Gila Bend (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781531656515)

Named for its location on the bend of the Gila River, Gila Bend is an unusual community. It lies along a travel corridor used for centuries by American Indians, Catholic missionaries, American and French trappers, Spanish and Mexican settlers, military expeditions, and forty-niners. Beginning in the 1870s as a stage station, the town soon evolved into an important railroad changeover point in the 1880s. When the national highway system developed in the 1920s, the town was perfectly situated to provide automobile services. But when the technology in these two travel industries changed, Gila Bend suffered an economic downturn, restricting its population to around 2,000 people, while the nearby Phoenix metropolitan area grew by millions.In the 21st century, Gila Bend is on the cusp of a new era, as it is now the home to one of the world's largest solar power projects.

Author: Vincent Murray
ISBN-10: 153165651X
ISBN-13: 9781531656515
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing Library Editions
Language: English
Published: 03/05/2012
Pages: 130
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 0.91lbs
Size: 9.61h x 6.69w x 0.38d