Why were settlements started in places like Vegas and Pheonix if they weren’t connected to a river that connected to the ocean like the Mississippi River for trade and had no viable farmland?
In: 4650
Phoenix sits in a river valley, that was settled by native Americans going back thousands of years. They dug irrigation canals to help them with farming in the area, since the area has an incredibly long growing season. Apparently the native Americans left around the 13 to 1400s following a very bad drought and subsequent flooding.
In the 1800s after the civil war, settlers came out west and set up mining towns in the hills around Phoenix. The largest of which is a town called Wickenberg. The city of Phoenix started out as a great place for goods and supplies for the miners.
They discovered these irrigation canals from the native Americans and turned the valley into farmland. As more people arrived, they began turning farmland into housing.
Many people don’t believe this, but Arizona is a massive farming state due to its warm climate. Even driving around Phoenix today you will find farms, more so as you reach the edge.
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