Fluid arguments : five centuries of western water conflict / edited by Char Miller.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Miller, Char, 1951-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Water-supply--Southwestern States--History.

Water-supply.

Water rights--Southwestern States--History.

Water rights.

Water-supply--Government policy--Southwestern States.

Water-supply--Government policy.

History.

Physical Description:

xxix, 354 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Tucson : University of Arizona Press, [2001]

Summary:

This book sets contemporary and often bitter debates over water in their historical contexts by examining some of the most contentious issues that have confronted the region over five centuries. Seventeen contributors -- representing history, geography, ethnography, political science, law, and urban studies -- provide an interdisciplinary perspective on the many dimensions of water in the West: Spanish colonial water law, Native American water rights, agricultural concerns, and dam building. A concluding essay looks toward the future by examining the impact of cities on water and of water marketing on the western economy.

As farmers and ranchers from Kansas to California compete for water with powerful urban economies, the West will continue to be reshaped by this scarce and precious resource. Fluid Arguments clearly shows that many of the current disputes over water take place without a real appreciation for the long history of the debate. By shedding new light on how water allocation is established -- and who controls it -- this book makes a vital contribution to our understanding of water and growth in the region.

Contents:

Divining the Past: An Introduction / Char Miller xv

Part 1 Land and Water on New Spain's Frontiers

1 "Only Fit for Raising Stock": Spanish and Mexican Land and Water Rights in the Tamaulipan Cession / Jesus F. de la Teja 3

2 Water, the Gila River Pimas, and the Arrival of the Spanish / Shelly C. Dudley 27

3 "Between This River and That": Establishing Water Rights in the Chama Basin of New Mexico / Sandra K. Mathews-Lamb 40

Part 2 The Native American Struggle for Water

4 Maggot Creek and Other Tales: Kiowa Identity and Water, 1870-1920 / Bonnie Lynn-Sherow 65

5 The Dilemmas of Indian Water Policy, 1887-1928 / Donald J. Pisani 78

6 First in Time: Tribal Reserved Water Rights and General Adjudications in New Mexico / Alan S. Newell 95

7 Winters Comes Home to Roost / Daniel McCool 120

Part 3 Agricultural Conundrums

8 Water, Sun, and Cattle: The Chisholm Trail as an Ephemeral Ecosystem / James E. Sherow 141

9 Private Irrigation in Colorado's Grand Valley / Brad F. Raley 156

10 A Rio Grande "Brew": Agriculture, Industry, and Water Quality in the Lower Rio Grande Valley / John P. Tiefenbacher 178

11 Specialization and Diversification in the Agricultural System of Southwestern Kansas, 1887-1980 / Thomas C. Schafer 201

12 John Wesley Powell Was Right: Resizing the Ogallala High Plains / John Opie 223

Part 4 Dam those Waters!

13 Private Initiative, Public Works: Ed Fletcher, the Santa Fe Railway, and Phoenix's Cave Creek Flood Control Dam / Donald C. Jackson 251

14 The Changing Fortunes of the Big Dam Era in the American West / Mark Harvey 276

15 Building Dams and Damning People in the Texas-Mexico Border Region: Mexico's El Cuchillo Dam Project / Raul M. Sanchez 303

Part 5 The Coming Fight

16 Water and the Western Service Economy: A New Challenge / Hal K. Rothman 331.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0816520615

OCLC:

44634235