ACC magazine begins our ninth year of publication with a special issue focused on the lifeblood of the Valley: The Salt River. We explore the river’s dams, canals, bridges, aggregate operations, and habitat restoration projects. The Salt River had its first modern utilization in 1867, when entrepreneur Jack Swilling formed an irrigation company that refurbished some of the canals created by the ancient Hohokam people. Swilling’s early water delivery system led to the growth o

Scottsdale went “hi-fi” in 1961 when the Executive House Arizonian opened in the “West’s Most Western Town.” The $3 million, 210-room resort at 4823 North Scottsdale Road, located just north of Camelback Road, was built with five wings facing a central patio. The Chicago-based hotel chain had outlets in Chicago, Washington D.C., Memphis, Puerto Rico, Aruba, and Dutch Guinea. Resort amenities included two swimming pools, a sun deck, and a nine-hole putting green. Sustenance wa