Jack Swilling

John "Jack" Swilling (April 1, 1830 – August 12, 1878) was one of the original founders of the city of Phoenix, Arizona. He had a dual reputation for kindness and a rough, tough side. Biographers have indicated he may have killed a dozen or more men, once shooting and killing a man in Wickenburg, Arizona in self-defense, then scalping him. He was also said to be addicted to morphine and alcohol.

He arrived in Phoenix from Prescott, Arizona, with friend and colleague Darrell Duppa in 1867. He was fascinated with the ancient Hohokam ruins and artifacts, especially the extensive network of canals the ancient Indians had dug to irrigate their fields. His concept was that the old canals could be re-built for modern farmers, and that the soil of the valley could support highly productive farms.

By January 1, 1868, Swilling's home area, where up to fifty more pioneer homes had been built by this time, was known as Pumpkinville--named for the impressive growth of pumpkins along the canals that he had planted earlier. Darrell Duppa suggested the name Phoenix--for much like the mythical Phoenix rising from its ashes, a new civilisation would soon rise from the ashes of an old.

Swilling died in jail of natural causes while awaiting trial for a stagecoach robbery he did not commit.