A Place Defined by Land, Legacy, and Openness.

The history of Clearwater Farms belongs to a larger story of water shaping the West Valley—first through the development of irrigated agriculture, and later through the growth of communities whose water supplies remain connected to the ground beneath them. Orchards, canals, railroad sidings, and residential acreage represent successive chapters in that story. Following their connections reveals how the area around Citrus Park participated in the region’s development and why its irrigation heritage still matters.

William H. Beardsley joined his brother George’s Agua Fria irrigation undertaking in 1892, beginning a pursuit that would occupy the rest of his life. Financial difficulties and other setbacks repeatedly delayed the project. His son, Robert Beardsley, helped advance the enterprise and continued after William’s death in December 1925. Working with contractor Carl Pleasant and irrigation district leaders, Robert helped bring the undertaking into its construction phase. Pleasant Dam, later known as Waddell Dam, was completed in October 1927, with canal work continuing afterward. The resulting reservoir and delivery system established infrastructure for agricultural development northwest of Phoenix. Historic American Engineering Record: Waddell Dam

Water alone could not bring a harvest to market. Local historian Karen Krause records that the Santa Fe Railway added a twelve-mile agricultural spur in 1928, serving farms and orchards along the Cotton Lane corridor. The Brandon siding at Glendale Avenue later became known as Citrus Park, a name associated with grapefruit orchards and a cannery on Citrus Road south of Northern Avenue. Irrigation and rail transportation together connected local agricultural production with a wider economy. Much of the tracks have been removed in the last 20 years. The last remnants exist as the slight rise and ka-thump thump ride between the intersection of Cotton and Glendale and the Post Office to the West. “Rail Lines in Waddell”

Contemporary publications show Citrus Park’s place in that economy. In August 1938, Arizona Highways identified Citrus Park among the expanding citrus districts northwest of Peoria and described a large cannery there. A November 1948 advertisement in Arizona Grocers promoted Ariz‑Sweet grapefruit juice from Sunset Citrus Products Company at Citrus Park. These records preserve evidence of a community involved in growing fruit, processing it, and selling a finished product. Citrus Park formed part of the agricultural foundation on which the West Valley developed. Arizona Highways, August 1938, Arizona Grocers, November 1948, page 23

Working families gave this agricultural landscape its community life. Drawing on photographs and recollections supplied by Doris Andrews Shankle, Krause describes Elmer and Mary Andrews arriving in 1935 and working in the Clearwater Farms area, then known locally as Citrus Park. Their experiences included living in a farm camp and employment at the grapefruit cannery. After returning to Arizona in 1947, they provided religious services and assistance to farmworker families. Their story brings the orchards into focus as places where people earned their living, raised families, and helped their neighbors. A keen eye can spot what's left of the houses as you travel West on Glendale. “Rock Houses on Glendale Ave.”

The water sustaining those orchards also participated in a less visible process underground. When irrigation water spreads across land, some supports vegetation and some evaporates, while a portion can move below the roots and eventually replenish groundwater. Together with canal seepage, this irrigation return flow became an important source of recharge in the western Salt River Valley. Beneath the surface, water occupies spaces within layers of sediment, including sand and gravel. USGS studies document how agricultural irrigation substantially increased recharge above natural levels, making irrigation part of both the Valley’s farming history and the history of its aquifers. USGS: West Salt River Valley Aquifer

Those aquifers remain central to life in surrounding communities. Surprise identifies groundwater from the West Salt River Valley as the source of all water delivered by its municipal utility. El Mirage likewise documents reliance on local groundwater. Avondale combines water pumped from the same sub-basin with treated surface water delivered through Phoenix, while Liberty’s Litchfield Park system and EPCOR’s Sun City system, which serves Youngtown, also draw their drinking water from underground. The agricultural landscape and the neighboring communities are thus connected through a regional water system that extends beyond property lines and municipal boundaries. Surprise water report, El Mirage municipal report, Avondale water report, Liberty water report, EPCOR water report

Clearwater Farms’ irrigation heritage belongs within this continuing story: water made agricultural settlement possible, supported the communities that followed, and remains a shared resource requiring care across generations. USGS groundwater assessment, Avondale water report, El Mirage recharge planning