Celaya Park
Roosevelt St. & Vaughn St.
5.5 acres
Officially named on April 30, 1983,
the park was named to recognize the numerous
contributions of Antonio and Ophelia Celaya to the
citizens of Tempe.
Antonio arrived in Arizona in
1870. Well know locally as both a merchant and
organizer his first job upon relocating to Arizona was
at the Hayden Flour Mill. He worked at the Mill until
1897 when he left to establish his own mercantile
business which he successfully operated for over 25
years. He was an active member of the Alianza Hispano
Americana, a well know fraternal organization of the
southwest serving as supreme trustee and supreme
secretary for over 15 years.
His daughter Ophelia was a native
of Tempe, born in 1893. A lifetime Tempe resident, she
graduated from Tempe High in 1912, and was the recipient
of the Niels Petersen Award for highest grade point
average in her class. She served for over 40 years as a
clerk stenographer for the US Department of Agriculture,
Bureau of Entomology.
