Phoenix, Arizona — History and Culture
Native Americans called the Hohokams lived in Arizona and were the original settlers of this arid landscape over 25,000 years ago. They built a large network of canals, designed to help with irrigation and allow for the planting of crops. The Hohokams were eventually forced out by flooding and drought and the area was inhabited by small groups of indigenous native Americans for several decades. The city of Phoenix began when a prospector called Swilling discovered the area and set up home at the foot of the White Tank Mountains. As other settlers arrived, so the small town grew, was redesigned and modernized. Phoenix played a significant part in World War II, responsible for the manufacture and distribution of weapons and other military supplies. It also housed a prisoner-of-war camp which saw an escape attempt towards the end of the war when a group of prisoners broke out and attempted to flee to Mexico via the Salt river, not realising that the river had been dry for decades.
