Arizona Industrial Development
Decade:
1960s
Topic:
Labor and Economics
In the 1960’s, Arizona was looking for ways to expand industry in the state. Boyd H. Gibbons, Jr. acted as a liaison between the Arizona Board of Development and the Governor’s office. Gibbons traveled around the state, encouraging small communities to form industrial development commissions to encourage businesses to relocate to Arizona and grow within the state. Large cities also aggressively pursued development opportunities in many different industries.
Read About It
Use the document analysis sheet and the photograph analysis sheet to uncover clues about the people that created the documents.
- Arizona. State University. Bureau of Business Services. Manufacturing Establishments in Arizona, 1962.
- Arizona. Development Board. Climate for Arizona Cities
- Arizona Has Trees
- Report on Winter and Summer Visitors in Arizona. Arizona All-Year Vacation Land Presented by Arizona Development Board.
- Copy of a letter from Boyd H. Gibbons, Jr. to Mrs. Albert Knopf, November 25, 1960
- Letter from Mrs. Albert Knopf to Governor Fannin, September 28, 1960
- Letter from Leonard Dankowski to Boyd H. Gibbons, Jr., April 7, 1961
- Copy of a letter from Boyd H. Gibbons, Jr. to Leonard Dankowski, April 12, 1961
- Analysis of inquiries received by Casa Grande Chamber of Commerce, 1961 ca.
- Copy of a letter from Governor Fannin to Sue Jensen, October 20, 1961
- Letter from Sue Jensen to Governor Fannin, October 1961
- Letter from Howard H. Heilman to Boyd H. Gibbons, Jr., August 5, 1959
- Letter from Peter C. Gaffney, February 8, 1964
- Letter from T. W. Spoeri to Boyd H. Gibbons, Jr., February 2, 1961
Understand It
- What industries existed in Arizona before the 1960s? Which industries were being developed in Arizona in the 1960s?
- Did all small towns start an industrial development commission right away?
- Who created the documents linked above? What did they think of industrial development? Is there a bias in their writing?
- What challenges or advantages did each town and city in Arizona have? If you had to develop industry in your hometown, which industry would it be, and how would you develop it?