When Glendale, Arizona was a Temperance Colony


If you like Phoenix history, you know that Glendale, Arizona was a community created by William Murphy along the western end of the canal that his company built in 1885, the Arizona Canal, which is still there, as is Glendale, Arizona. I live in Glendale. But a lot of people don't know that it started as a Temperance Colony. That is, a place where the sale of intoxicants (beer, wine and liquor) was illegal by local law.

Before I go any further, don't panic, Glendale isn't dry anymore. You can buy as much beer, wine, and liquor as you want. And it's been perfectly legal there since 1933, when National Prohibition was repealed. And apparently the beginnings of Glendale as a Temperance Colony were forgotten.

As the ad at the top of this article states, Attention is called to the Temperance Colony of Glendale. The location is made upon the choicest fruit lands of the valley. No more beautiful site could be selected. The town is well planned for convenience and security. Broad Avenues, public squares and large lots. The sale of intoxicants is forever forbidden in the conveyance of the land. School houses and churches, but no saloons or gambling houses! No drunken brawls! No jails! and no paupers!

The design is to furnish opportunities for beautiful, peaceful homes, combining as fully as possible the advantages of the city with the security and quiet charm of the country. This will be appreciated by a very large class of people. It is the first colony in the territory, planned on this basis.

Address: Glendale Colony Company, Phoenix, Arizona Territory.

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