Scottsdale to celebrate Founder's Day

Tom Scanlon, East Valley Tribune (Mesa, Ariz.)
·2 min read

Feb. 25—The founder of Scottsdale was:

—Scott S. Dale

—Johnny "Old Town" Walker

—Ryan Homes

—Winfield Scott

Those who chose Winfield Scott get free admission to the annual Founder's Day celebration.

The party celebrating the 187th birthday of Scott at 11 a.m. tomorrow, Feb. 26, at the Civic Center's Little Red Schoolhouse is free to all, even those who chose the wrong answer above.

The Scottsdale Historical Society, the city of Scottsdale and the Daughters of the American Revolution Winfield Scott Chapter will salute Scott.

Born Feb. 26, 1837, Scott was an American Baptist minister, military officer and politician.

Quite rugged, for a churchman, he left his first pastor job to lead a company during the American Civil War.

After the war, he returned to leading congregations, rather than soldiers, opening churches in Kansas, Colorado and California before becoming a U.S. Army chaplain.

Scott ultimately retired from the army and settled here as a farmer-pastor.

According to the city's history website, Scott visited what was then known as the Salt River Valley in 1888.

Seeing potential in the sunny-but-barren land, Scott made a down payment on 640 acres to start a farming operation — in what is now known as Old Town Scottsdale.

The charismatic leader recruited others from the East and Midwest to join him in the budding (so to speak) farm town.

Joan Fudala, an author and historian, has spent years digging into the life of Scottsdale's founder.

"I talk about him so much in glowing terms, I've been accused of having a retro crush on him," said Fudala.

Though the city holiday is celebrated on Winfield's birthday, Fudala likes to think of it as "Founders' Day," acknowledging the key role played by Scott's wife, Helen.

"I never think she gets enough recognition," Fudala said. "They really built a community together."

Winfield Scott moved to San Diego shortly before his death in 1910 — missing the population boom in the place he founded.

When Scott was here, the town had only 200 people or so.

"To the children of Scottsdale, the most important role he played in the community — even though they weren't supposed to know it — was Santa Claus every year," Fudala said, chuckling at the image of her "retro crush" dressed up as Old St. Nick and handing out presents at the schoolhouse.