William John Murphy

Biography

William John Murphy, born in 1839, engineered the Arizona Canal and founded Glendale, transforming parched desert into productive farmland through irrigation projects and tireless promotion of settlement.

He poured his energies into schools, churches, and the town's infrastructure so families could thrive, and today his legacy is honored at Greenwood/Memory Lawn Mortuary & Cemetery as a reminder of what perseverance can accomplish in the desert.