Arizona

Arizona’s water resources in the early 20th century.

“I understand that the black areas represent land taken up or capable of sustaining population. Note how insignificant and limited and circumscribed those areas are. Those black limits tell us where population is or can be, and the white areas tell us where it can not be.” – F.H. Newell, U.S.G.S. Hydrographer, 1903.

This map was compiled by the Hydrography Office of the United States Geological Survey for publication in a Congressional Report in 1902 or 1903. A stark black-and-white overview of the Arizona Territory emphasizes the limited area where water supplies are available for substantial settlement.

Issued a full decade before statehood, the image was a powerful argument for (impressive local utilization of limited resources) or against (too arid for habitation) admission to the Union. Interesting contemporary details include the Grand Canyon Forest Reserve (discontinued in 1908), land grant limits of the Atlantic & Pacific Railroad, various mining claims, and a relative paucity of surveyed townships.

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