Native American History in Phoenix notes there are 21 federally recognized Native American tribes represented in Arizona with a total population of about 300,000. The Pueblo Grande ruins, which were occupied between 700 A.D. and 1400 A.D. , testify to the city’s ancient history where the wide Salt River ran through the Valley of the Sun.
By 1868, a small colony had formed approximately four miles east of the present city. Swilling's Mill became the new name of the area until it was then changed to Helling Mill. It became Mill City, and years later, East Phoenix. It was Darrell Duppa who suggested the name Phoenix, inasmuch as the new town would spring from the ruins of a former civilization.
Phoenix officially was recognized on May 4, 1868, when the Yavapai County Board of Supervisors, the county of which Phoenix is a part, formed an election precinct.
In 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt signed the National Reclamation Act. This bold step and foresight made it possible to build dams on western streams for reclamation purposes. The Theodore Roosevelt Dam was started in 1906. It was the first multiple-purpose dam, supplying both water and electric power, to be constructed under the National Reclamation Act. On May 18, 1911, the former President himself dedicated the dam, which was the largest masonry dam in the world. This opened a new era in farming for the Valley and secured the part of the economy that depended on water for its life.
President William Howard Taft approved Arizona's statehood on Feb. 14, 1912. On March 18 of the same year, Gov. George Hunt called the first State Legislature into session.
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