US Postage Stamps // Philatelic Project // The Federal States

Capitals of the Federal States

#4277 // June 14, 2008
(self-adhesive coil definitive)
Flags of Our Nation Series

Arizona State Flag,
and Saguaro cacti
Flag of the City of Phoenix,
capital of the State of Arizona

The name of the city originates from a suggestion
of Lord Phillip Darrell Duppa (* 1832, † 1892),
inasmuch as the new town would spring from
the ruins of the ancient Hohokam advanced
civilisation that dated back to about 600 CE.

City, Elevation,
and Coordinates
County,
US Region
Waters
US National Historic Landmark
Phoenix, AZ
1,086 ft [331 m]
33°27' N  112°04' W
Maricopa County
Southwest
Salt River
Pueblo Grande Ruin
& Irrigation Sites
Land Area
rounded mi2 [km2]
Population
(census 2010)
Population Density
per mi2 [km2] of land area
517 [1.339] 1,445,632 2,796 [1.080]

History Timeline
Between 600 CE and 1450 CE the prehistoric Hohokam Indian people settled in the area of present-day Phoenix. They cultivated the desert by developing an irrigation system along the Salt and Gila Rivers that allowed them to plant crops and establish permanent villages. These irrigation canals are directly responsible for the settlement of Phoenix.
1867 Jack Swilling (* 1830, † 1878), an veteran cavalryman of the Confederate Army, rebuilt some of the abandoned Hohokam canals to harvest water from the Salt River to irrigate crops to sell to miners at the Vulture Mine in Wickenburg and the US Cavalry stationed at Fort McDowell.
1868 On May 4, the settlement established by Jack Swilling officially was recognized when the Yavapai County Board of Supervisors, which at the time encompassed present-day Phoenix, formed an election precinct here.

On June 15, a post office was established with Jack Swilling as postmaster.

The town was first called Pumpkinville, due to the large pumpkins that flourished in fields along the canals. Later it was called Swilling's Mill, Helling Mill, Mill City, and years later finally East Phoenix.
1881 On May 3, incorporated as a city.
1912 On February 4, Phoenix became Arizona's state capital.

Paintings depicting the Hohokam Indians' irrigation canals (600 CE - 1450 CE)
© Courtesy by Arizona Historical Society

Area of settlement (light yellow dyed) of the Hohokam Indian people in Central Arizona. The Hohokam disappeared for unknown reasons from their villages near the Salt and Gila Rivers in 1450 CE. Their descendants survive as members of the Tohono O'odham Nation.

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