Background: The Goodyear Canal runs along the west side of Basha Road between Ocotillo Road and Snedigar Park. It is an open, concrete lined canal, about four tenths of a mile in length, with a row of palm trees on each of its sides. The canal has been a fixture at that location for over 100 years and provides significance to Chandler's history in three ways. First, the canal is one of the few remaining physical pieces of the farming community of Goodyear that existed at that location 100 years ago. Second, it is connected to several prominent Chandler families including founder Dr. A.J. Chandler. Third, its association with Chandler's agricultural past and a world war provides information in understanding Chandler's history and development. Discussion: The Canal and the Goodyear Community: The community of Goodyear sprung into life quickly as a result of wartime needs, but its primary crop, cotton, has been cultivated in the Salt River Valley for thousands of years starting with the Hohokam Native Americans. In 1898 David Fairchild, a federal Department of Agriculture employee charged with finding crops that could grow in the Southwest, gave seeds of Egyptian cotton that he had gathered in his travels to Dr. Chandler. Dr. Chandler successfully grew this cotton on his ranch. Further experimentation with this variety resulted in the development of Pima cotton that was well-suited to the desert environment. Soon after its development, cotton growing, ginning and production began in the Valley in the 1910s. The Chandler Improvement Company (CIC), headed by Dr. Chandler, owned large tracts of agricultural land south and west of the town of Chandler. Some of this land at the intersection Basha and Ocotillo roads during the 1910s was used for growing both melons and citrus. (Present day street names are used for clarity and consistency). US Geological Survey maps from 1914 and 1917 named the area northeast of the intersection as "Naranja" and the area south as "Casaba." A spur line of the Arizona Eastern Railroad connected the growing fields in this area to downtown Chandler. In August 1914, World War I broke out in Europe. Wartime activities soon severely restricted the imports of Egyptian cotton which was utilized in the manufacture of rubber tires. The Goodyear Rubber and Tire Company, based in Akron, Ohio, needed another source of this cotton. After a search for suitable substitutes, Goodyear decided to farm its own cotton in the Salt River Valley. In December 1916, Goodyear entered into an agreement with the Chandler Improvement Company to lease, with a purchase option, agricultural land southwest of Chandler. One month later the Southwest Cotton Company (SCC), a Goodyear subsidiary headed by Paul Litchfield, was incorporated in Arizona and began leasing and purchasing large tracts of land for cotton cultivation in both the East and West Valley. The area SCC leased from CIC generally ranged between present day Queen Creek Road on the north, Hunt Highway on the south, Price Road on the west and Hamilton Street on the east, over 12 sections, or 12 square miles, almost 9,000 acres. SCC set up a farming camp near Basha and Ocotillo, called alternately Chandler Ranch, Egypt or Cotton, and immediately began raising cotton. Newspapers through the winter and spring of 1917 reported on the various activities at "Chandler Ranch" including barbecues, tours, and worker strikes. To irrigate the Chandler Ranch fields, a canal was dug to bring water from well sites east of Alma School Road between Pecos and Germann roads to the farming operations. This canal measured roughly 14 feet wide at the top and about 3.5 feet deep. It was trapezoidal shaped with a flat bottom 6–7 feet wide and lined with concrete. It ran along the east side of Alma School road until crossing the road south of Germann where it continued south along the west side to Hunt Highway. In June 1917 SCC announced it would construct two model towns. The one near Chandler would be called "Goodyear" and the one in the West Valley "Litchfield." Each town would have dwellings, schools, hospitals, offices, stores, warehouses, garages, and recreation spaces. During the years 1918-1920 farming continued as SCC constructed Goodyear. The local newspapers marked its growth with articles about events, the need for labor, and the hiring of teachers. A map of community from that era shows a town laid out in a grid pattern with streets and street names, blocks and individual dwelling parcels. The map shows a school block, athletic fields, a semicircular community plaza with houses, playgrounds, offices, a store, a separate plaza for Mexicans and an Indian barracks. The railroad spur was on the west side. The executives, managers and supervisors lived houses with nice yards and sidewalks on the east side of the community. The laborers lived in small dwellings on the west side. Alma School Road, then called Goodyear Street, ran through the center of the community. In the center of the street was the canal with the roadway on each side. Early photographs show a double row of palm trees along the canal which, along with the double-sided street, form a grand boulevard through the center of town. World War I ended in November 1918, but construction on Goodyear continued. By early 1920 the local newspaper reported that a new theater would open soon, electric lights were being installed, the school building was complete, more trees were being planted, offices were remodeled and there were plans for expansion. Later in 1920 it was announced that Goodyear would install a water works and a map from that era shows proposed water and sewer systems. In 1922 it was announced that the roads to Goodyear would be paved. By 1920 about 200,000 acres in the Salt River Valley were planted in cotton, but later that year the cotton market began to collapse. Southwest Cotton Company continued its presence in area, however, and in February 1922 it purchased nearly 8,000 acres from CIC which was selling its holdings in the Goodyear area. Goodyear Tire and Rubber consolidated its holdings into the West Valley, now the present site of Goodyear and Litchfield Park. SCC continued farming operations on the land it purchased growing cotton and alfalfa. The canal continued to provide water to its land and other farms in the area. Goodyear evolved over the next two decades. Many of the laborers left, but the farming community remained. Its school continued to operate and was eventually converted into a segregated school for African American students. In 1932 Ike and Eddie Basha leased the Goodyear mercantile and established their first grocery store there that later grew into the Basha's chain. Eventually the Bashas acquired land on the west side of Alma School in Goodyear and established their corporate offices and operations at that location. In 1943 Southwest Cotton Company became Goodyear Farms and in 1944 sold its land between Queen Creek Road on the north, Hunt Highway on the south, Price Road on the west and Arizona Avenue on the east, nearly eight sections or eight square miles, to the R. W. Hanna family. Two years later, in 1946, the Hannas sold the north four sections of land, including a half interest in the canal, to Bogle Farms, Inc., but they retained the other half interest in the canal to continue irrigation to their farm south of the Bogle's land. Hal Bogle of New Mexico began acquiring agricultural interests in the Chandler area in the early 1940s. He acquired the Pecos Valley Alfalfa Mill from the estate of Roy Lochhead in 1941. In 1946 Bogle, with his wife and sons, formed Bogle Farms, Inc., and began farming the land they acquired from the Hannas as well as other properties acquired from Dr. Chandler. Two of his sons, Jackson and Peter, settled in the Chandler area while other family members focused on operations in other states. Bogle family members became very active in the Chandler community for many years serving on the school and other boards and in clubs. They were involved with the Boy Scouts and Chandler Center for the Arts endowing what became the Hal G. Bogle Theater. Jackson also served in the Arizona National Guard eventually rising to the rank of Adjutant General. Bogle Junior High School is named after Jackson and Barbara Bogle. Over the decades the Goodyear area went through an evolution from agricultural operations to urban development as subdivisions and commercial centers began to take over the farmland once owned by Dr. Chandler and the Southwest Cotton Company. The Hanna properties became Sun Lakes starting in the 1970s. Beginning in the 1980s most of the Bogle Farms properties were developed into residential subdivisions and the Intel facility. Snedigar Park also occupies part of the former Chandler/Goodyear/Hanna/Bogle land. While little remains of the once thriving Goodyear community, the area on the east side of Basha Road still retains the original Goodyear street arrangement and some open space. The Goodyear Hospital still exits, but is now apartments. Most of the original Goodyear houses, schools, and offices have been demolished. The Goodyear Canal, however, continued to serve the remaining agricultural operations in the area and provide Sun Lakes irrigation water into the 1990s until Sun Lakes installed its own irrigation system. The canal soon ceased conveying the irrigation water that it had done for decades, but it found a new purpose in 2001 when Bogle Farms Inc., granted an easement to Ocotillo Management Group (OMG) to allow them to convey reclaimed water to serve their developments on the former Bogle farmland. As development took over the area, the open canal was covered from its northern origin at Pecos to Ocotillo roads and south from Snedigar park. A significant portion of the canal between Ocotillo and Snedigar Park, however, remains open in its historic configuration. With the exception of some repairs, the original concrete lining remains and the double row of palm trees planted during Goodyear's development over 100 years ago still stands. Water still flows through the canal as it has for over 100 years. In 2023, the City of Chandler acquired the remaining rights to the canal and have committed funding to repairs and maintenance with plans to eventually turn it into a community amenity and historical marker of the Goodyear community. Neighborhood Meeting: A neighborhood meeting was held on May 18, 2023. Five residents from the surrounding neighborhoods attended. Staff discussed the City's proposed historic designation of the canal, its purpose, general plans for its maintenance and having it eventually become a community amenity. The neighbors expressed concerns about the need for maintenance of the canal and were interested in the City's future plans. Staff committed to follow-up on some items requested by the attendees. Review and Recommendation: Since its construction in 1917, the Goodyear Canal has been a part of the agricultural infrastructure and heritage of the City of Chandler. The Canal meets the following qualifications for historic designation:
- It is associated with events and/or people important to Chandler's history, primarily Dr. A. J. Chandler, the City's founder, Goodyear Rubber and Tire, and the Hanna, Basha and Bogle families
- It has yielded and will continue to yield information on understanding the history of Chandler
- It is a unique example of the landscaped open canals that once lined Chandler's streets
The Canal also meets the definition of a Landmark in that it is a unique example of the canal infrastructure that was so important to Chandler's and the Salt River Valley's settlement and growth, is of unique visual quality, and is a historic remnant of an agricultural community connected to Chandler's history and that supplied an important commodity to the nation during a world war. The request to add the Historic Preservation District Landmark zoning overlay occurs primarily on City right-of-way and does not change the underlaying land use. The Landmark overlay honors the history of canal and the Goodyear community along with ensuring it remains a historic structure and landmark of Chandler's history. Recommendation: In conclusion, the Development Services Staff recommends the Historic Preservation Commission recommend the City Council approve Ordinance No. 5053, PLH23-0028, and the Goodyear Canal be designated as a Historic Preservation District Landmark and be listed on the City's Historic Property Register. |