A Brief History of Chandler, AZ

In 1891, Dr. Alexander John Chandler, the first veterinary surgeon in the Arizona Territory, settled on a ranch that was south of Mesa to study irrigation engineering. By 1900, he had obtained 18,000 acres of land and had begun drawing up plans for a townsite on what was then known as the Chandler Ranch. The townsite office opened on May 17, 1912, and by 1913, a town center had been created that featured the luxurious Hotel San Marcos, the first golf resort in the state.