Zone | Title | Elevation (in feet) |
| 1 | 6,000-8,000 | |
| 2 | 4,000-6,000 | |
| 3 | 3,500-5,000 | |
| 4 | 2,000-4,000 | |
| 5 | 1,000-2,000 |
Fortunately, the early settlers of Arizona saw the agricultural potential of the area despite its natural desert appearance. That potential was only realized as a result of extensive irrigation activities. Here is an animated map showing how little rainfall the state receives over a year. You can also see from the map above (click for enlarged image) that almost all of the state receives less than ten inches of rain a year. By definition, all of that area with low rainfall is considered to be desert.
The area of northern Arizona where the early Mormon settlers first set up camp, was as much of a desert as the rest of the state. Although the area falls in the part of the State designated as Cool Plateau Highlands, the name is anything but descriptive of the area. It is a flat, mostly treeless sandy desert. Summer temperatures can reach well over 100 degree F. Winter temperatures sometimes drop to almost 20 degrees below zero. The only water in the area comes from intermittent streams like the Little Colorado River. The river can be a raging torrent in the Spring and completely dry in the Summer. Without supplemental water from a very few mountain streams that reached the desert, the pioneers could not have survived.
Truly, there are few places in the world less likely to host an agricultural community than the high plateau of Arizona along the Little Colorado River. You have to understand both the religion and the culture of these people to even begin to understand why they came and even more, why they stayed.
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