The Impact of Resort Landscapes: A histyoric Study of a Small Arizona Town

Abstract

Throughout the 1900s in the United States of America, many new towns and settlements in Florida and the Southwest used tourism to attract wealthy visitors, causing conflict between the needs of local residents and the resort economy. This paper looks at the role of the elite San Marcos Hotel in the small farming town of Chandler, 25 miles south of Phoenix, Arizona, during the first three decades of the town's life. The study traces evolving responses among the town's white farming community, noting a shift over 30 years from an enthusiastic identification with the hotel and associated luxuries, to a simpler farm ethic. The study contributes to growing research about resort architecture and themed environments, both in the context of US history and as a growing concern in today's world of accelerating global tourism. Throughout the late 1800s and early 1900s in the United States, many new towns in Florida and the Southwest used tourism to attract wealthy visitors for investment and potential settlement. Common resort elements included ambitiously designed luxurious hotels, themes of luxurious living, and a focus on wealthy clients, often creating sharp contrasts with ordinary residents (Moehring, 1989; Dodrill, 1993; Nicolaides, 1998).