2007.3.45

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Description: In 1917, when access to Egyptian cotton was cut off during World War I, the Goodyear Rubber and Tire Company looked to Arizona as a source of cotton.  The company used cotton as a foundation to strengthen the rubber in its tires.  The company leased land from Doctor Chandler in order to start its own cotton ranch.  This aerial photograph shows the settlement of Goodyear located on 8,000 acres four miles south of the Chandler townsite.  The ranch covered roughly 12 square miles, from today's Hunt Highway to Ocotillo Road and from McQueen Road to Price Road.  Goodyear spent more than $1.5 million in improvements to the land, including developing medical care, school, shopping, and entertainment. The cotton market  crashed in 1920, forcing Goodyear to sell off its interests near Chandler and consolidate its Arizona operations in to the West Valley.

Catalog number: 2007.3.45

Gift of Bob Whitaker