6. Descriptions of the Collections


century, drought, racism and the changing ownership of real estate forced them to leave Arizona or to
change to a more independent livelihood such as truck farming, grocery, or restaurants.

In 1885 the territorial legislature established the University of Arizona in Tucson as the state's land-grant
college. The 1887 Hatch Act provided for the establishment of agricultural experimental stations, and
subsequent federal direction established the Cooperative Extension Service. The publications of these
agencies reveal an active role in helping Arizona families in the areas of agricultural and natural
resources, home economics, community development and youth development--especially through the 4H
program.

The climate of southern Arizona became a drawing point in the early 1900s for people suffering from
lung ailments such as asthma and tuberculosis. The hot dry climate of the Sonoran Desert was just what
the doctor's ordered for respiratory ailments due to the lack of any other effective treatments at the time.
The railroads helped spur the appearance of resorts and entire communities to cater to wealthy invalids;
the poor settled for suffering in tent cities.

The railroads also made it possible for readers inspired by works such as John Wesley Powell's diary and
writings of his explorations of the Grand Canyon, and Clarence Dutton's geologic history of the region,
to experience and view one of the natural wonders of the world. The Santa Fe Railroad reduced the cost
and time to travel to the Grand Canyon and triggered a tourist influx that made Arizona the Grand
Canyon State. Tourism in the 1920s became an industry, and the family-owned car in turn led to an even
greater proliferation of all that goes along with it: gas stations, restaurants, curio shops, campgrounds,
highways, etc. A mobile population was targeted by Arizona's largest cities, Phoenix and Tucson, as
resorts for wealthy visitors, and havens for retirees wanting to escape the northern winters. With extreme
ranges in elevation and temperature, the varied landscape of Arizona also drew people to the mountains
and the pine forests of the Colorado plateau. Arizona also proved to be a magnet for the scientific
community, attracting anthropologists, botanists, archaeologists, and climatologists to study its natural and
human history.

The University of Arizona Library's holdings of published materials and primary resources provide both
historical and intimate views of the effect of the railways on agricultural and rural life in Arizona. For
example, the Library holds the letters and legal papers of Semmes Ives, a lawyer who represented many
of the railroad businesses. The Library also owns a colorful history of the railways, entitled The Planning
of a Transcontinental Railroad through Southern Arizona, 1832-1870, a thesis written in 1948.

The exploitation of Arizona's natural resources met with resistance from individuals of varied
backgrounds, notably art critic John C. Van Dyke, entrepreneur and miner Ralph Cameron, botanist
Forrest Shreve, and agronomist Robert Forbes--all of whom published their views. With an increasing
number of people moving to Arizona, there was an increasing awareness of a need to protect and
preserve the natural beauty and cultural heritage of the state. At the turn of the century, Theodore
Roosevelt was instrumental in establishing national forests, monuments, parks, and land management
areas. Today, almost 44% of Arizona's land is under federal ownership.

An abundance of water brought on by the completion of Roosevelt Dam in 1911, and the demand for
cotton for the war effort, ushered in the Arizona cotton explosion. In 1916 less than 7,500 acres of
cotton were cultivated in the state; by 1919 this had grown to 82,000 acres. As with railroads, mining,
and cattle, large businesses held most of the cotton land. Tire companies, in particular, who needed the
fiber for their product settled in the state. Mexican laborers, who had been called on for mining and
railroad work, provided the large number of workers needed in the cotton fields.

With the end of World War I, the cotton market fell and the cotton explosion turned into bankruptcy.
Farmers and businesses alike were affected, and Arizona's farm population declined by 20 percent