Vanishing River Volume 4: Chapter 08: Euroamerican History, 1540 to the Present

In Chapter 8, Whittlesey and her co-authors discuss the historical events and the cultural processes that shaped the use and occupation of central Arizona after AD 1540. The authors focus on broad trends in politics, economics, and the environment that contributed to changes in land-use patterns. They center their discussion on Euro-American populations, but also consider indigenous populations living on reservations. Furthermore, the authors examine patterns in the relations between Euro-Americans and Native Americans to understand how these trends impacted land-use in central Arizona. The chapter considers issues of homesteading, cattle grazing and ranching, intensive farming, mining, the control of water rights and irrigation, and urban expansion.