This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!
Scottsdale’s sizzling past and a push for early electricity
Former mayor Mort Kimsey recalls Scottsdale 50 years ago when heat was fierce and no refrigerators existed. Residents slept outside, cooled by evaporative devices like an Arizona Cooler, while Tempe supplied ice. Electricity arrived in 1919 transforming the desert town’s daily life.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Little Crossroads
Mort Kimsey
Kimsey
Scottsdale
Salt River Indian Reservation
Tempe