Excerpted from Images of Anerica – Pinnacle Peak
By Les Conklin and the Greater Pinnacle Peak Association
For thousands of years, humans had lived near Pinnacle Peak, yet in 1969, saguaro still outnumbered people. The limited supply of water restricted development. Ironically, it took water to find water.
In 1969, when Jerry and Florence Nelson began drilling a well on the 160 acres they had purchased on the remote northwest corner of Pinnacle Peak and Pima Roads, they needed water to cool their drill bits. Homesteaders, who collected rain sold some of the water to the Nelsons for $50 a barrel.
The day after the drill bit hit water, one of Jerry Nelson’s foremen requested $50 to buy water. Nelson wondered why he needed to buy water when they had discovered millions of gallons of it. The foreman, himself a local settler, advised Nelson to do three things: keep buying water every day, keep the discovery secret, and start buying all the land that he could. Nelson listened and acquired enough land to build Pinnacle Peak Village and Pinnacle Peak Country Club.
Once the Nelson’s struck it wet, the rush was on, in more ways than one. From 1974 to 1989, Nelson developed Pinnacle Peak Plaza, Pinnacle Peak Country Club (which had nine subdivisions), Troon Village, and Troon North. From 1982 to 1984, the City of Scottsdale annexed 95 square miles, including the Pinnacle Peak area. During the mid-1980s, Scottsdale approved other master planned communities, including Desert Highlands, Estancia, and Legend Trails. In the 1990s, Grayhawk, Terravita, Winfield, and Whisper Rock planned communities were approved. .
The rapid development brought new conveniences. Paved roads took the place of dirt routes. New water and telephone lines eliminated the need to haul water and to drive several miles to make a telephone call. A new post office brought mail service. A general store and later a retail center made it easier to buy groceries and household items. Development also brought road construction and the installation of other infrastructure, which created challenges for residents. Conservation organizations sprang up to protect the desert, encourage sensitive planning, and work with developers and the City of Scottsdale to develop ordinances to protect the environment.
In 1969, Jerry and Florence Nelson drilled into a large aquifer at the intersection of Pinnacle Peak and Pima Roads. Camping on their land for weeks, they watched the drill churn up bone-dry sand and gravel before it hit water at 560 feet, 110 feet deeper than estimated. The well in the photograph provided water for Nelson’s first master planned development, Pinnacle Peak Village. (Courtesy of Pinnacle Paradise, Inc.)
Jerry Nelson reviews blueprints during the construction of Pinnacle Peak Plaza, also known as Plaza de Alamos. Located on the southwest corner of Pinnacle Peak and Pima Roads, it was at the site previously home to Rancho Vista Bonita Guest Ranch, which was torn down in 1974 to make room for this development. Nelson purchased the 160-acre parcel for $1,100 an acre. (Courtesy of Pinnacle Paradise, Inc.)
Plaza de Alamos Illustration This illustration was part of a marketing brochure developed by Jerry Nelson’s company, Pinnacle Paradise, Inc. for the Pinnacle Peak Village project. Notice the vacant desert surrounding the plaza and the saleman’s note pointing out the direction of Camelback Mountain. Plandis for the plaza included a general store, post office, gas station, and shops. (Courtesy of the Pinnacle Peak Country Club)
Author’s Note 10/29/2018. I love the somewhat misleading image above. Look at the landscape surrounding
the project. It was actually a vast expanse of vacant, saguaro-studded desert. Pima Road was a dirt road. I’m sure that
distant prospects, most of whom were from the midwest or California, felt more comfortable with the look of the land shown in the image.
An important part of Nelson’s Pinnacle Peak Plaza was the general store that opened in 1975. Pinnacle Peak Paradise, located on the northwest corner of Pinnacle Peak and Pima Roads was the first neighborhood to be built as part of the Pinnacle Peak village master plan. (Courtesy of Pinnacle Paradise, Inc.)
In 1976, Nelson’s company opened Pinnacle Peak Country Club for private memberships. Adjacent to Pinnacle Peak Plaza, it featured an 18-hole golf course, surrounded by luxury home sites. Within five years all the home sites had been purchased. By 1980, Nelson had opened nine more subdivisions. (Courtesy of the Pinnacle Peak Country Club.
In the 1970s, Florence Nelson began visiting schools and presenting information about desert survival and stewardship. In the 1980s, her program began operating from the Desert Center, located at Pinnacle Peak Plaza. Busloads of elementary school children arrived, were given a presentation on the desert, and then visited four stations that offered information about rocks, Native Americans and plants. (Courtesy of The Peak.)
In 1977, Ralph and Nancy Knight founded the Greater Pinnacle Peak Homeowners Association (GPPHA). At the time there were only about 100 people living in the Pinnacle Peak area. The Knights shared a passion for the desert and its wildlife. They knew that development was coming and wanted it to occur in a planned and orderly way that protected the quality of life for resiNodents. (Courtesy of The Peak.)
Note from the Author – 11/1/2018. The Images of America – Pinnacle Peak book is available from Amazon and other major book sellers. You can also purchase the book directly from the publisher, Arcadia Publishing. A few local retailers, such as Ace Hardware and the Pinnacle Peak General Store carry a limited supply of Arcadia’s books. If you would like a signed copy, contact The Peak.
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