizens, and their thorough practical knowledge and
experience, coupled with energy and legitimate business principles,
have gained for them an honorable position among the manufacturing and
prominent business men of this growing city.
H.W. Ryder,
Lumber Dealer
In the endeavor to make, on these pages, some historical record of
those commercial firms which have contributed to the importance and
standing that the city of Phoenix now holds in the mercantile world, we
find none more worthy of notice or special consideration than the
above.
This enterprise was started some ten years since by Roberts &
Ryder, H. W. Ryder assuming the business in 1881. He deals in lumber,
doors, blinds, sashes, lime, hair, plaster and cement, paints and oils,
and is doing a successful business. He carries a large stock and does a
business of $75,000 per annum. He occupies half a block on the south
side 5f the Plaza, where he keeps a fine assortment of well seasoned
lumber and a full supply of all things in his line of trade. He is the
sole agent for the Pish Bro. wagons, with a branch house at Tempe. He
is a native of Massachusetts, has lived in Phoenix 12 years, and has
won his way by his courteous manner and fair dealing. He employs five
assistants, and transacts business with residents in all parts of the
Territory. His business will no doubt keep pace with the growth of the
city and country.
Tantan & Kellner,
Wholesale and Retail Grocers
These names have been
prominent in trade circles in Phoenix for the last five years. There
are few that have exercised a greater influence in business circles
during that time, than this firm.
Doing a wholesale
business with all parts of the Territory, they are well known as
honorable dealers and prompt in fulfilling all that they promise or
undertake. Their groceries and general merchandise are carefully
selected, and are sufficiently extensive to meet all the»demands
of the city and country, of the business man, the farmer, the
fruit-grower or the stockman. The average value of the stock carried is
about $15,000, and the annual business amounts to .|80,000. They are
situated on Washington street, using the first floor and basement,
30x50 feet in dimensions.
Mr. Tantan is a native of
Germany, and has been in Phoenix twelve years. Mr. Kellner is a native
of Texas, and has been in Phoenix the same length of time. Combining
their capital and business ability in 1885, they have, since then,
built up a large and prosperous business which is rapidly increasing.
They are courteous gentlemen, and take a lively interest in the
development of this county and city.
R.G. Andre, Saddles, Harness,
Etc
One of the industries of
the city of Phoenix which exercises a most favorable influence upon her
commercial prosperity is the branch in which the above-named gentleman
is engaged. There are but few branches of trade that contribute so
greatly to the imperative demands of all classes of people and whose
goods are so indispensable in an extensive stock country like Arizona.
Mr. Andre's business was founded in 1883 upon an assured basis of
capital. As far as ability and business management are concerned, this
gentleman is too well known to need commendation at our hands. The
goods manufactured by this house are of the very best possible-
quality, and the material used is only that capable of bearing the most
trying tests, everything in the way of modern appliances being found in
the establishment.
Mr. Andre is a native of
France, but has been a resident of this city for seven years, during
which time he has been engaged in his present branch of trade. He is
not only fully Americanized, but is one of our most patriotic
Americans, being not only Captain of Company B, National Guards of
Arizona, but its successful organizer. His' trade, which is
co-extensive with the bounds of the Territory, has become firmly
established as the result of superior workmanship as well as business
ability.
Hotel Vendome
As the central point in
Southern Arizona, and the capital of the Territory, Phoenix commands a
position that imperatively calls for first-class hotel accommodations
of large capacity, and under able management. In this regard, the city
will be found in all respects capable of maintaining a reputation equal
to that of any other leading city of the country, being in the
possession of several houses unsurpassed in their appointments and the
excellence of their supervision; all of which tends greatly to increase
the comfort of guests and visitors.
In confirmation of these
assertions, it is only necessary to refer to the Hotel Vendome,
recently built and established, but modeled after the best appointed
hotels in the line of travel.
It was opened by the
proprietor, Mr. G. M. F. Herrett, in October, 1889. No hotel in the
city is better located to suit the traveling public, as well as the
commercial traveler, it being situated but one block from the County
Court House, on Washington street, and equally accessible to the retail
and the wholesale trade. It is also convenient to the railroad depot,
as the street cars for that point pass its doors. These facts are never
overlooked by a discriminating public, as the patronage of this hotel
amply testifies. All the modern conveniences and appliances are also
brought into requisition to support its claims to pre-eminence in
interior comfort.
The furnishing is
superior; and all the rooms are papered with fine gilt paper. The
twenty guest rooms, single and en suite, are well lighted, and
ventilated in the most approved style, and free baths are furnished to
all guests. In short, this house is a first-class family hotel.
The building is an
ornament to the city, being a handsome brick structure, two stories in
height.
The genial proprietor,
Mr. G. M. P. Herrett, is a native of New Brunswick, and, as one of
Phoenix's well known citizens, is noted for his cordial and courteous
manners, and untiring efforts to win an enviable reputation for his
house.
As Phoenix is rapidly
becoming a winter resort, by reason of its charming climate, many will
find a desirable abiding place at the Vendome, and, during the winter
months, it will be extensively patronized, no doubt, by Northern
tourists. The attendants are experienced in the business, and, under
their courteous and able manager, cannot but accord to the guests all
the polite attention and care which contribute so materially to their
comfort and entertainment.
As one of the best
equipped hotels in the city, an emblem of her growing prosperity, the
handsome and reliable Hotel Vendome is confidently recommended.
The "Arizona Gazette"
To the Press of the
country much of its prosperity is due. This is singularly true in the
Southwest. In new countries where the population is sparse, resources
undeveloped and transportation meager, the great majority of the labor
of development devolves upon the enterprise and energy of the
newspapers. It is under such circumstances and surrounded by such
conditions that the great leverage of the Press comes to be known and
esteemed.
The upbuilding and
development of the great Salt River Valley is largely due to the
courage, the determination and the never failing efforts put forth by
the press of Phoenix ; and the Arizona Gazette, published in the city
of Phoenix, has always taken a leading part in the great work. Other
industries would cease, hard times would somewhat discourage men in
their maiden efforts, but like the pendulum of the ancient clock in the
tower of Strasburg, the Gazette went on in its efforts of good work.
Born, as it was, when Phoenix and the Salt River Valley were in their
infancy, it, from the date of its first issue, many years ago never
ceased to tell to the outside world that of all of the choice lands of
the earth, none ever has, or could be, superior to the flowery dales of
this beautiful land. From a village of a few hundred inhabitants, the
Gazette has seen Phoenix emerge from the obscurity that surrounded it
in its youth, till it, by almost the unanimous choice of the people of
Arizona it was chosen as Arizona's capital city, and during those
varied changes the paper has always maintained its position as the
leading daily newspaper of Arizona. Although Democratic in politics, it
has never stultified itself or insulted the people with whom it was
associated, by supporting an unworthy man because of his politics. Its
owners and managers, Col. C. W. Johnstone and J. 0. Dunbar, have ever
aimed to make it a journal that would command the respect and
confidence of the people of the Territory, and that it has thus
succeeded is demonstrated by the fact of its being the best-paying and
most widely known newspaper in Arizona.
Mr. Dunbar has had many
years' experience in nearly every department of journalism, and it is
conceded that, as a concise, vigorous and successful writer, he has
few equals in the West ; with a command of language that is surpassed
by few in the profession, a capacity to judge of public men and
measures, and the courage and manhood to express his convictions in
English that never fails to be comprehended, he stands, to-day the peer
of any newspaper man on the Pacific Coast.
Colonel Johnstone, while
his attention is wholly devoted to the business department of the
Gazette, yet is a man of fine ability, and a writer that could command
attention in any city in the Union. Those gentlemen are known far and
wide in the profession, and it is not saying too much, to assert that
one of the very best newspaper properties in the Southwest, and one
that will make its mark in the future history of the State of Arizona,
is the Arizona Gazette.
A paper that is fearless
for the principles of the right, and tireless in its devotion to the
best interests of Arizona—such a newspaper is the Gazette ; and, under
the admirable management of Messrs. Johnstone & Dunbar, its
determination to stand as one of the foremost dailies in the Southwest
will surely be realized.
E.E.
Powell, Operta House Drug Store
Every branch of science
has contributed, and is daily adding, to the long list of general and
specific remedies which enter into, and contribute to, the development
of the drug trade. A prominent house in this line, in Phoenix, is that
of Mr. E. E. Prowell, on the Opera House Block. Although established as
recently as April, 1890, the business has been conducted with marked
success, and this house does, already, a large amount of business, and
has assumed a prominent position among the leading drug stores of the
city.
The premises occupy one
floor, 20x60 feet, and are well fitted up for the expeditious
transaction of the wholesale as well as retail business carried on in
the city and surrounding country. The stock of the establishment, worth
about 14,000, embraces the most complete assortment of goods in the
drug line, the list including every article that belongs to the trade,
and also the well-known proprietary medicines, and- all those goods
generally denominated "druggists' supplies and sundries." Mr. Prowell
makes it a point to deal in none but the best class of pure drugs,
chemicals and medicines, which are selected with the utmost care. He is
a thorough business man, and skillful druggist. Coming here from Oregon
less than a year ago, as a Phoenician, he has won the esteem of all, in
commercial, financial and social circles. The celebrated No. 7 Liniment
is manufactured by Dr. Prowell, both here and in Portland, Oregon. It
is a wonderful pain cure, and must be used to be appreciated. Don't
fail to call for a bottle.
Talbot & Hubbard,
Wholesale and Retail Hardware
The special branches of
commercial industry pursued by the dealers in hardware and kindred
supplies are of such importance, and, withal, are so conducive and
necessary to the industrial advancement of the community, as to be
deserving of special mention. Among the firms engaged in this line of
trade, none is more prominent or occupies a more substantial position
than Messrs. Talbot and Hubbard. Their place of business is located on
Washington street, three doors east of Center. Their commodious
building 25x140 feet, contains the most complete stock of general
hardware, cutlery, tools, iron, steel, wagon wood, etc., to be found in
this section.
This live house was
established in May, 1888, and does both a wholesale and retail
business, three experienced hands being fully employed all the time.
Its trade extends over nearly the entire Territory, and it is counted
among the most substantial business enterprises of the city.
The members of the firm
are Mr. Geo. E. Hubbard, of Michigan, and Mr. Walter Talbot, a native
of Massachusetts, who has been a resident of Phoenix the past three
years, and enjoys an enviable reputation as one of the city's most
successful merchants, as well as one of her most reliable citizens.
Commercial
Hotel, G.H N Luhrs Proprietor
A Review of the most
interesting features and enterprises of Phoenix would be incomplete
without a description of her principal hotels; and among these the
Commercial occupies the leading place, being in all respects the most
modern and completely fitted out and best equipped in the Territory.
This house was opened to the public in December, 1886, by Messrs.
Herrick & Luhrs.' In the following year it was greatly enlarged to
meet the demands of its rapidly increasing patronage, until now it is
one of the finest and most commodious in the Territory, having 60 large
and elegantly fitted up bedrooms, where 100 guests can be accommodated
comfortably. The dining-room is 40x65 feet, and can seat 200 people.
The table is, at all times, supplied with all the delicacies of the
season, served in a manner to please the most fastidious taste. The
waiters are polite and attentive, and do everything in their power to
please the guests of the house. The building has a frontage of 137-J
feet on Center and 101^ on Jefferson streets, and is three stories in
height, making it one of the most imposing structures in the city. It
is lighted by gas throughout, and has a large parlor for the special
accommodation of its lady guests. The office is on the first floor, and
immediately adjoining it are the reading, billiard, and bar rooms, all
fitted up in the most elegant style.
The proprietor, Mr. G. H.
N. Luhrs, who bought out his partner on October 27, 1890, is a
gentleman of great business ability and rigid integrity; and is well
and favorably known all over the entire western country. Mr. Luhrs was
elected Councilman from his ward for two years, and is, at present, one
of the Commissioners of the Insane Asylum. He is also an active member
of the County Chamber of Commerce, being one of the nine directors of
that honorable body. With such a gentleman as Mr. Luhrs giving its
management his personal direction and supervision, it is no wonder that
the Commercial has gained, and retained, the good will of its guests
and of the community at large.
The L.W. Blinn Lumber Co.
The rapid and substantial
growth of Phoenix and the Salt River Valley has created a large field
for the operations of lumber dealers; and the practicability of
shipping an unlimited amount of all kinds to the points where buildings
are being erected, enables the lumber merchant to supply all demands at
fair prices. In the absence of the N. & S. R. R. the citizens of
Southern Arizona must look to the west for their present supply. The L.
W. Blinn Lumber Company is doing its part toward supplying the. demand
for first-class lumber, well seasoned and adapted for immediate use.
This Company was formed three years ago, under the above title. Mr. C.
A. Hooper is the President, Mr. E. F. Burrell the Secretary, Mr. Geo.
W. Hooper the Treasurer, and Mr. L. W. Blinn, General Manager. The
Phoenix office is on Washington street and their yards are at the
Maricopa Depot. A side-track of the road runs through the yards, which
are 2.50x300 feet in dimensions, and are always filled with a well
selected stock of all kinds of lumber used in building, bridging or
fencing. The Company does a large wholesale business throughout
Maricopa and the surrounding counties. By great care in purchasing, and
honorable methods in dealing, this firm is fast winning its way among
its competitors to a success at once gratifying and well-deserved.
Mr. R. C. Markley, the
gentlemanly agent at Phoenix, is a native of New Jersey, but has been
in business here
The Western Investment Banking
Co.
Choice and eligibly
located properties are more than ever sought for by conservative
capitalists, and in their investments they rely greatly upon the
advice, assistance and superior knowledge of our leading brokers and
agents. Prominent among these is the firm incorporated under the title
of the Western Investment Banking Co., organized March 4th of last
year, with an authorized capital of $100,000. This company is located
on the corner of Washington and Mohave streets, in the business center.
Besides doing a general banking business, and dealing in loans,
investments and real estate, the company are agents for the Sun
Insurance Company of London, the Anglo-Nevada Insurance Company, the
Connecticut Insurance Company, the Niagara Insurance Company, the
Agricultural Insurance Company, the Lancashire Insurance Company, and
the Travelers Life Insurance Company. Their field of operation covers
the whole of the United States. The books of the Company give
descriptions of the best available bargains in city and country real
estate. It also effects exchanges, procures loans at the lowest rates
upon bond and mortgage, makes collections at reasonable rates, and has
fine facilities for writing policies of insurance in the most
substantial companies named above; in fact, it is fully prepared to
meet all requirements in a prompt and satisfactory manner, being noted
for the most honorable business methods.
It may be added that this
is the oldest real estate agency organized in Phoenix.
The Phoenix Electric Light Co.
Foremost among the
wonderful inventions of the age is the marvelous system of illumination
known as the electric light. It stands side by side among scientific
improvements and discoveries with the electric telegraph, the
telephone, the generation and application of steam, and other great
trophies which inventive genius has wrested from nature's great
treasure house of knowledge. Without going into details as to the
peculiarities of this marvelous system, it may be stated that the arc
is a light of great intensity. Concentrated in one small spot and
eminently suited to the illumination of long areas of space,
particularly factories, where there are no perpendicular obstacles to
cast large shadows, it is employed in public building, hotels and
squares, and its radiance, notwithstanding its brilliancy, does not
fatigue or injure the eye. The incandescent is a small, soft, steady
light of the brightness of a large gas jet, and is especially adapted
for both domestic and factory purposes. These two systems are radically
distinct, a fact which must be borne in mind when comparing the arc
with the incandescent.
The Phoenix Electric
Light Company was organized in 1888, with ample capital, and has for
its officers some of the best known and most popular business men of
the city. The plant covers six lots, and the station is a fire-proof
structure 30x40 feet in dimensions. The machinery is driven by a
seventy five horse power engine, and when running at its full capacity,
produces 45 arc and 600 incandescent lights. All of which are of the
Brush manufacture. The business has been a success from the very
beginning, and a bright future (literally as well as figuratively) is
undoubtedly ahead of the company.
Maricopa Loan and Trust Co.
Bankery
A bank is an institution
authorized to receive deposits, loan money, etc., and the business
dates back to the earliest antiquity. Banking was introduced into
England in the 17th century, where it was carried on by the goldsmiths
of London, who seem to have borrowed it from Holland. On May 17, 1781,
a plan for a National Bank was submitted to Congress by Robert Morris,
of Pennsylvania, and the bill passed May 26th the same year. On
December 31st of the same year, the new Congress incorporated the
stockholders. The old Bank of the United States came into existence in
1791, and was wound up in 1811. The second Bank of the United States,
organized by Act of Congress in 1810, was wound up in 1840. Subsequent
to this date, and prior to the act of 1864, all banking institutions
were chartered by the States and were known as States Banks.
The development of the
resources, the increase in natural products, and the progress and
advancement of our commerce and manufacturing interests, bringing about
a system of exchange, which rendered the State system crude and slow,
necessitated an improvement in facilities and a uniformity of system in
the banking operations of the country. The National Banking system was
enacted June 3, 1864, which, in the opinion of financiers of great
experience and marked ability, was a decided improvement on the old
systems of this country and Europe.
Among the numerous
institutions of this kind in Phoenix, there are none more notable for
their business sagacity than the Maricopa Loan and Trust Company. Their
business includes general banking, savings banks, and dealing in
mortgage securities.
The President is J. W.
Spaulding; Vice-President and Manager, Jerry Millay; Cashier, M. E.
Spaulding; Assistant Cashier, T. W. Hine.
This Bank transacts
business throughout the United States and Europe. It was begun in 1888,
with a capital stock of 1100,000, all paid up.
It is located on the
corner of Montgomery and Washington streets. The building is of brick,
and the arrangements are in keeping with the business. To show the
standing of the Company, financially, they report a surplus of 120,000.
The President, J. W. Spaulding, is a non-resident. Mr. Millay, the
Manager, is a native of Maine, and has resided here eight years. Mr.
Spaulding, the Cashier, is also a native of Maine, and has been here
three years. Mr. Hine is of the same nativity, and has resided here
eight years. This Bank has, from its organization, wielded a
controlling influence on the finances of this section; an influence
uniformly of a beneficial character—consistent of course with its
successful management. Its policy has always been to keep its business
entirely within its control, to keep its resources available for any
emergency, and to allow no temptation to lure it beyond the line of
absolute safety, its officers believing that conservatism in banking is
the great balance wheel which keeps the whole commercial machinery of a
community always in good working order. This institution merits the
confidence of the public in Arizona. With such well known men as J. W.
Spaulding as President, Jerry Millay, Manager, M. E. Spaulding and
Thos. W. Hine, Cashiers, and H. W. Adams, Thos. W. Hine, Herbert H.
Logan, Jerry Millay and M. E. Spaulding as the Executive Committee, the
future of the Bank is well assured.
The Valley Abstract Co.
Any one taking into
consideration the immense transactions between buyers and sellers of
real estate in this county cannot fail to realize the importance of the
agent as operator between the parties transacting business.
One of the livest and
most thoroughly reliable firms engaged in this land is that of The
Valley Abstract Company. Incorporated in 1887, they are doing the
largest business of any company in the Territory in searching records
and furnishing abstracts of title to land. In addition to this they act
as agents for nonresidents and are resident agents of the Brooklyn,
Phoenix and American Fire Insurance Companies.
The Board of Directors of
the Company consists of William Christy, Cashier of the Valley Bank, E.
H. Hiller, Cashier of the Hartford Banking Company, Sam P. Webb, one of
the most prominent capitalists, ranchers and stock-raisers in the
Territory, C. H. Moore and B. A. Fickas.
The last named is the
President of the Company, and was born in Indiana. He came to this
Territory fifteen years ago. In 1881 he was a member of the Territorial
Council, and, since that time, has filled various positions of trust in
the Territory. He came to Phoenix about four years ago, and has, since
that time, spared no expense or labor in perfecting the books of the
Company.
C. H. Moore, the
Secretary of the Company, is a native of England. He came to the United
States in 1875, going directly to Southern California, where he soon
engaged in the Abstract business, and learned practically everything
connected with this complicated and difficult profession. He came to
Phoenix four years ago, and this Company has had the benefit of the
vast knowledge he acquired and has used in perfecting the unique system
of abstracts belonging to the Company.
One of the important
features of the work of the Company is their daily reports of
instruments filed for record in the office of the County Recorder.
Their steady application
to business, their thorough acquaintance with the city and county, and
their complete lines of abstracts enable them to accommodate all
applicants with promptness.
Phoenix Flour Mills, Roller
Process
The Milling Interest," as
it is called, constitutes one of the chief sources of revenue to the
commerce of Phoenix. Under the new order of things, the "Garden City of
the Southwest" is rapidly forging to the front in this direction, and
will one day become the most extensive "Milling City" in the "New
West." As a representative establishment, in this line, the Roller Mill
of Mr. J. Y. T. Smith, is one of which any city should be proud. The
business is just begun, but the quality of the flour cannot be
surpassed by the older establishments, the fine, dry air of Arizona
enabling the miller to use the best grain for flouring. The motive
power is obtained by using a 60 horse-power engine, with boiler of 54
inches by 16 feet. The mill is 32x.50 feet, and three stories high. The
engine house is 14x50 feet, and the flour warehouse 28x50. Mr. Smith
also has a large warehouse for the storage of grain. Mr. Smith was a
member of the Territorial Legislature for three terms, Speaker of the
Territorial Assembly and School Trustee. He is now Territorial
Treasurer. He was born in New York, and has lived in Arizona since
1866. He employs five hands, and pays liberal wages. His mill fills a
long felt want in this part of the Territory. A visit to the mill will
convince anyone that the proprietor is not satisfied to be behind the
age, but wishes his manufactory to turn out as good an article as any
other similar establishment in the world. Tireless energy, unceasing
vigilance, and persistent perseverance are the elements counted on by
him for success.
W.F. McNulty & Co Grocers
In looking over the
history of any country, and especially any new country, one is
frequently struck with the remarkable strides in advance which some
cities have made over others, the reason being the greater liberality
in policy and enterprise in improvements of their citizens. In the
same way in cities one finds that some citizens far outstrip others in
the race for wealth and business success. The cause is the same in the
one case as in the other. Phoenix shows numerous instances of such
successful, because enterprising and progressive, business men.
Prominent among such is the firm whose name is mentioned above.
Mr. McNulty established
his business in 1881. It has thriven in a remarkable manner, standing
unshaken by all the serious drawbacks which are incidental to all new
sections, and of which Arizona had more than the normal share.
In 1889, Mr. C. F.
Chapman was taken in as a partner in the business. The average amount
of stock carried is $3,000, and the yearly sales amount to $20,000.
Mr. McNulty was born in
New York and has been in Arizona fifteen years. He has been County
Recorder four years, and has fully identified himself with the
interests of the place.
Mr. C. F. Chapman was
born in Alabama, and has been here two years. The firm occupies a
commodious brick building on Washington street near the Plaza, and is
ready at all times to fill orders for cash in their line of business.
All of the operations of the house are under the immediate supervision
of the proprietors, and the promptitude with which business is
dispatched is a warrant of continued success. The firm is in every way
worthy of the extensive patronage which it receives, and the confidence
which the public reposes in it.
Goldman & Co, General
Merchandise
Tn preparing for the
perusal of readers, both at home and abroad, historical and descriptive
notes on the representative industries and commercial enterprises of
the Territory, it is important to select typical institutions and
establishments, more particularly those whose success has made them
prominent and gained for their proprietors leading positions in the
mercantile circles of each city.
The firm of Goldman &
Co. takes high rank as a leading house in general merchandise. With a
branch house at Tempe, they are controlling a large business, both
wholesale and retail. The firm consists of Charles and Leo Goldman, and
has been established since 1874. They carry an average stock of
$100,000, and do an annual business of $400,000. They employ fifteen
hands, and their pay roll is commensurate with the number of their
employes. Their main store is 50x137 1/2 feet. Their agricultural
department occupies a room 150x137 1/2, and the depot warehouse is
50x150, and is of brick.
Their branch house at
Tempe is doing a wholesale business, and both houses are agents for the
Studebaker Bros.' far-famed wagons. With regard to so well known a
house but little can be said that is not already known of its
importance as a mercantile industry ; and a detailed description is
therefore unnecessary beyond giving the plain facts connected with its
operations.
Goldman & Co. are the
sole agents for the celebrated Maggioni Francesco Kid Glove, formerly
handled by P. Centemeri & Co. It is the most perfect fitting and
best wearing glove sold in the world.
Phoenix and
Prescott Daily Stage Line
As the purpose of this
business review is to describe the important industries, for the
benefit of our people, as well as tourists who visit the country, it is
essential that mention be made of the Company whose name heads this
article.
This line was started
about sixteen years ago, and came into the hands of the present
proprietors in 1890. They run stages daily between Phoenix and Prescott
on two different routes. The one, via Black Canyon, makes the 110 miles
in 24 hours ; the other, via the Congress and Vulture mines, a distance
of 150 miles, takes 32 hours to accomplish. Both carry the United
States Mail. The Company have 10 stages, 70 horses, and employ 20 men.
The drivers are competent and reliable. Messrs. W. L. and R. B. George
are the proprietors. Mr. J. B. George is the Manager. The Phoenix Agent
is Mr. C. W. Greenleaf and the Prescott Agent is Mr. W. L. George,
Jr.—all well and favorably known along the entire route. Messrs. W. L.,
R. B., J. B., and W. L. George, Jr., are all natives of Kentucky, but
for the last four years have lived in Arizona, and are closely
identified with the progress and improvement of this, their adopted
home. Through long experience in every detail of their business, and a
high reputation for integrity and fair dealing, they are justly
entitled to the confidence and patronage of the traveling public.
Farmer's Irrigation Co.
Some two and a half miles
southwest of the City of Phoenix, the canal of this company, with a
capacity of fifteen thousand miner's inches, or two hundred and fifty
million gallons of daily flow, takes its water from the north bank of
the Salt River, feeding, with its hundreds of ditches, as fertile a
range of country as can, perhaps, be found on the habitable globe.
Gradually leaving the river, its course, though westward, is more
northerly until it crosses the Agua Fria River, embracing some ninety
square miles of a garden spot.
The land covered by this
canal is about the most choice in this fertile valley—or rather,
sloping plain-In this sparsely settled region, strange as it may seem,
land can be purchased at fifteen to twenty dollars an acre, which in a
better known country would readily bring ten times the amount, and be
considered cheap, much of it having been taken up by poor settlers, who
would sell half their holdings to enable them to fully develop, at
once, the remainder. The soil is a rich alluvial, from ten to fifteen
feet deep, and capable of producing oranges, lemons, figs, grapes,
cereals of all kinds, and sending its products to market three weeks to
a month earlier than the most favored spots in California.
The climate of this
section has no peer in the world for healthfulnes. No bugs,
caterpillars or locusts, to destroy or injure crops, no fogs, no
frosts, no malaria, no fever; and these lands contain a wealth of
producing power, at a minimum of cost, which, once it becomes fully
known, will promptly increase their value and importance, it is safe to
say, tenfold.
Arizona and Eastern
Colonization Co.
This Company, with a
capital of half a million dollars, has for its object, the providing of
homesteads in the Salt River Valley for the thrifty settler, at lower
rates of expense, in any and every way, than he could do it alone,
securing him water for irrigation, tools and implements, seed, etc., on
easy terms of payment, thus protecting him from the usurers and land
sharks which are such a curse to newly settled districts.
The Company clearly sees
that the great need, at present, is, in some measure, on a secure
basis, to bring the thrifty farmer in contact with this fertile region,
where the result must inevitably be the production of immense wealth,
increase of values, and general prosperity. Their mode of procedure is
on the co-operative and installment principle, which has proved so
successful in the East. Each settler is a member of the Company, and
entitled to his share of the profits accruing from its operations,
inconstantly increasing values. This principle bids fair to far
outstrip, in its results, the pernicious methods of "booming" the
country, which have been adopted in California, wasting money by
exaggerated and expensive advertisements, which money has to be drawn
from the working public.
E. Ganz, Wholesale Dealer in
Liquors and Tobaccos
One of the most reliable,
as well as among the largest establishments in the liquor and tobacco
line in the Territory, is that of E. Ganz, situated on Washington
street, the most prominent business street in Phoenix. He carries an
excellently selected stock of fine goods, embracing leading brands of
imported and domestic liquors, such as brandies, gins, rum, wines, etc.
His stock of old Kentucky whiskeys represents some of the leading
brands of that great whisky-producing State, and must be tasted to be
thoroughly appreciated. He is sole agent for Anthony & Kuhn's
celebrated St. Louis Imager Beer. He also carries a large and well
assorted stock of chewing and smoking tobacco, carrying an average
stock of about $6,000. His yearly sales will amount to the handsome sum
of from $35,000 to $40,000. His storeroom is a handsome brick
structure, 25x50 feet in dimensions.
Mr. Ganz is one of the
best known and most popular men in the Territory, having been twice
elected to fill the important office of Mayor of Phoenix, and having
served one term as Commissioner of Asylums for Arizona, both of which
offices he filled with credit to himself, and to the perfect
satisfactions of the community.
F.A. Hartwell, Artistic
Photographer
The progress that has
been made within recent years in the art of photography is nothing
short of marvelous. The methods, the apparatus, and even the manner of
posing, all are, virtually, revolutionized by the march of progress,
and methods and improvements closely approaching perfection, are now
employed. In no photographing establishment is this more strikingly
illustrated than in the gallery of Mr. F. A. Hartwell, of this city.
Coming here from Tucson, but a year and a half ago, Mr. Hartwell has
built up a business already acknowledged to be the finest in his line
of any in all Arizona. The high order of work done, the uniform
satisfaction rendered to his patrons, together with the unmistakable
business capacity, energy and sound judgment which characterize the
management of this deservedly popular establishment, have been the
chief features contributing to the positive and permanent success Mr.
Hartwell to-day enjoys. The business, already large, is constantly
increasing, and is very extensive, being restricted only by the
boundaries of Arizona. The premises, of brick, and 75x25 feet in
dimensions, are favorably situated on Maricopa street, opposite the
City Hall, in the center of the city's busiest business portion. The
rooms are finely fitted up spacious and commodious.
Mr. Hartwell, whom is a
Canadian by birth, is a man of keen intelligence, courteous and
gentlemanly manners, and of the highest integrity.
P. Minor, Artic Ice
Manufacturer
In the region of Lake
Superior, where the soil freezes to the depth of six feet, and the ice,
near the shore, attains a thickness of four feet ; and where the blocks
of "crystal coolness" can be seen floating in the lake in July and
August, and the water, dipped from the lake, takes the thermometer down
to 50° Fahrenheit, there seems little call for the manufacture of
ice for family use. Indeed, none is needed for more than three months
in the year ; but all the warmer sections south of the Ohio and the
parallel of 40°, feel the need of the great cooler, for from six to
nine months in the year. Before the invention of artificial ice in
quantity for general use, people were glad to get it in localities
where it cost them three to eight cents per lb. Now, this precious
commodity is to be had in all towns and hamlets, at a price that brings
it within the reach of all.
The Arctic Ice
Manufactory of Phoenix, is an enterprise that has come to stay. The
latest improved machinery is used, and the ice is made of condensed
purified water. The freezing of the water is effected at about 12
degrees Fahrenheit, when running steady, and the result is pure Arctic
ice. Thus artificial ice may be made as much below the freezing point
as the appliance produces a greater cold. All this inures to the
benefit of the consumer, since 50 lbs of ice at zero is worth much more
than 50 lbs at 32". It is the cold we are after. Therefore the producer
of Arctic ice not only gives us a cheaper article, but a purer one.
This Company can produce
six tons a day. Their works are run by an engine of 12 horse-power.
Their building is 46x80. They employ five hands. Mr. P. Minor
established these works in 1887. He has been in Arizona 12 years, and
is thoroughly identified with this city's best interests, and always
ready with hand and purse to aid in any enterprise looking to the
public good. He has a large number of steady customers, who have dealt
with him for years, and possess every confidence in his judgment and
honesty. With such a past, it is to be hoped he may long continue in
his position as one of our representative business men. G. M.
E.M. Lamson, Business College
The Commercial College
sustains the same relative position to the world of trade, commerce and
finance, as the normal school does to school teaching, the law school
to the legal profession, the theological seminary to the clergy, the
medical college to the physician, West Point to military men, and
Annapolis to those who are in training for the naval service.
The Lamson Business
College is a comparatively new departure in the educational field of
Phoenix, having been started as recently as September, 1889. In this
short time, however, it has won a reputation for thorough practical
business methods, equal to many of the old, well established
institutions of the East. Professor Lamson's circulars and testimonials
from high sources, show him to be well qualified in ability, culture,
and experience to fill his important position in training our young men
for business with credit to himself and advantage to his pupils. He was
a teacher in the public schools of Lake County, Illinois, for two and a
half years ; one of the instructors in the great Bryant & Stratton
Business College, Chicago, III., for four and a half months ; Secretary
of the Lakeside Business College for a time ; and Principal of the
Watertown Business College, Watertown, Dakota, for three years. His
Institution affords superior training in the various departments of a
symmetrical commercial education, qualifying for an intelligent
engagement, on the part of the graduate, in business pursuits of all
kinds, and for the successful conduct of public and private affairs. It
is open to both sexes, and all ages, and provides a separate academic
course, embracing the usual studies of such a course. In addition to
these, Mr. Lamson conducts a commercial night school, three evenings in
the week, also an evening school for Penmanship.
Professor Lamson is a
native of Illinois, and has had an experience of eight years in this
kind of educational work. His building is centrally located in the
Monihon block, and has accommodations for one hundred pupils.
Professor Lamson enjoys
an honorable reputation as a business man, and a citizen having shown
himself, invariably, an upright, conscientious, courteous gentleman,
winning the confidence of all who know him.
He is recommended to the
public as a first-class teacher of bookkeeping and penmanship—in short,
of all commercial branches, and Phoenix is proud to recognize him among
her most successful and popular educators.
Henry E. Kemp & Co.,
Hardware, Etc.
A large wholesale and
retail house contributes in an important degree to the advancement of a
city by its large business interests, the employment it offers, the
certainty of supply and its contributions to the convenience of the
population of the city in which it is located, and surrounding country.
Such an establishment is that of Henry E. Kemp & Co. on Montezuma
street, just west of the City Hall. Hardware of all kinds, wagons,
buggies, plows, mowers, harvesters, and everything the farmer, builder
or mechanic needs are in stock in full lines.
This business has been
established five years. The firm carries a very large stock and does an
annual business of $150,000. It employs six hands, and its trade
extends to all parts of the Territory.
The partner of Mr. Kemp
is Emory L. Grant, who also thoroughly understands the business. The
main building of the firm is 50x100 feet and their implement depot
80x150 feet. Mr. Henry E. Kemp was, until quite recently, president of
the Chamber of Commerce, and is fully identified with the business,
educational, civil and political interests of the City of Phoenix and
the Territory of Arizona. Mr. Kemp and Mr. Grant were both born in
Wisconsin, and inherit the push and enterprise characteristic of the
natives of that thriving State. The success they have already attained
is an abundant guaranty for the future. The popularity enjoyed by this
firm is the best testimony to their honorable and fair dealing.
D.H. Burtis, Stoves, Tinware,
Etc.
As a branch of industry
peculiarly successful in Phoenix, and forming an important factor of
the commerce of the city, the plumbing and tinware trade ranks high,
and those engaged therein are entitled to more than ordinary
consideration in the compilation of a work having for its object a
historical review of the mercantile and industrial resources of the
city. The business in which Mr. Burtis is now conducting was
established in 1884, and has had a steady growth up to this time, being
fully entitled to a place among the live business enterprises of the
city. His orders come from nearly every part of the Territory and are
promptly filled. He makes a specialty of work for the various mines and
mills scattered among the mountains and hamlets, and is ready to supply
everything needed in his line.
Mr. D. H. Burtis was born
in Illinois, and has been here seven years. He employs 12 hands and
carries on a business of many thousands annually. His store and
workshop are 30x125 feet on the ground floor, and his warehouse is
40x60 feet.
Mr. Burtis has a
well-earned reputation for fair and honorable dealing, is entirely
reliable and responsible, and all his transactions are marked by a
careful regard for the interests of his patrons. His success is
assured.
Phoenix Iron Works
No place of much size is
fully supplied with the necessities of civilization without such works
as the above, including foundry and general work in iron and brass. To
this the agriculturist must come for repairs, the mechanic for his
fittings, the miller for his castings and the miner for his machinery.
Even a small establishment is of invaluable service, as it furnishes a
thousand things on the spot which would, otherwise, have to be sent for
to a distant city. Such an establishment is that of Mr. G. R.
Williscraft, on Yavapai street, Phoenix.
His factory and yard
cover half an acre, and are well adapted for the purpose for which they
are used, The business was started in August, 1889, and has been very
successful from the start. Mr. Williscraft's patrons come from all
parts of the Territory, finding it to their interest to do so. He has
in use a 40 horsepower engine, giving ample power for his foundry. He
does a general foundry business in iron and brass, makes to order
pumps, well cribs, scrapers and land levelers, repairs agricultural and
mining machinery of all kinds, and furnishes, on short notice,
irrigating pumps, water wheels, engines, boilers, and machinery of
every description. The Pioneer Works are of great value in a new
country, and should be liberally patronized.
Mr. Williscraft is a
native of Canada, and has been in business in Phoenix for the past two
years. He is a young man of energy and ability, and a bright future is
undoubtedly before him.
The Valley Bank, Washington
Street
In reviewing the business
progress and industries of any city, her banks, as the depositories and
principal lenders of the money on which her prosperity depends,
naturally demand the greatest attention. Phoenix is fortunate in
possessing institutions which, in all respects, compare favorably with
any in the Territory; and among these we find the Valley Bank. This
bank was established on the 28th of November, 1883, as a National Bank,
and continued so till April, 1884, when it was incorporated under the
Territorial law as a corporation. The capital stock is $50,000, all
paid up, the surplus in the last statement (April 9, 1890), was
$40,000, but by the time this article is in print it will be $50,000 or
more. Following is the statement referred to :
STATEMENT OF THE
CONDITION OF THE VALLEY BANK, AT CLOSE OF BUSINESS, APRIL 9, 1890.
Resources
Loans and discounts
............ $166,482.04
Overdrafts,
................................. 9,637.86
Real Estate,
............................... 6,477.30
Furniture and Fixtures,
............ 3,000.00
Expense,
................................... 1,509.04
Due from Banks,
.................... 27,252 55
Cash,
...................................... 39,887.68
$254,246.47
Liabilities
Capital Stock,
.........................$50,000.00
Surplus,
.................................. 40,000.00
Undivided Proits,
....................... 3,969.34
Re-discounts,
.......................... 10,000.00
Deposits,
................................150,277.13
$254,246.47
Territory of
Arizona, }
County of Maricopa,}
I, Wm. Christy, Cashier
of the Valley Bank, of Phoenix, Arizona, do solenanly swear tliat the
above statement is true to the best of my knowledge and belief, WM.
CHRISTY, Cashier. Subscribed and sworn to before me, this 10th day of
April, 1890. E. J. BENNITT, Notary Public.
Following are the
officers of the bank : Andrew Crawford, President; M. H. Sherman,
Vice-President; William Christy, Cashier; E. J. Bennitt, Assistant
Cashier. The Directors are : A. Crawford, Wm. Christy, F. C. Hatch, E.
J. Bennitt, M. H. Sherman, M. W. Messenger.
A general banking
business is transacted, the correspondents being in the principal
cities of the United States and Europe. The premises occupied are large
and commodious, being 16 feet, fronting on Washington street, and
running back 100 feet. The building is well fitted up for the rapid
transaction of the business and the comfort of its patrons. The
officers are all well known in and out of business circles. With such a
personnel, and the prestige of an honorable past, the future of this
bank is well assured.
C. Eschman & Co
Apothecaries
The name of this house is
fully identified, and may be used synonymously with the progress of the
drug trade in this city. This trade, in any city, is one of the most
important factors in the general make-up, and exercises an influence
not exceeded by that of any other branch. The leading house of this
class in Phoenix, is that of Mr. C. Esehman, and has been in his charge
since 1883. With regard to so well known a house, but little can be
said that is not already known, of its importance as a mercantile
industry, beyond giving an outline of its operations.
Mr. Esehman occupies a
large, fine, conveniently arranged building of brick, 30x60 feet in
area, whose doors will be found open day and night, to accommodate the
public. His stock, which embraces drugs of all description, patent
medicines, and a full line of toilet articles, is estimated at $10,000
in value. He employs a competent assistant, and does an extensive
business throughout this city, and all over the Territory, his annual
transactions reaching $18,000. Mr. Esehman is a native of Germany, and
has lived in this city for the past seven years, having, during a
portion of, that time, occupied the important offices of Public
Administrator and Coroner. He brings to his business a professional
experience of 21 years, and states that he is the only graduate in
Pharmacy in the city. He can be confidently recommended as a thoroughly
reliable man of business, and of great skill in his profession.
Hewins & Craighead, Real
Estate and Insurance Agents
Any one taking into
consideration the immense transactions between buyers and sellers of
real estate in this city, cannot question the importance of the agent
as operator between parties. One of the livest and most thoroughly
reliable firms engaged in this line of enterprise, is that of Messrs.
Hewins & Craighead. This firm commenced operations in 1889, and is
conducting an extensive business in buying and selling real estate,
furnishing the most reliable of abstracts, negotiating loans on long
time and at short notice, and placing insurance in the best companies
in the United States, Messrs. L. E. Hewins and G. W. Craighead compose
the firm. These gentlemen have been here long enough to become fully
acquainted with every piece of property, to learn the choice locations
and the value. Their fine, spacious oflice is found on Montezuma
street, in the Anderson Block, where those who call upon them are
always treated with the courtesy which marks the true gentleman
everywhere. In both social and business affairs, these gentlemen well
deserve the honor and respect accorded them, as possessing those
qualities which go to make up cultured intelligence, and honorable and
reliable business character and reputation.
Geo. B.
Perkins, Real Estate and Loans
The intelligent reader
will hardly need to be told what important factors the transaction of
real estate business and the lending of money to be used for purposes
of improvement and development, are in securing the rapid settlement
and speedy progress of a newly settled city or district. The fact is
self-evident, and, it, further, goes without saying that an essential
condition of the success, alike of that city or district and of the
person who conducts the line of business referred to, is that lie be
strictly honorable and reliable, known for integrity and square dealing
and be, in short, the very opposite of an insatiable land-shark or a
grasping usurer.
There are other
qualifications, no doubt, necessary, as well, to the equipment of a
successful real estate dealer and judicious negotiator of loans.
Activity, energy and constant watchfulness in observing the
fluctuations of the market are indispensable to success. It is also
necessary that the man engaged in this line of business be quick to
know exactly what his prospective customer wants and to show him
readily what will exactly suit him—this requiring not only a natural
gift of reading human nature but also an amount of experience which it
is not given to every man to possess or acquire.
Mr. Perkins who now is
sole partner in the business named at the head of this article has been
in the country five years, during the last four of which he was
associated with Mr. Coble under the firm name of Perkins & Coble.
Mr. Perkins has, thus, had ample opportunity to thoroughly acquaint
himself with the nature, quality and capabilities of all the land in
the valley and his reputation has been established for years as a
thoroughly reliable as well as a courteous and obliging business man in
whose hands the interests of any one who entrusts him with his business
will be absolutely safe. He is an enterprising, public-spirited and
therefore, prominent citizen. He has ample capital to give stability
and security to his business and will always be found ready and willing
to give every facility and accommodation to any one wishing to gain
information about the lands of the Salt River Valley. Mr. Perkins is a
native of Utica, N. Y. His office is situated two doors west of the
Hartford Bank, on Washington Street, where he has a carriage always
ready to convey visitors to view any property which they may be
desirous of inspecting with a view to purchase.
Williams Hotel, Maricopa
Maricopa is a town of
about 300 inhabitants. It is situated at the junction of the Southern
Pacific and Maricopa railroads, 892 miles from San Francisco, and 37
miles from Phoenix, the terminus of the Maricopa road. The most
important institution in the town is the Williams House. It is the
eating house for both roads, besides being a regular hotel with 12
sleeping rooms and a large dining-room with a capacity for seating 50
people at one time. A fine bar and billiard saloon are attached to the
house, where guests waiting for trains can pass the time pleasantly.
The proprietors, Messrs. Perry M. and Cyrus M. Williams are both clever
and accommodating, and see, in person, that all their guests are made
comfortable.
Besides keeping the only
hotel in town they are large land owners, owning 1,000 acres
immediately surrounding the town. They are also largely interested in
the mining and stock industries, being the owners of no less than 12
mines within 35 miles of Maricopa, some of which show ore equal to any
in the Territory. They buy and sell cattle, fruit and vine lands, and
have a large assortment of Indian curios always on hand for the
inspection of tourists.
The hotel is a frame
structure 44x50 feet, two stories high, and, being new and well
equipped, is a pleasant place to stop.
Both the proprietors are
natives of Wisconsin. Perry M. came to Arizona seven years ago and
Cyrus M. three years ago. They are thoroughly identified with the
business interests of this, their adopted, home, and are ever ready to
do anything in their power to advance its interests. Their business has
been a success from the beginning, both being well known, in and out of
business circles, as honorable and reliable gentlemen. Their future
success is thus fully assured.
Maricopa
and Phoenix Railroad
Previous to the year
1887, the only means of transportation between the Salt River Valley
and the outer world was by train to Maricopa, a station on the Southern
Pacific Railroad, about thirty miles nearly directly south of Phoenix.
In the beginning of the
settlement of the valley, its principal market was found in supplying
the military posts scattered throughout the country to which its
supplies of hay and grain were also distributed by team. A few mining
operations were also contributors to the welfare of the valley by
absorbing its productions, such as the Vulture in the northwest, and
the Tiptop and Phoenix mines more directly north.
Upon the building of the
Southern Pacific Railroad, it was discovered that the military posts
which had been the chief reliance of the farmers of the valley could be
supplied more economically from Southern California. Operations at the
mines also failed, or were very nearly entirely suspended, so that, in
the years 1884-1836, the problem which confronted the people of the
valley was, "What is to be done by way of securing additional means of
transportation ?
About this time, or even
earlier, Judge De Forrest Porter, then a resident of Phoenix (since
deceased) with others, saw the necessity of an outlet by rail, and
mainly through his efforts, ably backed by those of other prominent
residents of Phoenix and Tempe, a charter was obtained from the
Legislature with authority for the County of Maricopa to issue a
subsidy to assist in building a railroad to the Southern Pacific
Railroad connection, which eventuated in the construction of the
existing Maricopa & Phoenix Railroad.
At about the same time,
the construction of the existing Arizona canal had been so far advanced
that it was evidently about to be' a success, and, as an addition to
the existing problem came the question as to what should be done with
the largely increased products of the valley incident to the
cultivation of the lands to be supplied with water from this canal.
Although the question of
the charter and the subsidy had been Utterly opposed before the
Legislature, these considerations led to general acquiescence in the
results there obtained, and a new means of transportation was thus
secured.
As soon as this object
was attained, the people of the valley began to make use of it, a new
impetus was given to business, values increased, the assessed valuation
of the County of Maricopa was in 1885, $2,266,772 in 1886, $2,343,.310,
rose to 13,276,209, in 1887, to $4,060,922 in 1888, in 1889 $4,844,901,
and in 1890, the current year, amounted to $5, .543,904.
All this increase was
chiefly made possible by the building of the railroad. Previously, the
cost of transportation by team between the Salt River Valley and the
Southern Pacific Railroad varied from 25 to 60 cents per 100 lbs. At
the present time, for the year 1890, the average rate of freight has
been from Phoenix and Tempe to Maricopa 10 1-10 cents per 100 lbs.;
from Maricopa to Phoenix and Tempe, 16 4-5 cents per 100 lbs., the
products of the valley being carried at the lowest rates of freight.
With the opening of the
new railroad began a competition with Southern California for supplying
the markets of southwestern Arizona, New Mexico and Texas with
agricultural products, resulting in a complete establishment of the
fact that the Salt River Valley is amply able to hold its own, shipping
at least forty carloads per month of hay and as many more of grain,
competing also in the articles of flour and bran shipping by the
carload hay and bran to Southern California itself. It now delivers to
the Southern Pacific Road at Maricopa a very large amount of traffic in
tonnage, more than is received from that road.
In addition to the means
of transportation by railroad, the people of Salt River Valley are now
building, by private subscription, a wagon road to the Bradshaw mining
region which will enable them to ship out their products to the
northern part of Arizona, and supply the mining region at much less
expense than has heretofore been done.
It is expected that this
road will soon be superseded by a railroad. In addition to this, steps
are now being taken to secure a wagon road to Globe, which will be
followed by an additional demand for the products of the valley, which
are yearly increasing to a very large extent.
Source: Arizona A Review
of its Resources H.C. Stinson and W.N. Carter Compilers 1891