Remembering the year Mesa stole Tempe's July 4th crowd

Tempe will soon host its 72nd annual Fourth of July Celebration, but long before any official event, Arizonans and Tempe residents were lighting up the desert sky on Independence Day.

The Kiwanis Club of Tempe began sponsoring the event in 1952, and over the years, the annual festivities have become a true East Valley tradition, drawing over 10,000 visitors every year. A look back at some of The Arizona Republic's archives tells how early Arizonans celebrated the holiday before such a coordinated event.

Tempe, June 8, 1893: "The Fourth at Tempe — Preparations being made for a celebration which will eclipse all previous patriotic demonstrations in Arizona," declared a report in The Arizona Republican, as the newspaper was then called.

Festivities in 1893 were produced by any resident willing to pitch in and included horse racing, dancing, muddy foot races and, of course, fireworks. The Tempe Butte (also known as "A Mountain" to Arizona State University alumni and fans) was a natural launch site: an elevated peak surrounded by flat land and the Salt River.

The city's namesake is linked to the butte. Lord Darrell Duppa, an early pioneer of the region, compared the butte and accompanying Salt River to the Vale of Tempe in Greece, an ancient gorge with Mount Olympus shadowing over the Pineios River.

Not every July Fourth in Tempe was an eventful one.

An Arizonan Republican report from July 5, 1909, explained why the typically packed downtown thoroughfare, Mill Avenue, looked more like the main drag of an old western ghost town. Mesa had planned a grand event that year that drew in most of the population from surrounding cities.

"Yesterday was about the most quiet Fourth of July that Tempe ever witnessed and today will probably be little more noisy," The Republican reported.

The report mentioned an unnamed "patriotic soul" who was determined for there to be some noise in Tempe on Independence Day 1909, setting off explosives atop the Tempe Butte.

"The only real outburst of enthusiasm came from the Butte a few minutes before midnight on the 3rd," the newspaper wrote. "This outburst, however, was sufficient in quantity to make up for the lack of patriotism on the part of the rest of the populace. Some patriotic soul did some clever work with about twenty charges of dynamite in a most effective manner. The reports were heard for miles around and a good many people in town, forgetful of the date, were scared out of a year's growth."

Today, Independence Day celebrations in downtown Tempe are as grand as ever. Spectacular firework shows and a festival full of activities are held alongside the Salt River at Tempe Beach Park. The downtown portion of Mill Avenue is usually closed for visitors to walk down.

All net proceeds from the Independence Day event support local youth organizations.

Reach the reporter marcus.reichley@gannett.com.