How do you remember Phoenix? Stories from long time residents... (Prescott: drought, thunderstorms)

[AZtrails]

Originally Posted by desertskies

Fashion Square before Fashion Square became what it is now (obviously..duh ).
A Ryan Evans should be next door (to the left of Bayless, did it come later?) but the liquor store is there (far right of pic).
That would be Camelback mountain behind it. From the looks, the pic was taken with a telephoto lens, hence, the pic looks compressed a bit.

To the right of the AJ Bayless store in Fashion Square was a camera shop, a barber shop, and a liquor store with a drive up lane. To the left was Joe Hunt's steak house and a Thrifty drugstore. Across the breezeway was, of course, Goldwaters.

On the far left of the photo is a horse trailer. It might just be a coincidence, but the Scottsdale rodeo used to be held at that corner. Maybe the photo was taken during the rodeo? If so, it was probably the last year before the Jaycee's arena was built.

Here's the original post with the picture: http://www.city-data.com/forum/30649317-post7219.html (Yeah, I'm a bit late to the dance.)

[observer53]

Originally Posted by AZtrails

To the right of the AJ Bayless store in Fashion Square was a camera shop, a barber shop, and a liquor store with a drive up lane. To the left was Joe Hunt's steak house and a Thrifty drugstore. Across the breezeway was, of course, Goldwaters.

On the far left of the photo is a horse trailer. It might just be a coincidence, but the Scottsdale rodeo used to be held at that corner. Maybe the photo was taken during the rodeo? If so, it was probably the last year before the Jaycee's arena was built.

Here's the original post with the picture: http://www.city-data.com/forum/30649317-post7219.html (Yeah, I'm a bit late to the dance.)

There was a rodeo arena in that area a long time ago. Somewhere in this thread there's a picture of it. The horse trailer in the parking lot in the more recent picture is just that, a horse trailer. There was no rodeo ground there by the time they started building Fashion Square.

[AZtrails]

Originally Posted by observer53

There was a rodeo arena in that area a long time ago. Somewhere in this thread there's a picture of it. The horse trailer in the parking lot in the more recent picture is just that, a horse trailer. There was no rodeo ground there by the time they started building Fashion Square.

You're right, but it was close. The rodeo moved to the downtown rodeo grounds in 1959, the same year the Bayless store opened. Even if the photo was opening weekend, there are a lot of cars in the parking lot. While big for it's time, it wasn't that big of a store and there are cars parked past both the north and south sides of the photo. This was obviously the place to be in Scottsdale that weekend!

[observer53]

Originally Posted by AZtrails

You're right, but it was close. The rodeo moved to the downtown rodeo grounds in 1959, the same year the Bayless store opened. Even if the photo was opening weekend, there are a lot of cars in the parking lot. While big for it's time, it wasn't that big of a store and there are cars parked past both the north and south sides of the photo. This was obviously the place to be in Scottsdale that weekend!

My mother was probably there. The opening of that store was a big deal, as it was relatively close to our house. (Not as close as we are used to seeing now.)

If that's the grand opening picture, then I'll bet the horse trailer was for pony rides. They used to do stuff like that back then when a new store opened.

[goldwing66]

I am surprised no one has mentioned the three mile pump at lateral 22 [now 91st ave] and Lower Buckeye. It was just south of Union school around the jog in the road and a little N. of the Salt River.
When I was growing up, one of the favorite family outings was going to the Three Mile Pump. Since the town [Tolleson] had no public swimming pool, canals in the surrounding area were the only places to go swimming. In the hot days of no A/C in cars, and primitive swamp coolers in the homes, the anticipation of taking a dip in the cold clear water of the Three Mile Pump was always on our minds. In the early years, we didn’t go to the “big canal” [RID] , as the larger one was called, because it was too deep and swift for young kids. So, the three mile pump was it.....since it was neither deep nor swift. I, along with my dad, mother, sister, Betty, and my dog Penny, would pile into the 1927 Model A or later the 1936 Chevy [or “Chivvy” as everyone called a Chevrolet] for the trip to ecstasy.
The three mile pump was about 5 miles South of Tolleson and was used for irrigating the fields of various crops in this rural agricultural area. Water was pumped from deep in the ground into a canal, and was quite cold. The crystal clear water came out in a large pipe about 18 inches in diameter, and the place we swam was just a short distance down stream. The water was only about waist deep, just perfect for young kids who were just learning to swim. The banks of the canal where we always went had been eroded and widened by years of use by swimmers, so that was a lot wider than the rest of the canal. It was the epitome of a “swimming hole”. It felt so good to jump in the water after the hot car ride. A few families always went, the adults sitting on the bank visiting, while the kids frolicked in the cold invigorating water on a hot summer day. Usually mother and the other women took food along and made a picnic out of the event. Jumping back into the cold water after eating was always a rush.
I can remember learning to dog paddle and open my eyes under water, discovering that feeling. One never felt scared since you could just stand up and have that safe feeling of having your feet on the ground. The adults sat on the bank and watched, offering suggestions as they saw the need. My dad always got in the water with us, but none of the other adults ever did.

[roosevelt]

I went to Beeline once and made the mistake of sitting in the bleachers; couldn't hear right for hours. This Corvette was sponsored by Guggy's.

[desertratz]

Here is a YouTube video of Beeline in 1963 and it says opening day? See Johnny Loper and Lil Hoss as well as others.


Beeline Drags 1963 - YouTube

[azdr0710]

a little more on the Beeline Dragway:

Flashback Friday: The Standing Remains of Beeline Dragway - Dragzine

[goldwing66]

I remember Lucky Boy hamburgers. Whataburger now makes the closest thing to Lucky Boy. The location I remember was on Thomas about 5th Avenue. The building survived until a few years ago, but is no longer there now.

[Barbarosa]

Originally Posted by goldwing66

I remember Lucky Boy hamburgers. Whataburger now makes the closest thing to Lucky Boy. The location I remember was on Thomas about 5th Avenue. The building survived until a few years ago, but is no longer there now.

There's a Lucky Boy at about 16 Street and Osborn.