Salt River Stories5.2.1 - App Store

Salt River Stories (or PHXstories) is a free mobile app that puts the history of the Phoenix-Scottsdale-Tempe metro area at your fingertips.

A collaboration between the Public History program at Arizona State University and the Papago Salado Association, Salt River Stories lets you explore the people, places, and moments that have shaped the region’s history. Learn about the region through layered, map-based, multimedia presentations, use social media to share your stories, and take curated historical tours of the desert metropolis.

Each point on the interactive GPS-enabled map tells a story about the site and includes images from the region's archives. Many stories also include audio clips and short documentary videos, sharing oral histories or expert knowledge. Perhaps best of all, Salt River Stories is a collaborative project with stories created collaboratively by teachers, students, professors, and community members. Students and faculty in the School of Historical Philosophical and Religious Studies at Arizona State University curate Salt River Stories.



If you know of a story, a site, theme, or topic that we’ve not explored, check back often because we will be adding new material on a monthly basis. If you would like to suggest a site or become involved in developing digital stories, reviewing content, or collecting regional history please contact us. 



You can find us on the web at saltriverstories.org; you may email us at publichistory@asu.edu, or you can find us on Facebook at SaltRiverStories and on Twitter @PHXstories. 



We are sometimes asked why we named the project “Salt River Stories,” and there are many reasons, including that our coverage is not bounded by a single political entity subdivision in the Valley. Also, and critically, the Salt River defines the valley in which Phoenix and the broader metropolis that emerged during the 20th century. The Salt River is both a watershed and valley--in which gravity forces water to flow from the Granite Reef to the East into the Valley nurturing human development in the region. To highlight the breadth of our region and the amazing ways the chose to call this historical project Salt River Stories to highlight the amazing ways that environment and human society have shaped the Valley of the Sun, we have titled our project Salt River Stories.

Version History Fixes issue preventing tours from appearing in search results. Adds link to rate and review in app store. Minor security improvements. 5.2.1 Apr 22 Performance enhancements, bug fixes, and other improvements 5.2 Apr 2 Fixes issue with modal maps 5.1.1 11/18/2025 Bug fixes and other improvements 5.1 10/16/2025 - Improved audio and video experience
- Improved contrast on maps
- Additional contextual information when browsing entries
- Bug fixes and other improvements 5.0.5 01/23/2025 Support for tinted icons, dark mode assets, bug fixes and other minor improvements 5.0.4 09/10/2024 Bug fixes and other minor improvements. 5.0.3 01/12/2024 Maintenance update 5.0.2 09/16/2023 Salt River Stories version 5.0/5.0.1 includes bug fixes, a design refresh, and new features such as the ability to add bookmarks, change the text size, and more. 5.0.1 08/03/2022 Minor fixes for previous release 4.0.1 05/28/2020 Design refresh 4.0.0 05/22/2020 - Support for system dark mode
- Improved offline mode
- New map interface
- Performance improvements 3.2.0 11/19/2019 Bug fixes and updated map interface. 3.1.0 05/22/2019 Minor fixes and layout improvements for iPad. 3.0.1 11/28/2018 Welcome to Salt River Stories 3.0!
- New and improved user interface
- Native 3D-enabled maps (try a two finger swipe to tilt the map)
- Offline functionality (text-only)
- New Discover page highlights featured and nearby content
- Stories page now shows recent additions by default, with filters for nearby and featured
- Search for stories, tours, and files
- Plus lots of technical improvements 3.0 09/06/2018 Updates and improvements for iOS11 2.0.3 10/26/2017 2.0.1-2.0.2: Performance improvements.
2.0: A totally new design featuring an improved reading experience and more ways to find and share stories near your current location. 2.0.2 05/12/2016 2.1: Performance improvements.
2.0: A totally new design featuring an improved reading experience and more ways to find and share stories near your current location. 2.0.1 05/04/2016 A totally new design featuring an improved reading experience and more ways to find and share stories near your current location. 2.0 04/25/2016 Thumbnail dimension bug fixes. 1.4.2 04/04/2014 Fixed link coloring and back button bugs. 1.4.1 03/03/2014 1.4 02/11/2014