ROOTED HERE
Behind the downtown streets.
A whole city’s story.
Gilbert's historic center, canal paths and desert preserves sit within one of Arizona's largest towns.
People made the city.
These milestones are an introduction, not a complete local history. Follow the linked city and museum sources to explore the people and places behind them.Read the local historical account.
Watch the city’s history
FROM THE ARCHIVES
Footsteps Through Time: A History of Gilbert
A local history film shared by Gilbert, Arizona.
Watch on YouTube ↗- 1902
A railroad siding takes a name
William “Bobby” Gilbert provided land for a railroad right-of-way, and the siding and community took his name.
Town of Gilbert ↗ - 1910
The first store
Ayer's Grocery Store opened as the community's first store.
Town of Gilbert ↗ - 1911
An agricultural town develops
Dam and canal development helped establish Gilbert as a farming community.
Town of Gilbert ↗ - 1912
The first post office
Gilbert's first post office opened inside Ayer's Grocery Store.
Town of Gilbert ↗ - 1920
Gilbert incorporates
Gilbert officially incorporated as a town on July 6.
Town of Gilbert ↗
See the history for yourself.
Walk downtown to see surviving commercial architecture, then explore the Historical Preservation Society’s museum and visiting information. Check current opening dates before setting out. Historical Preservation Society.
For deeper research, the Gilbert library resources is a starting point for archival material and research help. Historic photographs have their own permissions; we link to the collection instead of treating every old image as free to reuse.
Selected milestones researched September 13, 2026. This is an introduction, not a complete account of the city’s history.