HISTORY
Signs of change The O.S. Stapley store opened in 1955 south of the railroad tracks and east of Maricopa High School on Maricopa Road. The store carried farm supplies, hardware, paint, small appliances, sporting goods and housewares, sold International Harvester equipment and repaired and serviced farm equipment. It was managed by Marvin Scott. Before the John Wayne Parkway overpass opened to the public in 2019, the sign remained a storied landmark on Maricopa’s main thoroughfare. A&R Towing now occupies the property, just north of Auntie’s Soul Food & Grill. The sapling saguaro cactus shaded by the sign in the 1950s is now a dominant feature of the landmark today.
THIS MONTH BACK IN... For these and other historical stories, visit InMaricopa.com.
2008 2013
2018
Two Maricopa cops were hospitalized after a motorcycle escort for a toy drive. Officers Pete Torres and Ricky Alvarado crashed on southbound SR 347 during the escort of the W. Steven Martin Toy Run from Chandler to Maricopa. Torres suffered a broken elbow and Alvarado suffered a dislocated shoulder.
Students at Santa Rosa Elementary School’s Honor Society made blankets for their homeless classmates. Each student collected fleece and went to school early for two weeks. Together, they created 18 blankets. “They were quite proud of their accomplishment,” said Santa Rosa Honor Society sponsor Stephanie Rinehart.
Maricopa’s population topped 50,000 people, according to 2018 U.S. Census data released in December, naming it the 18th-largest city in the state. “It’s a great accomplishment for the city to reach this 50,000-resident milestone,” said then-Mayor Christian Price. Just 18 years prior, Maricopa had only about 1,000 residents.
InMaricopa.com | December 2023
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