The Gila: River of the Southwest

by Edwin Corle, Ross Santee (Illustrator)

In the words of Edwin Corle, author of Desert Country , who has chronicled the story of the Gila River, “There is no other stream that even resembles it”—and the pages of this book bear him out. A changeable ricer, at one time the Gila resembled the Everglades; in 1950 the lower river—fully half it six-hundred-mile length—was dry as dust. The Gila has never known a steamboat, very few rowboats, and only a fair assortment of fish, but from its ice caves and mountain torrents, through its torturous canyons, to its parched and sun-baked confluence with the Colorado, it has a history as dramatic and significant as any river in America. Civil War generals, Apaches, Mexicans, Mormons, and pioneers figure in the cast of characters, for since Spanish times the Gila has been a crossroads of the Southwest and in the direct line of march of the westward movement.

Genres: History

401 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1951

About the author

Edwin Corle was born in Wildwood, New Jersey and educated at the University of California, Berkeley, where he received his A.B. in 1928. For the next two years he was a graduate student at Yale University.

In 1932 he married Helen Freeman in Ensenada, Mexico.[1]

He served in World War II, and in 1944 married Jean Armstrong. His prolific writing career led to a final residence at Hope Ranch, Santa Barbara where he died on June 11, 1956.

His writing is noted for realistic portrayals of Native American life in the early 20th century. After a brief stint at writing for radio, Corle began writing numerous short stories and non-fiction pieces for magazines. In 1934 his Mojave: A Book Of Stories was published. This was followed a year later by his first and most successful novel, Fig Tree John, based on a Cahuilla Indian from southern California. In addition to other novels, Corle also wrote non-fiction, including books on the Grand Canyon and the Gila River. His sophisticated interest in the arts is reflected in his works on Igor Stravinsky and the artist Merle Armitage. In the 1950s, Corle began what was to be his most important effort, a multi-volume novel called "The Californians". The work was left uncompleted upon his death and is included in his extensive papers, letters and manuscripts donated by Ralph B. Sipper of Santa Barbara to Indiana University in 1997. Another important collection of his papers, including correspondence with Lawrence Clark Powell, is in the Special Collections of UCLA.

Reviews

[Bob R Bogle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few decades ago I picked up a copy of this book from a local used bookstore in Tucson for $2.50, more or less on a whim. The book was already old then. I enjoyed reading it at the time.

Over the last few days I've had occasion to read it again. Published in 1951, it's of course even older now, and it reads older. It's author, Edwin Corle, died in 1956, long before the first time I read the book. Still, I think it's suitable to very briefly review this book now, as a tribute to Mr Corle, if for no other reason.

A true history book is peppered with footnotes documenting sources. The Gila: River of the Southwest is not a true history book but a story-teller retelling tales (although I must say the bibliography he includes is impressive enough). The general stage for his drama is the watershed of the Gila River, extending from its origins in the Gila Wilderness of southwestern New Mexico near Silver City and running across southern Arizona to its confluence with the Colorado River just north of Yuma. It's true that the book tells the story of the Gila River, but more especially it tells many stories about the people who passed through this region, in particular the lower two-thirds of the state of Arizona. Corle's book is, I would say, engaging and charming, and his memory is to be honored for having created this artifact.

In the last few pages Corle is talking about life in southern Arizona in the year 1950 and is wondering what the future holds for the region. As I write this little note in 2020 I feel as if I'm looking back to 1950, possessed now with knowledge of some of the answers to the questions Corle had. This is a fine book about this particular geographical region, clearly a labor of love on Corle's part. After all this time it remains worth a read by anyone else who's fond of southern Arizona.

[Ajay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must read if you live or want to live in Southern Arizona. Mr. Corle is a superb story teller and gives an entertaining and in-depth history of the peoples that have lived and explored along the Gila River. Some of the most memorable tales are of the first European explorers in Arizona, the Lost Dutchman Mine, an attempt to bring camels to Arizona, a captured Mormon girl (Oatman Girl) who survived, and a rancher who was in constant battle with the Apaches (Pete Kitchen). This is a fantastic read and I would highly recommend it.

[Michael Huckaby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of non-fiction history, geology, anthropology can be a bit dry, but Edwin Corle sees nothing wrong with dissing early explorers of the southwest such as Coronado and Esteban. Engaging read.

[River James · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed it, but you must know that I deeply love the Gila River and have run nearly 300 miles from the Cliff Dwellings in New Mexico past the State Prison complex in Florence, AZ. (Yup, in the canal!)
Gila Reading:
River of the Sun by Ross Calvin
Gila, The Life and Death of an American River by Gregory McName
The Gila River of the Southwest by Edwin Corle
Gila Descending A Southwestern Journey by M.H. Salmon

[Bobby Wuertz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arizona is the epitome of the wild west. This books goes through the history of the gila valley before statehood and the colorful characters that helped shape it. At times you feel the author is drawing his own conclusion to a story that was not well documented but thats part of the wild west folklore i guess.