Rural Heritage Preservation

Over the last several decades, the West has experienced some of the most rapid growth and development in the U.S. The rural West is changing. Urban sprawl, recreational development, and economic changes are all contributing to the loss of our rural cultural heritage. This page is dedicated to increasing awareness of the rural historic heritage of Arizona and New Mexico, and to promoting preservation action that can save these special places of our shared past. The Center for Desert Archaeology and the National Trust for Historic Preservation have established this weblog, or “blog,” to highlight and chronicle our joint efforts and those of our partners in heritage conservation.

If you would like us to feature a project or place that you are working on, if you’d like to share a personal connection to a special place, or if you just want to call attention to a heritage asset by featuring it here, please send Andy Laurenzi an email with the following information:

• Title (i.e., PZ Ranch House)
• Two or three high-quality digital images, preferably in “.jpg” format.
• A short, 200–300 word narrative that describes the heritage asset, relays a personal anecdote, and/or provides a call to action.
• If you have a webpage or other website where more information can be found, please send us the web address.