Cave Creek Road

The fort originally known as Camp McDowell and later as Fort McDowell was established by President Abraham Lincoln and the 37^th Congress in 1865.  The Fort’s purpose was to protect early miners and ranchers in central Arizona (including the future Cave Creek town-area) from the formidable and fierce Tonto Apaches and Yavapai. One member of the fort was a civilian store clerk; his name was William B. Hellings. Mr. Hellings was ambitious and became one of the founders of Phoenix. When his sizable ranch and flour mill didn’t become Phoenix’s town center, he pursued mining in Cave Creek.  In 1873, he decided to build a road from Phoenix to his Cave Creek mining interests.  Today, we know that road as Cave Creek Road.