Casa Grande’s Lost Places

Casa Grande’s Lost Places

This weekend Sharon, I, and a guest are hitting the road for more abandoned places. This time we are concentrating on the area around Casa Grande. According to Sharon there are lots of desserted places in that area. The Domes are close by, but this area also has a vast amount of buildings, factories, motels, and restaurants that have folded under because of the economy. We are out to get photos and readings of the history of these places. We are looking for the stories of what was and photos of what they are now. Here is a brief history of Casa Grande:

During Arizona’s mining surge in 1879, the town of Casa Grande was founded and named after the Hohokam ruins. It wasn’t until 1915 that Casa Grande became incorporated. Many of the places around town were named after one of the founding fathers, Thompson Rodney Peart, (Peart Road, Park and Center). A major railroad terminated in town and earned the name, “Terminus”. Casa Grande was mostly a farm town, but can boast the first exhibition baseball game in 1961. Willie Mays hit a 375 foot home run on that field. All that remains today of the past ballgames is the pool in the shape of a baseball bat and ball.