Phillip Darrell Duppa (October 9, 1832 – January 30, 1892) was a
pioneer in the settlement of
Arizona
Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...
prior to its statehood.
Life
Duppa, who called himself Lord Darrell Duppa, was born to English parents in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, France, in 1832. He attended
Cambridge University
The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
and learned the classics and five languages.
He stated that he had been shipwrecked and wandered through South America for some time before he reached North America and
Prescott, Arizona, in 1863. He told
John G. Bourke that he had been born at
Marseille
Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...
and that his family served in the diplomatic service.
Having made friends with
Jack Swilling
John W. Swilling (April 1, 1830 – August 12, 1878) was an early pioneer in the Arizona Territory. He is commonly credited as one of the original founders of the city of Phoenix, Arizona. Swilling also played an important role in the opening of ...
and realizing the value of land, drilling, and canal building, he moved to the future site of
Phoenix, Arizona, with Swilling in 1867. Duppa built one of the oldest homes in Phoenix in 1870. He later died in Phoenix in 1892, at the age of 59. He is buried at the small
Pioneer and Military Memorial Park a few blocks from the state
Capitol.
Legacy
Duppa is recognized as one of the founders of Phoenix, Arizona, with his friend Swilling, and eventually built a ranch north of Phoenix. Phoenix was founded in 1868 and incorporated in 1881, and the name proposed by Duppa came from the story of the mythical Phoenix's rebirth from the ashes, the basis being the rebirth of a city of canals that was rebuilt on the site of the ancient
Hohokam
Hohokam was a culture in the Indigenous peoples of the North American Southwest, North American Southwest in what is now part of south-central Arizona, United States, and Sonora, Mexico. It existed between 300 and 1500 CE, with cultural p ...
canal systems that dated back to about 700–1400 AD.
He is credited for naming nearby
Tempe after the
Vale of Tempe in Greece.
Duppa founded
New River, north of Phoenix, as a
stagecoach
A stagecoach (also: stage coach, stage, road coach, ) is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by ...
stop.
See also
*
History of Phoenix, Arizona
*
Pioneer and Military Memorial Park
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Duppa, Phillip Darrell
1832 births
1892 deaths
People from Arizona Territory
People from Maidstone
People from Phoenix, Arizona