Historic American Engineering Record: Crosscut Steam Plant, Tempe, Maricopa County, Arizona

Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. AZ-20 presents a written historical summary and relevant historical documentation about the construction and use of the Crosscut Steam Plant, which provided the first non-hydroelectric power to Salt River Project customers in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The report contains a narrative description, photographs, drawings, and maps.

The Crosscut Steam Plant facility is located in Tempe, AZ, near Mill Avenue and Washington Street on the north side of the Salt River. Presently, none of the facilities are in use. The plant is still standing, but associated features Indian Pump Ditch and the Indian Bend Pond have been razed.

The steam plant of the Crosscut power facility at Salt River Project, Tempe, Arizona, was an important part of the utility's overall power production system. The building first housed diesel engines, then steam generators, which together provided the first non-hydro power to Salt River Project customers. The diesel portion operated from 1937 until 1949, and the steam portion from 1941 to 1974 . Both diesel and steam operations were important power sources to the communities of the Salt River Valley, including Phoenix, during the second World War and following, when the Valley experienced tremendous business and population growth.