Arizona Falls is a waterfall in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. It was formed when the man-made Arizona Canal crossed a natural, drop in the area of present-day 56th Street in the Arcadia neighborhood of Phoenix. The site became a popular location for social activities before and after being used as a hydroelectric power station that provided the first electricity to Phoenix. After generating power for 50 years, the site was left run down. Modern air conditioning lessened the attraction of the falls and the area was neglected for decades. In the early 2000s, the site was rebuilt both as a public-art project and a functional power station which generates enough electricity to power about 150 average Phoenix homes. Walkers, joggers, and cyclists using a recreation path along the canal pass through the park. It is also a destination attraction for other visitors. The modern park opened in 2003.
History
Contractor William J. Murphy was responsible for the waterfall. Murphy, a midwestern entrepreneur, had just completed work on a grading project for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad in northern Arizona when he won a contract to build the Arizona Canal, an irrigation canal that would take water from the Salt River for distribution, primarily for agriculture, throughout the northern part of the Valley of the Sun. Work on the canal began in 1883 and reached a hard rock formation in 1884. It was decided to leave the rock in place and incorporate it into the canal, letting the water flow over it, thus creating the man-made waterfall.
The waterfall became a popular attraction. The desert oasis was a novelty and a cool place in the hot dry desert environment, where the evaporative cooling effect of the mist of the falling water lowered the air temperature and trees provided shade. People from Phoenix and Tempe, both away, traveled there for recreational activities such as picnics. Visitors to the Valley were often taken there as well to see the sight. The unincorporated area around the falls was sparsely populated and took on the name Arizona Falls; the name was given to the election precinct of Maricopa County that encompassed the area.
By 1892, a plan was made to build a railway from Phoenix to Arizona Falls, with electric locomotives powered by electricity generated at the falls. The railway, inspired by early electric lines in California, was to use Enright "noiseless and smokeless engines" and had major investors from Phoenix, San Francisco, and Hamilton, Ohio. The Arizona Improvement Company was then developing the town of Ingleside by the falls and planting the first commercial citrus orchards. A mill was constructed at the falls around the same time.
Electric plant
The first plant was built in 1901–02 by the Phoenix Light and Fuel Company, the predecessor to Arizona Public Service, to provide electricity to Phoenix. In 1907, it was reported that electricity for Phoenix would be generated at Roosevelt Dam instead and power from the Arizona Falls plant would supply farmers in the immediate area.
By 1909, engineers of the Salt River Project (SRP), the operator of the canal system (originally the Salt River Valley Water Users' Association), decided to take over operation of the Arizona Falls power station and replace the generating equipment, increasing capacity by a third, to 700 hp. The plant was completely rebuilt beginning in 1911. SRP hoped that it could realize savings by ordering additional 48-inch turbines that were being built by S. Morgan Smith of York, Pennsylvania for the Granite Reef Dam power station. Engineers determined they would not work satisfactorily at Arizona Falls which has a much smaller drop. A separate specification was issued and a contract for two 745-hp turbines was issued to S. Morgan Smith later in the year at a cost of $11,500. Two 535-kVA 25-Hz generators were purchased from General Electric for $15,462, and Westinghouse Electric furnished other equipment for $2,925. Also purchased were two 30-kW transformers and two cranes. The generators were the largest pieces of machinery ever "imported" into the Phoenix area at the time.