Long Staple Cotton in Chandler, 1899
- Chandler Museum
The first Egyptian cotton in Arizona was grown by Dr. A. J. Chandler (right) from a seed sent by David Fairchild, of the USDA, from Cairo in 1899
Cotton has been grown in the Salt River Valley for hundreds of years. The Hohokam grew a form of short staple cotton they used for food and clothing. The seeds of the cotton plant were cooked, ground, and formed into cakes. Cotton fibers were spun into yarn and used to create clothing and other textiles.
By the late 1890s, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) was looking for crops from around the world that could be grown in the arid West and Southwest. A USDA employee, David Fairchild, was responsible for introducing several types of food including avocados, dates, grapefruits, cucumbers, onions, seedless grapes, and chickpeas.
In 1898, during a trip to Egypt, Fairchild sent back to the United States several different varieties of long staple cotton. Some of these seeds he sent directly to Dr. Chandler in 1899. Chandler regularly experimented with different types of crops on his ranch. Dr. Chandler planted these seeds and successfully grew several varieties of Egyptian long staple cotton. From this early success, a new cotton industry emerged in Arizona.