Why Was Queen Creek Originally Called Rittenhouse?
Queen Creek’s early agricultural community was called Rittenhouse because of its railroad connection to land developer C.H. Rittenhouse. A local railroad stop helped move crops and...
Queen Creek · Community Photo
Queen Creek’s early agricultural community was called Rittenhouse because of its railroad connection to land developer C.H. Rittenhouse. A local railroad stop helped move crops and carry residents. This was the settlement’s earlier name—not a rename of an incorporated town; Queen Creek incorporated on September 5, 1989.
Queen Creek’s early settlement was called Rittenhouse because of its railroad connection. The Town of Queen Creek’s municipal history describes a railroad spur near Rittenhouse and Ellsworth roads. The stop served the agricultural community, allowing residents to flag down trains for a ride into Phoenix.
The name was associated with land developer C.H. Rittenhouse, who founded the Queen Creek Farms Company in 1919. Rittenhouse was a community name, not the former name of an incorporated municipality. The Town of Queen Creek incorporated on September 5, 1989.
Sources: Town of Queen Creek, Town History and About Queen Creek; List of historic properties in Queen Creek, Arizona.
The railroad connection behind the Rittenhouse name
Rittenhouse was the early settlement’s railroad-associated name, not the name of an incorporated town that later underwent a formal rename. The Town of Queen Creek documents a railroad spur near Rittenhouse and Ellsworth roads, connecting the community’s early identity with its rail stop.
The name referred to Charles Rittenhouse, also known as C.H. Rittenhouse, the land developer who established the Queen Creek Farms Company. Local historical accounts summarized by Metro Phoenix Alliance connect him with the agricultural settlement.
Rail served a practical purpose: the stop and nearby sidings helped farmers ship crops such as cotton, corn, potatoes and vegetables to market. According to the Town’s historical account, residents and workers also flagged down trains for rides into Phoenix. The railroad was therefore both a shipping connection for farms and a transportation link for the community.
As trucks and automobiles took on more transportation work, use of the rail stop declined and the community became known as Queen Creek. That shift in local usage is distinct from the Town’s later incorporation.
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From Rittenhouse to Queen Creek: The Naming Timeline
Milestone | What the record establishes | Significance for the name |
|---|---|---|
Creek and mine naming origin | The stream originally called Picket Post Creek was renamed Queen Creek after the Silver Queen Mine near Superior opened for production. It flows through Queen Creek Canyon toward the desert valley where the community developed. Source: Town of Queen Creek, Queen Creek’s Name. | The community’s eventual name came from the creek, whose name referred to the mine. |
Early 1900s: Rittenhouse settlement | The agricultural community was known as Rittenhouse after a local railroad spur and flag stop near Rittenhouse and Ellsworth roads. Source: Town of Queen Creek, About Us. | Rittenhouse was the settlement’s railroad-era identity, not the former name of an incorporated town. |
Adoption of Queen Creek | As the community grew and use of the rail stop declined, residents adopted the creek’s name. The exact transition date is not established. Sources: Town of Queen Creek, Queen Creek’s Name; Explore Queen Creek. | The community’s name adoption was separate from its later municipal incorporation. |
September 5, 1989: Incorporation | The Town of Queen Creek incorporated as an Arizona municipality. Source: Town of Queen Creek, About Us. | This date marks the town’s legal establishment, not a formal rename from Rittenhouse. |
Questions About the Rittenhouse and Queen Creek Names
No. Rittenhouse was an unincorporated farming community and railroad stop named after C.H. Rittenhouse, not an incorporated town undergoing a legal rename. The community later adopted the name Queen Creek; the Town of Queen Creek incorporated on September 5, 1989.
The Town’s Queen Creek’s Name account explains the early naming connection.
No. According to the Town’s Queen Creek’s Name account, the name comes from the creek, previously called Picket Post Creek. The watercourse was renamed after the Silver Queen Mine, and the downstream farming community adopted the creek’s name—not the name of a royal figure.
Yes. Rittenhouse Road preserves the early settlement’s name. The Town’s Queen Creek’s Name account connects the name to the community’s railroad-era past. Local historical accounts also place the early settlement and rail stop near Rittenhouse Road and Ellsworth Road.
