Islands in the Desert

This book is an amazing look at the history of the mountains ranges of Southern Arizona – including the Santa Catalina Mountains. The history of the area since the ‘Spanish Era’, Mining, Stage Lines, Cattle, Goats, Lumber, Homesteads, Mexican Revolution, Summer Colonies and more are covered and, in addition to the main text of the book, there are nearly 90 pages of notes and references. From the Preface:

This is not intended to be a general history of southeastern Arizona, and readers will quickly notice the absence of a single unifying theme. The concern here is with the scattered mountain ranges that form units of Coronado National Forest and with the human use of these desert islands, with some attention to the intervening basins and valleys. The focus is upon places and activities rather than on natural history or environmental changes. The geographic limits are Tucson and Arivaca on the west, New Mexico on the east, and from the Gila River south to the boundary with Mexico.

• Islands in the Desert: A History of the Uplands of Southeastern Arizona
• John P. Wilson
• University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, 1995
• ISBN 0-8263-1615-8
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