Alma School Road
By Tyler DeWitt & David Gossman, Spring 2005

In 1880 the Standage, Pew, and Rogers families moved to Mesa. Together they owned 160 acres of land from Broadway Rd. to Main St. along what is now Alma School Road. When the families were settling the area, they lived in tents and wagons strung together along the side of the road. They soon called the road “Stringtown.” They also created poles out of cottonwood trees for fencing. These poles grew into cottonwood trees lining the road. Because the road was considered too beautiful to be called Stringtown, Alamo Ave. was considered for the street’s name. Alamo is Spanish for cottonwood.

Alma School, built around the 1890’s, was primarily built for the Mormon families in the area. In selecting a name for the school, the children chose the name ‘Alma’ from one of the men named in the Book of Mormon. The school was located on the road and soon Alma School Road became the official name of the road. The original building was torn down in the late 1970’s, and the school is now located on W. Medina Avenue, southwest of Alma School and Baseline Roads in Mesa.

Images on this page courtesy of Mesa Southwest Museum

Arial shot of Alma School, school in bottom right hand of intersection (c. 1970)

Photo of Alma School c. 1976 (School was torn down in 1979)