The Anglos Arrive

Anglo men start the first Tempe businesses

Shortly after the Mexican Americans came to Tempe, Anglo men from Tucson, California and the East came to farm and set up businesses.

Carl Hayden in front of his home and store in 1879. Tempe Historical Museum

One of the first men to settle in Tempe was Carl Hayden. He saw that people wanted to go to Phoenix to shop and that the people in Phoenix would buy farm goods from Tempeans. He set up a ferry, a boat to take people across the Salt River. He called it Hayden’s Ferry.

Hayden’s ferry crossing the Salt River. Tempe Historical Museum

He also saw that people needed a mill to grind up their wheat so they would have flour to make bread. He used the river to turn heavy stones to grind the wheat. This was very different than the Pima mother grinding her wheat and corn in a stone matate!

Hayden’s mill. Tempe Historical Museum

In 1870, there were only 50 people in Tempe. 20% were Anglo men (10 men) and 80% were Mexican American men (40 men).

A bar graph showing the number of people in Tempe in 1870. Click on the graph to get an explanation of how to read a bar graph.

Mill Avenue, the main street in Tempe, was nothing but a horse trail. Mr. Hayden’s store and mill were on Mill Avenue. Can you guess how the street got its name?


Mill Avenue at the beginning. Tempe Historical Museum

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