Research Catalog

Title

Islands in the desert : a history of the uplands of southeastern Arizona / John P. Wilson ; foreword by Patricia M. Spoerl.

Author

Wilson, John P. (John Philip), 1935-

Publication

Albuquerque : University of New Mexico Press, c1995.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Holdings

Details

Additional Authors

• Spoerl, Patricia M.
• Historical Society of New Mexico.

Description

xxii, 362 p. : ill., maps; 24 cm.

Summary

Viewed from the air, the plains of southeastern Arizona appear to be dotted by a series of islands in the desert. These mountain ranges, none longer than thirty miles and few higher than 9,000 feet, have witnessed continuous occupation for over 11,000 years. The human history of these upland areas from the 1530s to the 1930s is engagingly told in this volume. The desert and mountain ranges of southeastern Arizona are linked to some pivotal historical events: Coronado's search for the fabled wealth of Cibola; the raids by Chiricahua Indians led by Cochise and Geronimo; the seemingly endless cycle of mining booms and busts that resulted in fortunes made and lost; and border clashes during the Mexican Revolution. All these familiar events are told with reference to fresh information. In addition, this book offers a history of the upland region centered on control and use of the land, including chapters on mining, logging, ranching, farming, and tourism.

Subject

• Mountains > Arizona > History
• Mountains > Coronado National Forest (Ariz. and N.M.) > History
• Arizona > History, Local
• Coronado National Forest (Ariz. and N.M.) > History

Genre/Form

• History
• Local history

Note

• "Published in cooperation with the Historical Society of New Mexico."

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references (p. 304-344) and index.

Processing Action (note)

• committed to retain

Contents

The natural landscape -- Who named the mountains? -- The Spanish era -- The late Spanish and Mexican period, 1800-1846 -- The early United States period, 1846-1863 -- Military and Indian affairs, 1863-1896 -- The mining frontier -- Cattle, goats, and dudes -- Lumbering and timber resources -- Homesteads on forest lands -- The U.S. Army and the Mexican Revolution, 1910-1933 -- Summer colonies in the mountains -- Islands in the desert : retrospect and prospect.

ISBN

0826316158

LCCN

^^^95007557^

OCLC

• 32167573
• SCSB-11927315

Owning Institutions

Harvard Library