Visiting the grapevines of Mr. Loftus in old-time Phoenix


If you're familiar with Phoenix, the view in the pic at the top of this post is just amazing. You're at 7th Street between Glendale Avenue and Northern looking east. Needless to say, it doesn't look like this anymore! Of course if you're not familiar with Phoenix, this just looks like anywhere with mountains in the background and a plowed field in the foreground. And there are still a LOT of places in Arizona, and California, that still look like this. But to visit this in Phoenix takes some time-traveling. Let's go visit Mr. Lotfus and look at his grapevines!

Similar view from Google® Street View. This is looking east from 7th Street on Northern, but it's as close as I could get to see the mountains. There's a city in the way now!

Many things change in Phoenix, of course, but the mountains remain the same. If you stand there today, assuming that you're not standing next to a building, they look the same. The vineyard is gone, because Phoenix has grown a lot since 1922.

In 1922 this would have been waaay outside of the city limits of Phoenix, but it wouldn't have been difficult to get to. A trolley ran between the little town of Glendale and what we would consider downtown Phoenix regularly. All you needed was a nickel. In fact, the trolley went east and west along Orangewood so it would have dropped us off right at Mr. Loftus' place!

Are the grapes ripe? I'll try one!

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