The Sons of the Pioneers and I hit the trail about a week ago bound for our annual gathering of performances out here in the Arizona desert. As I've said previously, this area had a huge impact on our group's co-founder Bob Nolan; many of his poems that would become future songs originated right here and have been enjoyed by millions of fans for 90 years.
On Sunday, January 19, we made a return visit to the Casa Grande community with two performances at their First Presbyterian Church. A beautiful area, located halfway between Phoenix and Tucson, there's a unique history here.
Casa Grande dates back to 1879, founded at a time when the mining boom was seeing great success in the Arizona territory. The Southern Pacific Railroad had just arrived, the line ended here, so the town was named Terminus, meaning end of the line. In September 1880, railroad officials renamed the town Casa Grande, named for the nearby Hohokam Ruins that are now a part of the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument.
The mining boom slowed considerably in the 1890s and there were a few setbacks due to fires, but slowly, Casa Grande continued to make progress. One of the early founders, Thompson R. Peart had a lot to do with the development of Casa Grande, today Peart Park, Peart Center and Peart Road are all named in his honor.
By 1915 the area became known for its agricultural accomplishments, with cotton, barley, as well as alfalfa. All three of these crops thrive here today with Pinal County being one of the top agricultural counties in the state. Pecans are also harvested here.
Casa Grande saw further development in the late 1950s as it became the spring training location for the San Francisco Giants baseball organization. This was thanks to developer Horace Stoneham who built an excellent hotel and resort property for baseball and golf events. The first exhibition game was played there in 1961. This particular game was a dandy - Willie Mays hit a 375-foot home run. The Giants no longer train here but the resort is still popular today.
This particular area continues to grow. The first time I was out here was on a 1994 trip with my family for the 60th Anniversary Sons of the Pioneers Reunion. At that time the population was almost 20,000. The current population is just over 60,000.
The Casa Grande Ruins National Monument is definitely worth a visit. Opened in 1966 by the National Park Service, the ruins are the remains of Hohokam structures that date back to the early 13th century. These farmers built a compound wall around their homes for protection. Much of that wall remains today as well as remains of a large four-story structure known as the big house, that dates back to the mid-1400s. The property is located to the northeast at Coolidge. My wife Luanna and I had the great opportunity to visit this site a couple of years ago. Casa Grande by the way is Spanish for "Big House."
The Casa Grande Ruins National Monument is located at 1100 West Ruins Drive, Coolidge, Arizona. Go check it out!
Happy Trails everyone! It's a thrill to be back in southern Arizona!
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