This publication tells the story of Arizona’s public works – how urban conveniences helped fuel the rise of Arizona’s cities, how dams and canals harnessed scarce water resources, and how rutted direct roads became modern highways.

Focusing on the service function of public works, the authors show how public works helped raise the living standards in Arizona. They also describe how public works facilitated the state’s rapid growth, and how that growth sometimes made it difficult to build and maintain adequate public infrastructure.

Building the Grand Canyon State is the first comprehensive history of Arizona’s public works to be published. Written to appeal to a broad audience, it is designed to be used as a reference work and to be read as a narrative history of Arizona’s development.