Historical Background

Here's a little information on the history of Squaw Peak

In April of 1903, as Omar A. Turney was surveying the area north of Phoenix, Arizona for the federal government he recorded the name "Squaw Peak" on his plat map and noted it in his field notes to identify one of the prominent summits in the Phoenix Mountains.  As far as we know, the mountain has never been known by any other name.  At that time it was about 5 or 6 miles northeast of town.  In the early days Mercury mines were located in the Dreamy Draw area and some of the diggings can still be seen there.

As the population grew the city expanded toward the mountains.  The Arizona Biltmore Hotel was built near Squaw Peak in 1929 and the hotel built a path to Squaw Peak for the use of its guests.  In the 1960s residential construction reached the foothills of the Phoenix Mountains and it became obvious that, unless something was done to prevent it, the mountains would eventually be covered with homes.  The Phoenix Mountains Preserve was formed to protect the beauty of the mountains and by 1980 the tops of the major mountains were protected by the preserve. 

The City of Phoenix built Squaw Peak Park (now Phoenix Mountains Park and Recreation Area) to provide a recreation area for local residents.  The park has several ramadas for picnickers and a network of trails for hikers of all skill levels.  After the Squaw Peak Parkway (now the Piestewa Freeway) was built west of the peak, the city built another park near the new road.  This one was called Dreamy Draw Park after the small valley where it is located.  In addition to trails and picnic areas, the city is developing a desert riparian habitat here.

Copyright 2003 Tom Jonas

Contact Webmaster