A Brief History of Mesa, AZ

The first settlers in Mesa were probably the Hohokam, who constructed canal systems to make living on the dry land possible. Their probable ancestors, possibly including the Tohono O'odam, remained in the area. Much later, Spanish missionaries and soldiers traveled through the area, and several groups of Latter Day Saints pioneers settled nearby. Eventually, residents from other areas of the Phoenix valley moved to Mesa and the population steadily grew on its own.