top of page

READ MORE ...

Article Written by:

Lori Schneider

Continued...

 

On a short walk through the new Civic Center Park, class members learned that Scottsdale Center of the Performing Arts opened in 1975 with the opening act of Roger Miller singing about being “a man of means, by no means” in his hit song, “King of the Road.”

 

A stop at the Little Red School House, now the Scottsdale Historical Museum, provided perspective as the class learned that a $5,000 bond in 1909 was approved by Scottsdale citizens to build the original red brick structure, and it ultimately came in UNDER budget!

 

History Day continued with Jona, Stephanie, and Joan, along with Dana Close boarding a luxury bus with Class 39, and heading on a brief tour of Old Town and then on to Cattle Track Arts Compound.

 

At the compound, Janie Ellis, longtime resident and General Manager told stories and lead the group on a tour of the Compound. Class members learned that the space is a national destination for forward thinking artists. The mission is to recognize and celebrate the city’s cultural heritage by providing all versions of artists with encouragement to enhance their art forms. Everyone in the class received a print of their choice as a special reminder of our time there.

 

Around noon, the class moved again. This time to McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park for a bite of lunch and a presentation by Stephanie Tippett, City of Scottsdale Parks and Recreation Manager. Stephanie described the history of the park along with future plans, some of which are already underway.

 

Between 1942 and 1954, Anne and Fowler McCormick amassed the land for the vast McCormick Ranch. In 1967, Fowler McCormick donated 100 of those acres to the City of Scottsdale and required that it be used for a park for all citizens to enjoy. At that time, those 100 acres were valued at $1,000,000.

 

In 1971, Guy Stillman started the Scottsdale Railroad & Mechanical Society to help the city establish a railroad park on the donated land. Guy donated two narrow gauge 5/12 scale locomotives.

 

In 1975 the public celebrated the grand opening of Scottsdale’s McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park with free train rides, games, music and a wild west shootout. Once again, the vision of the residents of Scottsdale was not lost over the preceding decade…from ’67 to ’75, they kept the vision alive and the project was completed.

 

Today, construction at the park will produce a new splash pad and playground. Yet another example of Scottsdale residents who engaged and took time to make a plan that would serve future citizens.

 

To top off the fun park experience, Class 39 was treated to a tour of an actual train. Valerie Budnick, Recreation Coordinator (Class 34) told stories of the Pullman train on site which was used by Presidents and dignitaries.

 

As the group traveled to Scottsdale Airport, Joan spoke over the microphone about the history of the land on the route. Upon arrival at the airport, we stopped for a quick group photo under the suspended WWII airplane. Kelli Kuester, Aviation Planning & Outreach Coordinator, boarded the bus and explained that our airport is among the 10 busiest single runway airports in the world. Originally named Thunderbird Airfield Number Two, it was a training facility for WWII pilots. Since then, long-range jets have been welcomed by an extended runway, international arrivals are processed, and more than 170,000 takeoffs and landings happen yearly.

 

Capping off a unique bus tour on the tarmac and around the runways, Class 39 was welcomed into the operations room with multiple, large, security screens with video feeds of various areas across the airport, and high tech operational tools. The airport stop was a real favorite of the group!

 

On our way to the last stop of the day, the little known Indian Bend Wash (IBW) Visitor Center, Joan Fudala, told us that Starfire Golf Course is the oldest golf course in Scottsdale. Another interesting fact is that the pine trees planted along Hayden Road through the IBW/Greenbelt, were planted as part of a civic program in the 1970s encouraging families to donate their Christmas trees to the city after Christmas. Notice next time you are there that those trees are giants now, and you know their history.

 

Made from necessity, IBW/Greenbelt, was originally meant only to control flood waters. The Army Corps Of Engineers created a plan to build a concrete canal along the flood prone area to protect the public and stop the dangerous splitting of the community during monsoon season storms. The canal looked much like the Los Angeles River and had a single purpose. As they always do, Scottsdale’s citizens engaged and went to work to create something better.

 

Citizen and future councilman, Bill Walton, along with other citizens and city personnel, cooperated in building their own plan for an urban greenbelt. A tree-lined, grass covered, multi-use path with room for parks and recreation year round, while protecting the public on those few days that needed flood control, was proposed.

 

In 1984, 20 years after the Army Corps of Engineers presented their concrete plan, the citizen-envisioned Indian Bend Wash and Greenbelt was completed. Class 39 enjoyed a visual presentation of the IBW at the Visitor Center on Hayden just north of Indian School.

 

To wrap up History Day, Mike Vreeland, Scottsdale Parks and Recreation Commissioner (Class 37) spoke to the Class about the future. Generations of the past had the dedication and forethought to come together, engage in the planning and brainstorming process and contribute to this extremely well-run city. Scottsdale is special because each generation participates. Each generation repeats the process of engagement and planning for the future. It is imperative that Scottsdale Leadership Class 39 do the same.

 

They say history repeats itself. Here in Scottsdale, we can only hope it does.

bottom of page