The railroad has played a large part in the history of the Chandler and greater Phoenix area. Arguably, this part of Arizona wouldn’t have become the place it is today without the railroad. Here’s a quick ride through the history of the railroad in the Chandler area:
The First Spike
The first railroad built in the Phoenix area connected the townspeople of the young city to the Southern Pacific Railroad’s Sunset Route, which passed through Arizona 25 miles to the south. Congress approved the railroad line, and in 1886, the first spike was driven. In 1887, it was completed.
The line stretched through the Gila River Indian Reservation, connecting what is now the town of Chandler to Maricopa, where it connected to the Southern Pacific line. This line was abandoned sometime in the 1940s.
The Birth of a City
In 1891, a veterinary surgeon named Dr. Alexander John Chandler purchased 80 acres south of the town of Mesa. By 1900, those 80 acres purchased from the federal government had grown to 18,000 acres.
Dr. Chandler had plans drawn up to divide his ranch into a series of smaller ranches and a town center. Responding to advertisements for the ranch lands, people began showing up via the newly established Arizona Eastern Railroad to purchase these plots. In short order, a town was born, in no small part due to the railroads that traveled through the area.
The Arizona Eastern Railroad was originally the Gila Valley, Globe, and Northern Railway until 1899. In 1905, the Arizona Eastern Railroad was taken into the Southern Pacific Railroad. Though the railroad didn’t make it to Chandler, it still played an important part in the city’s birth and development.
Where You Can Learn More
If you’re in the Chandler area and you want to know more about the role railroads played in its history, visit the Arizona Railway Museum. In this museum, you’ll get the chance to explore some of the relics and train cars that were used during various times in Arizona history. The museum itself is a replica of the first train depot in Chandler.
Whether you’re a train enthusiast or you enjoy Arizona history, you’ll love the thousands upon thousands of artifacts to explore in the museum. Within the museum, you’ll find everything from timetables and tickets to full-size train cars and photos. The care and attention the volunteers put into commemorating Chandler’s railroad history are evident with every visit to this museum.
The museum is open from September to the end of May, Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. Admission is either $15 per family or $5 for adults and $2 for children 2-12. If you want to take a guided group tour of the museum, you can schedule one for $5 per person or $100 per bus.
There’s no better way to get to know a place than by taking a deeper look into its history. Chandler’s history owes much to the railroad, so visit some of the railroad’s unique sites today.
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