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Library > Fact Sheets > BMGR Environmental History-Master
BMGR ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY-MASTER
Posted 9/17/2012
Printable Fact Sheet
History of the Range
The Barry M. Goldwater Range is located in an extremely arid portion of the Sonoran Desert, receiving three to nine inches of annual rainfall. Humans have lived in the area for thousands of years (see Archaeological Resources), and a rich history is described in the following sections:
GEOLOGIC HISTORY
Describes the physiographic, topography, and the geological formations visible at the range.
PRE-HISTORY PERIOD
Summarizes human activities from prehistory to 1500. Carbon-dating of some artifacts found in neighboring areas were placed at approximately 9350 B.C. Hunter-gatherers roamed the range in search of forage, followed by the Hohokam, the primary prehistoric sedentary agriculturists of the southwest.
EARLY EXPLORATION PERIOD
Extended from 1550 to 1850, and roughly corresponds with the period of Spanish domination of the southwest. Early missionaries and Spanish military expeditionaries were the first Europeans to explore the region, and established the route later known as the Camino del Diablo (Road of the Devil), which traverses through the range.
MODERN HISTORY
Summarizes activities from 1850 to present. Major activities during this period include exploration, ranching, and mining...
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