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?

Question

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

Answer 1

Let’s talk about Las Vegas. First, in Spanish the name translates to The Meadows. Why would Las Vegas have a name like that? Well it used to have a spring that allowed a meadow to grow. Should you ever go visit Las Vegas, the original meadow area is now a park.