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George Luhrs: From Prussian Deserter to Phoenix Pioneer
In 1867, George Luhrs ran from the Prussian army and landed in America flat broke. The young wheelwright fixed wagons in California gold fields, then moved to Arizona where his luck turned.
By 1878, he set up shop in tiny Phoenix, saved cash, and bought prime downtown land for just $1,066.
From there, Luhrs built a hotel, joined the city council, and took on massive debt to construct Phoenix’s first skyscraper in 1924…