Rancho El Dorado Maricopa Arizona Christmas 2014
Entering the Rancho El Dorado neighborhood on Christmas night, 2014.
AZ 347 North - Maricopa Rd, John Wayne Pkwy, Queen Creek Rd - I-8, thru Maricopa to I-10 in Chandler
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State Route 347 enjoys a varied history, starting as a small two-lane road named after the town it primarily served, Maricopa. Before we can get to the history of SR 347, we need to briefly touch on the history of Maricopa. Originally starting as Maricopa Wells, the small Indian settlement was an important stop along the Butterfield Overland Mail, and offered watering wells to travelers near the base of Pima Butte, about 8 miles north of modern Maricopa. When the railroad was constructed south of the settlement, the town was moved south and slightly west, off modern SR 238 and became known as Maricopaville. Maricopaville became the terminus for the Southern Pacific Railroad at the time, and was on the shortlist to become the territorial capital of Arizona.
With Phoenix later growing and destined to become the territorial (and later state) capital, it was missing a vital piece of infrastructure: a railroad. Both the major railroad lines that crossed into the territory missed it's largest settlement. In 1886, construction began on a line that would replace the stagecoach ride from the SPRR to Phoenix, called the Maricopa and Phoenix Railroad. Not much in known about this railroad, but I believe it originally went north by northeast out of Maricopa to Chandler, into Tempe where it went directly north into Tempe Station, went over the Salt River and headed directly west into Phoenix. The southern portion of this railroad, from Maricopa to Chandler Blvd, would later be rebuilt as an automotive route in the Federal Aid Secondary (FAS) system, would be dubbed Maricopa Rd. and assigned the FAS number of 347.
With the building boom well underway in the Valley in the late 1980s and 1990s, developers began looking for future 'exurbs', or bedroom communities of Phoenix, places where land was cheap and undeveloped. Developers set sights on Pinal County as the it is bordered by Maricopa County, home of Phoenix, and Pima County, home of Tucson. One developer purchased large swaths of empty land perviously operated as a ranch, formerly (partially) owned by movie star John Wayne. He convinced the state of a future town on the property, bordered by Indian Reservations on north, east and south sides. He also convinced the state of the need for a highway into the town, as it would not be readily accessible to Interstate 10. The state agreed, as it also saw the need for a commerce corridor as the farming industry in western Pinal County was booming.
Most of the original FAS roadway was kept as the southbound lanes and two additional lanes were added for northbound traffic to expanded the roadway's capacity. The road was made into an expressway-style configuration, and it's southern terminus was also moved from the town of Maricopa to SR 84 near Stanfield and I-8. The northern segment of Maricopa Rd used to connect directly to I-10, but SR 347 was bent east onto Queen Creek Rd to make the connection at an upgraded interchange. These upgrades were done in 1994 to handle the expected increased traffic. At the time, the town's population was around 1k people. Today, the city of Maricopa has a population of almost 50k. The old portion of Maricopa Rd remains as a small turn off; A quick connection to Wild Horse Pass which replaced the Maricopa Rd exit on I-10.
While the city of Maricopa is mostly made up of air conditioned stucco boxes and a few strip malls, SR 347 remembers it's past. North of Maricopa, it retained it's Maricopa Rd designation. Within the city limits, it's John Wayne Pkwy, paying homage to the movie legend who used to own large swaths of what is now the city. For it's entire route, ADOT broke numbering protocol so SR 347 could retain it's FAS number.
In about a year, construction will be completed on the UPRR overpass, which will allow a grade separation between the railroad that built a town and the road that built a city.
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Above Maricopa Arizona
Quick flight hovering around 500 feet over Maricopa, Arizona, near The Duke Golf Course on a beautiful Friday morning, September 26, 2014. Video by Volo Event & Aerial Photography (volophoto.com)
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HomeSmart Gilbert (CRIL11) Office
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Easy Lemon Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
Golf at The Westin La Paloma
Our 27-holes of Jack Nicklaus signature golf offer immaculate grounds and a challenging layout that will keep you engaged from your first tee to your last. Visit: for more information on our Tucson golf resort.
#TUSDSports - Tucson High Boys Golf at Del Lago
Over Fall Break, Tucson High Boys Golf traveled out to Vail, AZ to take on Cienega High at Del Lago Golf Resort.
Renovated North Shore Beach & Yacht Club at the Salton Sea. May 2010. Part 3 of 3.
Abandoned for a few decades, this place has now been restored.
Thanks to the work of the East Valley Historical Society, the North Shore Yacht Club has been renovated to its original appearance.
In the very near future, the revamped club will serve as a senior center, community center, and museum - the latter under the direction of North Shore preservationist Jennie Kelly, who has already helped bring the long-extinct boat races back to the sea. The new museum is where the tale of Albert Frey's shimmering yacht club - with its fantastic ups and downs - will finally be told.
The building and museum will be open to the public in the very near future.
The North Shore Yacht Club is an historically significant--not to mention architecturally significant--part of California's legacy. The North Shore Yacht club was the whimsical design of noted architect Albert Frey, who just happened to be a resident of the Coachella Valley. Completed in 1958 by developers Ray Ryan and Trav Rogers, North Shore Beach Yacht Club was one of the largest marinas in Southern California and carried a price tag of $2 million. Celebrities like The Beach Boys, Jerry Lewis, and the Marx Brothers partied there and / or docked boats at the marina.
- The Salton Sea Chronicles
A promotional video for the Yacht Club in its heyday - check out how nice this place once was:
This location is featured in the music video Swing Out Sister - Fooled By A Smile:
My Flickr photos of the North Shore Yacht Club:
Visit my Salton Sea page on Facebook:
Grand reopening of the Salton Sea History Museum. Now located at 72-120 S. Lincoln Street (end of road across creek), Mecca, CA 92254
News video:
Facebook page:
Museum homepage: