How do you remember Phoenix? Stories from long time residents... (Glendale: lenders, mower)

[trillcatz]

Originally Posted by Donalumni

Yeah, we would take pieces of plywood and make skim boards to go irrigation surfing at Tonalea school in Scottsdale. I remember going to track meets at Hohokam. Was that school over on Oak and like 87th st?

Yes, maybe 85th, I lived on 86th and Windsor in the Hallcraft tract. North of Thomas was mostly farmland. The reservation was just beyond 87th and I would climb through the fence and wander around out in the desert looking for old bones (cattle). I must've been about 6 then and wasn't supposed to cross through that fence. Do you remember the horrible dust storms that used to come up from the reservation? This was 1960 and the dust would start at the east horizon and slowly cover the sky. The lights would go out those old metal garbage cans would blow all over the neighborhood...always scared me to death! Man that was more than 50 years ago! I feel like I'm really reaching into the memory bank here!

[Donalumni]

Originally Posted by trillcatz

Yes, maybe 85th, I lived on 86th and Windsor in the Hallcraft tract. North of Thomas was mostly farmland. The reservation was just beyond 87th and I would climb through the fence and wander around out in the desert looking for old bones (cattle). I must've been about 6 then and wasn't supposed to cross through that fence. Do you remember the horrible dust storms that used to come up from the reservation? This was 1960 and the dust would start at the east horizon and slowly cover the sky. The lights would go out those old metal garbage cans would blow all over the neighborhood...always scared me to death! Man that was more than 50 years ago! I feel like I'm really reaching into the memory bank here!

Oh yes, the dust storms in late summer were always a highlight. The dust would blow in and settle on your car then just enough rain to blotch it all up instead of washing it off. Usually coming up from Tucson and the east from the reservation areas. I remember the only real pollution you saw in the valley was a cloud of sulphur smoke coming from the east down the south side of the superstition mountains from the Superior and Gobe/Miami smelters.

[SluggoF16]

Originally Posted by trillcatz

In about '60 Hohokam Elementary School in Scottsdale would flood irrigate the fields. It was usually on a Saturday and every kid in the neighborhood would grab a bucket and run down hoping to catch a catfish...I never did...I was sure envious of those who did...not sure why tho.

Seems most of the schools would flood irrigate. At Navajo we'd wait for the Saturday floods and then play rice paddy football. Never left ruts, just smelled bad afterwards. Not the fields that smelled, we did.

[SluggoF16]

Originally Posted by Donalumni

Oh yes, the dust storms in late summer were always a highlight. The dust would blow in and settle on your car then just enough rain to blotch it all up instead of washing it off. Usually coming up from Tucson and the east from the reservation areas. I remember the only real pollution you saw in the valley was a cloud of sulphur smoke coming from the east down the south side of the superstition mountains from the Superior and Gobe/Miami smelters.

Dust storms would trash swimming pools... no fun to clean up afterwards. In the days before self-cleaners, one would have to brush, vacuum and then backflush the system. Worked at the YMCA in Scottsdale as a lifeguard which meant many a day spent cleaning up after a summer monsoon dust storm. (We had a baseball/softball field and vacant lot immediately east which exacerbated the problem.)

[roosevelt]

Originally Posted by SluggoF16

Dust storms would trash swimming pools... no fun to clean up afterwards. In the days before self-cleaners, one would have to brush, vacuum and then backflush the system. Worked at the YMCA in Scottsdale as a lifeguard which meant many a day spent cleaning up after a summer monsoon dust storm. (We had a baseball/softball field and vacant lot immediately east which exacerbated the problem.)

Back in the days before air conditioners, people had water coolers and they would suck the air in the one room with the cooler and then open windows about 6 inches in the other rooms they wanted to cool. When a dust storm came up it was a mad dash home to shut all the windows.

[Desertspiritsteve]

Baker Nursery (Mrs. B's greenhouse) had aspen or hay like material in one whole wall, floor to ceiling. I don't recall what kept the pad material in place. There was a pipe along the top that dripped recirculated water caught at the bottom. On the other side of the nursery was a venturi fan blowing out. Unbelievably cool room any day of the summer. I just expect you can go see it any summer day for many years to come. 40th. St. and Osborn. The best.

[aviator7777]

Is Monte's La Casa Vieja still in business? Is the Glandale Star newspaper still published? Our neighbor was the publisher in Glendale. Remember Governor Raul Castro? Web says he is still alive and second oldest living Governor at age 94...cool. I wish I still had all my old Arizona Highways magazines. Probably would be worth alot nowdays..of course I would never sell them. Gave most of them away over the years to family members coming to escape the harsh winters of the Midwest. One of the best songs.."I Love You Arizona" here's the Youtube link. Enjoy your Sunday Miss you Arizona.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7xedmvJTzk

[observer53]

Monti's is still in business, yes. The Glendale Star, no.

[kirk nervig]

I visited my sister here back in 1985, on that trip we rode the go carts on the north side of Washington st. These were the smaller lawn mower powered ones. On the south side of the street there was another cart track. The Castle Boutique is in that location now. Was that building part of the Go cart track? That was a great trip.

[aviator7777]

I just found out today that Associate Pastor Harold Green of North Phoenix Baptist Church at Central Ave. and Bethany Home Rd in the 1980's passed away last July 2010. He was always the man behind the scenes and did most of the baptisms and weddings that I remember. One of the pages said he developed cancer of the pancreas. For those of us that remeber him, he was a good an honorable man. My condolences to his family and the NPBC family as well. Thank you for all your hard work and dedication. God bless you Mr. Green.