The residents of the Westward Ho dress up in flapper and gangster costumes while giving a tour to show off the Historic Ho. From left to right: Terri DeMuro, Earling Eaton, Mariam Cheshire, Pierre Laliberte.

Why are we writing the history of the Westward Ho?

Well, to start with, we live here. The clues are all around us.

Back in the 30s and 40s and 50s, the Hotel Westward Ho was THE place to stay. Elegance, entertainment, service and prestige. When you read the stories of those years, you will find the top political and star names. From Rudy Vallee to JFK. From Shirley Temple to Nixon. Name someone in the headlines in those years and if they came to Phoenix, chances are rather good that they stayed at the Ho.

Then downtown Phoenix began to lose its appeal. The plans for expansion fell through. The 'names' migrated to the resorts which grew up on the outskirts of the city.

The Ho was sold and resold during the 70s and not always to reputable persons. When you read about the changes, you will wonder how the Ho survived being torn down.

Then the answer for its survival came during the 80s. This turned out to be the perfect property and perfect location for HUD housing for disabled and senior citizens. Our collection of articles now tells about the new residents and how they have made it home.

We grew curious. Where did the President stay? Did Truman actually say that? Who were the stars that appeared here to put on a show? We wanted to find out the details of those past and glorious years, which suites they slept in, the reminiscing about their personalities.

Gradually we have accumulated newspaper clippings and photos and have talked to people who 'remember when.' The past is coming to life.

Are there ghosts here? We have some who think so, but we will have to get more evidence before we tell you about that.

When we give a tour, there are always people to tell us, "I remember when . . . " or "My parents (or grandparents) told me . . . "

We hope that if you have a story about the Westward Ho, you will let us know. It might be the piece that fills in a missing gap.

There is still much to be discovered and told. We have more stories in our files that will be added. And we have more mysteries to solve.

And if you actually have a souvenir of those times, we would love to have a picture of it. There were 13,000 pieces of silver and 60,000 pieces of china. And we can't find even one.

We hope you enjoy reading about this as much as we are enjoying putting it together.

Reported by Mariam Cheshire

p.s. If you want to know how we managed to physically put this web page together, part of the story is on the WHCUG page. (Westward Ho Computer Users Group- a nonprofit organization). A Computer Lab was set up by the residents with donated equipment and we are rather proud of it.

All Rights Reserved Westward Ho WHCUG 2001