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Littleton History

Avondale was first established by resilient pioneers, but there was another Avondale long before the Spanish and European settlers arrived. The Hohokam Indians, a thriving society of farmers, are believed to be the ancestors of the present-day Pima Indians. To this day, many of the canals used by local farmers were first cut through the earth to water ancient crops.

When gold was discovered in Wickenburg and Prescott, it created a demand for commerce between Tucson and northern Arizona. Shipments of supplies and people were carried by stagecoaches that needed places to rest their teams of horses and protect their precious cargos from marauding Indians. Weekly service from Tucson to Wickenburg followed the trail leading from Maricopa Wells to the Wickenburg Trail. The alignment of this trail passed through modern-day Avondale, which would become known as the Coldwater Stage Station.

The District was named after S.D. Little, who established the town of Littleton west of the Cashion Ranch. Little settled on the west corner of 115th Avenue (Avondale Boulevard) and Buckeye Road (Maricopa County Highway 85), where Littleton 58ºÚÁÏÍø School still exists today. A few homes, a small store, and an office were built. The Littleton 58ºÚÁÏÍø School District #65 was officially created out of District #17 (Tolleson 58ºÚÁÏÍø) on April 22, 1912, in Avondale.

Jim Cashion succeeded in establishing a post office in 1911. The Cashion Ranch raised beef and later ostriches. The feathers were used for ladies’ hats, but like so many fads, the ostrich hats went by the wayside when the automobile was introduced. As a result, the ostriches were sold. Little eventually moved to Bisbee, and Dr. Chandler bought the birds, having them moved to Chandler.

In 1942, teachers at the Littleton School were assigned to teach two grades, and attendance reached between 120 and 175 students. By 1960, District attendance was at 690, and by 1980, sixty-two classrooms were in use by 2,150 students.

Eldard Underdown was the district’s superintendent in the 1940s and 50s. He was not only the superintendent but also served as the principal and the bus driver in those early days. Quentin Aycock became superintendent in 1964 following Underdown’s death and served in that position for nearly 30 years.

By 2000, the district had doubled in size twice during the decade to over 5,000 students. The ‘little’ district that once served the communities of Cashion, Ligas, and area farmworkers is now a diverse suburban blend of families from many regions. The district is now home to a modern Avondale City Hall, Phoenix International Raceway, and numerous housing developments and golf courses.

School Reorganizations and New Campuses

The town of Cashion was annexed by the growing City of Avondale. This allowed both Avondale and the Littleton District to purchase adjacent parcels of land during a bond election. The school district established Littleton Unit 2, which was later renamed Underdown Junior High School, after Superintendent Underdown.

In 1963, Underdown Junior High School became home to 526 seventh and eighth grade students. Underdown Jr. High was reconstituted in 2008 as the home of alternative programs for students with special needs. The same year, all of the District’s schools were reorganized into comprehensive kindergarten through eighth grade campuses. Much of the campus now serves as home for the Littleton School District administrative and support offices (which moved in December of 2009).

New Schools Established:

• Collier 58ºÚÁÏÍø School was built on Thayer and Pearl Collier’s homestead farmland in 2002. Thayer Collier served on the school board for fifty-four years.
• Quentin 58ºÚÁÏÍø School opened in 2003, named after Quentin Aycock.
• Country Place 58ºÚÁÏÍø School opened in January 2006.
• Estrella Vista 58ºÚÁÏÍø School opened in January 2008.
• Tres Rios 58ºÚÁÏÍø opened in August 2008. This school was named after the three rivers that connect in this area (Agua Fria, Gila, and Salt River).
• Fine Arts Academy opened two of its three buildings in July 2016. This school was designed to support the arts, a focus chosen due to voter approval and community input.
• Lakin Prep Academy opened in July 2023 with grades k– 7 in the Alamar Community. This school was designed for students to learn academic content in both languages (English/Spanish, building bilingualism, biliteracy, and cross-cultural skills.