Proving grounds In 1946, the International Harvester Company rented land from a United States Army tank testing facility located west of today's Lakewood community, for use as truck and heavy equipment proving grounds. The proving grounds eventually grew to over . The grounds were designed to stress-test trucks and heavy equipment with, among other things, a test track, dirt tracks, a special testing area with 20 to 60% grade, service shops, and a runway for company executives. The grounds were sold to a property development company in 1983, due to a combination of economic issues, labor union problems, and a patent infringement judgement against the company. The area is now a part of The Foothills and Club West developments. Development Development of Ahwatukee began in 1970, when Presley Development Company, led by Randall Presley, bought of land. The land included Ahwatukee Ranch, then owned by a land syndicate led by an Arizona State University English professor, as well as land owned by a local moving and storage firm. Presley originally planned for the area to be a retirement community, but later devised a mix of retirement living, family living, and light commercial zoning for the area. Presley Development was noted to have a role in Ahwatukee eventually becoming a part of Phoenix, instead of neighboring Chandler or Tempe, through a handshake deal between Maricopa County Supervisor Bob Stark, who was also an attorney with Presley Development, and Mayor of Phoenix John D. Driggs. However, Chandler and Tempe officials were noted to have refused offers of annexing Ahwatukee. Phoenix annexed the area in stages, from 1980 to 1987. It has been suggested that Phoenix's annexation of Ahwatukee had, to a degree, affected Tempe's future development. Plans for Ahwatukee were approved by Maricopa County in November 1971, and 17 model homes were opened in an area near 50th Street and Elliot Road in 1973. In the same year as the model homes’ opening, the Arizona State Legislature set aside $5 million to build a prison near the proving grounds. Plans for the prison, however, were later scrapped. The area's first elementary school, Kyrene de los Lomas, opened in 1976, while Mountain Pointe High School opened as the area's first high school in 1991. Etymology There exist three theories surrounding the name "Ahwatukee", with all three claiming the name has roots in the Crow language. Some stories of the name's origin trace back