Early History of Phoenix
Phoenix was incorporated in 1881, the charter of that year being revised in 1893.
The earliest settlers in the Valley of the Sun were the Hohokam people, who lived there as early as 300 BC. They were the first to farm there, building an elaborate canal system that brought water from the Salt River. Their name is derived from their O'odham name, Huhu:gam. They also lived in the Pueblo Grande ruins between 700 and 1400 A.D. Their irrigation system comprised some 135 miles (217 km) of canals. Their disappearance ca. 1450 A.D. remains a mystery. Prolonged drought may have destroyed or displaced them; or, they may be the ancestors of the modern Pima who now live on the Salt River and Gila River reservations and the Tohono O'odham who live in southern Arizona.