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

Southern Arizona used to have running water. Rivers like the Gila provided water and habitat until large-scale irrigation dried them out. Cotton , citrus, and cattle are thirsty crops. The Hohokam lived in the PHX area for two thousand years and created 135 miles of irrigation canals. The Tucson area has also been continuously inhabited for thousands of years.