Water Works at Arizona Falls

Arizona Falls in 1935

Today we visited Water Works at Arizona Falls. Water Works is a twenty foot drop along the Arizona Canal. The new Arizona Falls involves art, history, and technology to generate energy. The energy that is produced by water can power up to one hundred-fifty homes.

            We were driving home from the Science Center, but we took a different route because we wanted to stop by the Civic Center Library. Along the way, on our left, we noticed a canal. Mrs. Davis started talking about how water can produce energy and how Native Americans would dig canals from the river to water their fields. I remember learning about the Nile River and the Ancient Egyptians and how they used their water. We pulled over, and the first feature I noticed was a steep bank. Samantha and I scrambled up to the top of the canal.

Arizona Falls now!

            In the 1800s, Phoenicians enjoyed the wonder of Arizona Falls. They would picnic there, socialize, play, and dance. The first structure was originally built in 1902; the plant was rebuilt in 1911 which started providing Phoenicians with energy but then shut down in 1950. When more people moved to the Valley, Arizona Falls was almost forgotten until the current structure was built in June 2003. It is amazing what we can learn by driving from a museum to a library.