In Phoenix, AZ there is a mountain range called "The White Tank Mountains".?

Question

WHERE DID THAT NAME ORIGINATE FROM? DOES ANYONE IS AZ KNOW??

Answer 1

The following excerpt is from the book "Arizona Place Names" by Will C. Barnes:

"Capt. Calderwood once told the author this name was given these mountains for a man named White who dug a well and had a station on the Prescott-Wickenburg stage road. Was on the north side of the mountains which soon began to be called 'Whites Tank Mountains'. "

Barnes was an early pioneer and historian who went around documenting the stories behind various Arizona place names in the 1920s and 30s (when many of the original namers or namesakes were still alive).

Wells and natural depressions that held water were often called 'tanks' (ie: water tank) back then. Based on the description, his stage stop probably would have been in the are of where US60 passes north of the mountains on the way from the Salt River Valley (Phoenix) to Wickenburg.

The first known published use of this name was on the 1879 Smith map.

Answer 2

Yes there is. They are in Maricopa County just a little WNW of Phoenix. If you go to the Maricopa County website, and click on "parks" you can read all about them.