Valley Field Riding and Polo Club.

In 1929 the manager of new Westward Ho Hotel in Phoenix made arrangements with Captain H.A. Mosse's riding academy and stable in Phoenix for hotel guests to ride at the stable. This interest in riding and polo by local Phoenicians and visitors led to the creation of the Westward Ho Riding Club. It was incorporated as a stock bearing corporation on October 11, 1929 by Dr. S.I. Bloomhardt, Roland Haskell and Mosse with one hundred fifty memberships. The club field was located at what is now Missouri Avenue and 7th Street in Phoenix, and a club house known as "The Barn" was constructed in 1930. Amid organizational difficulties among stockholders, the name of the club was changed on December 27, 1932 to the Valley Field Riding and Polo Club, and it became a non profit corporation with no dividends. In the early 1930's the Club hosted the polo team, the Field Blues, as well as horse shows, tournaments and social gatherings for members. Rides over open desert trails frequently ended in suppers at the club house.

A fire on August 1, 1936 destroyed the "Barn" club house. Member Joseph Edward Thompson, brother of mining tycoon William Boyce Thompson, offered a donation of twenty-one acres of unimproved desert land six miles east of Phoenix near what is now Papago Park. An adobe club house was constructed in 1936, in 1938 a stable was added and later a caretakers cottage. Polo and equestrian grounds and a swimming pool were planned but never developed.

During WWII the 364th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army rented the facility as an Officers's Club in conjunction with the U.S. prisoner of war camp in Papago Park. Club use declined because of gasoline rationing and the general war effort. In 1945 there were 58 members.

Riding and horse activities among members also declined after World War II, and in 1959 the stables were dismantled. Currently the majority of members do not ride nor own horses. However, members' theme dinners and parties flourished and these social events became the club's prominent focus continuing to the present day. By 1959 the stockholder corporation changed to a private, non profit paid membership organization. New members are admitted by invitation rather than by application.

The maintenance of the club house and desert grounds occupied much club attention over the decades. The club house was first extensively remodeled in 1966, and later in 1992. The original iconic, historic 1936 adobe structure has become an area architectural landmark. The property was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.

The Long Range Planning Committee was established in 1973, and its work assumed greater importance as the surrounding area saw extensive commercial and residential development and a dramatic increase in land value. In 1988 the club sold a portion of the property to Blood Services, and there were extensive proposals for development in the 1990's.

A concurrent membership interest was retaining the Club's desert open space as escalating taxation pressures increased. The Club hired a land planner to address numerous development proposals, zoning, and a land sale to the city of Scottsdale for parkway frontage. After considering many proposals, in 1998 it sold considerable acreage for development, and in 1999 it entered into a ground lease arrangement for commercial income property in Tempe, Arizona as a cash source for paying property taxes.

The bylaws state the Club "shall be composed of not more than 150 members who are congenial Arizonians who enjoy participating in Club parties, as well as sharing in its responsibilities. The members shall be of Arizona heritage and have been involved in cultural, charitable and civic activities in Arizona." Over the decades the exclusive membership included many leaders and prominent individuals of metropolitan Phoenix: Kemper and Ethel Marley, Earl Bimson, Robert T. Evans, Joe C. Haldiman, Mae Heard, Arthur Luhrs, Harry Fennemore, Walter O. Boswell, Clarence Budington Kelland, Margaret Rockwell, Senator Barry M. Goldwater, Sandra Day O'Connor, Tom Goodnight, Dr. Carlos Craig, Margaret and Leslie Kober, Eleanor and Scott Libby, Jr., Kitty Bloomhardt, Lou Ella Archer, Sherman Hazeltine, Karl Eller, Keith Turley, William Clements, Denison Kitchel, James Kitchel, Orme Lewis, Jr., Ted and Carolyn Warner, Frank Gordon, and Paul Orme.

In 2010 the Club remains active and continues its annual schedule of parties at the club house in Scottsdale.

From the description of Valley Field Riding and Polo Club, 1929-2006 [manuscript]. (Scottsdale Public Library). WorldCat record id: 641647201