Chandler’s history began when its founder, Dr. Alexander John Chandler, arrived in Prescott, the capital of the Arizona Territory, in 1887, as the first appointed veterinary surgeon to the region. At that time, the entire southwest was experiencing a severe drought. Dr. Chandler found that he was unable to help the area’s cattle herds and resigned his post and made plans to move on to California.
However, as he arrived in the small frontier town of Phoenix, a deluge of rain began to fall that halted all travel. Dr. Chandler watched from his hotel room as the desert blossomed into a fantastic array of renewed life. The doctor was moved by what he saw and the possibilities it foretold, reconsidered his resignation, canceled his departure and looked to future growth of the town that was to become Chandler.
