In the 1950s, one of Arthur Deal’s favorite activities was biking over to Papago Park. It’s where his imagination could run wild. He had 1,500 acres of hilly desert terrain to explore, filled with ancient red sandstone formations, cacti, lagoons and wildlife.
Deal estimates that back then, the Arizona park was almost entirely desert. Now, according to his math, it's closer to one-third desert habitat. The lagoons have been replaced by a zoo. There’s a public golf course and two highways that cut through park land. And there’s a burgeoning, blocked-off San Francisco Giants practice facility, formally known as Papago Sports Complex, which is separate from the team’s spring training stadium in Scottsdale.