Early Phoenix settlers visited Arizona Falls to picnic and be refreshed by the sound, flow and feel of water. In the early twentieth century, the 20-foot water falls, located on the Arizona Canal at 56th Street and Indian School Road, became the main attraction of a hotel. Here guests dined and danced to the backdrop of moving water. The Salt River Project and the City of Phoenix are recreating the site as a community gathering spot. A power plant is being constructed to replace the one built in 1902 that ceased operations in 1950. The new facility will include an outdoor room and dance floor, curtained on three sides by waterfalls. Visitors can gaze through grates to experience the rush and mist of the churning water as it flows to the turbine. The project is scheduled for completion in January 2003. (Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records, Archives Division, Phoenix, #96-1768)

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