UA News

Detail map, territory of Arizona, U.S. Department of the Interior, General Land Office, 1876. Geography and map division, Library of Congress.

A new exhibit, "Mapping Arizona: From Mexican Territory to U.S. State," offers a visual illustration of Arizona's path to statehood as documented through historical maps of the region. The exhibit is one of several lectures, events and exhibits hosted by the University Libraries in celebration of the state's Centennial.

An opening lecture and book signing with Thomas Sheridan, a professor in the University of Arizona School of Anthropology, will highlight the historical context that shaped Arizona and will draw from Sheridan’s book "Landscapes of Fraud: Mission Tumacácori, the Baca Float, and the Betrayal of the O’odham."

"Mapping Arizona: From Mexican Territory to U.S. State" details the path Arizona took to become a state – first as part of the territory of New Mexico, then as the territory of Arizona, finally attaining statehood in 1912. In addition to an array of historical maps, "Mapping Arizona" also includes books and unique documents selected from UA Special Collections' extensive holdings. These additional materials offer insight into the stories that accompany the lines, boundaries, and borders within the maps.

"Mapping Arizona" showcases a number of unique items including:

• An 1858 map showing the U.S. boundary after the Treaty of Mesilla and the Gadsden Purchase in 1854. The U.S. boundary was chosen partly due to mineral wealth, siting of the Southern Pacific Railroad, and various established white settlements in southern Arizona;
• An 1866 map of the territories of Arizona and New Mexico. It shows Pah-Ute County in northwestern Arizona that later became part of Nevada;
• A 1906 map showing the boundaries of the Baca Float No. 3 land grant in the Santa Cruz Valley.