This, then, is the story of Gila Bend, Arizona, on the road somewhere else. Gila Bend has a history of mini booms and busts, a stark, bone-dry physical landscape, and a population who have employed a coping strategy for the tough life here by transforming economic insecurity into social stability. Continuing a long tradition in cultural geography (Sauer 1925 Meinig 1979 Marsh 1987), I describe landscape change in a neglected place, a small town bypassed and nearly forgotten.
Through time, Gila Bend has teetered on the brink of extinction, yet it manages to survive despite a severe climate and a depressed local economy. Cities such as Parker and Bullhead City attract migrants by extolling the virtues of the dry, warm climate other places, however, cannot recount such tales of growth. Elsewhere in Arizona, some small towns grow and develop when they attract retirees who flee colder climes in the northern United States and Canada. In Arizona, large centers such as Phoenix and Mesa developed a green, cosmopolitan feeling the desert poses as a scenic backdrop, but one not often engaged. Promotional materials printed to attract capital growth to the desert southwest highlight the mild winters and number of sunny days. For example, the federal government has granted large sums for massive reclamation projects groundwater pumping at rapid rates feeds thirsty faucets and lawns non-native plant species compete with desert-adapted flora and cooling technology has been applied to make life in the desert bearable. Whether it is power generation, hazardous waste recycling, or a large prison population, Gila Bend's backyard is open for business.Īnglo settlement in the desert Southwest has been marked by numerous attempts to soften the harshness of a foreboding environment. Gila Bend accepts the unwanted economic activities that bolster the growth in the region. While this town may seem to be bypassed on many different levels within a region of intense growth, this is a place that uses its derelict landscape and poor economy in a strategic way. In service, the RF-101C was nicknamed "Long Bird " it was the only Voodoo to see combat.Gila Bend, Arizona, is a locale abounding with dichotomies: lying on a well-defined transportation corridor, it has rarely been a destination it is a complex place as it continually redefines itself through time due to large economic swings, but its residents extol a grounded vision of quick fixes the town is located in Maricopa County, which is rapidly growing in both population and economic output, but the town has been plagued by population stagnation and economic decline it is situated in the midst of the arid Sonoran Desert, yet by regional standards, it has plenty of water. One hundred and sixty-six RF-101C were built, including 96 originally scheduled to be F-101C fighter-bombers. Unlike the RF-101A, the RF-101C retained the ability to carry a single nuclear weapon on the centerline pylon. Like the RF-101A, the RF-101C had six cameras in place of radar and cannons in the reshaped nose. Using the reinforced airframe of the F-101C, the RF-101C first flew on 12 July 1957, entering service in 1958. Reconnaissance Voodoos saw extensive service during the Vietnam War. Initially designed as a long-range bomber escort (known as a penetration fighter) for the Strategic Air Command, the Voodoo served in a variety of other roles, including the fighter bomber, all-weather interceptor aircraft and photo reconnaissance roles. The McDonnell F-101 Voodoo was a supersonic military fighter flown by the USAF and the RCAF. In service, the RF-101C was nicknamed "Long Bird " it was the only Voodoo to see combat. Although the Voodoo was again able to operate at medium altitudes, the added drag decreased the speed enough to make RF-101 vulnerable to MiGs and thus requiring fighter escort.Īfter withdrawal from Vietnam, the RF-101C continued to serve with USAF units through 1979. In April 1967, ALQ-71 ECM pods were fitted to provide some protection against SAMs. The RF-101C's speed made it largely immune to MiG interception.
In some 35,000 sorties, 44 aircraft were lost - 31 to anti-aircraft fire, five to SAMs, one to an airfield attack, six to operational accidents, and one in air combat to a MiG-21 in September 1967.
From 1965 through November 1970, its role was gradually taken over by the RF-4C Phantom II. RF-101C saw heavy service during the Vietnam War, losing the first F-101 in November 1964 to ground fire. The RF-101C saw service during the Cuban Missile Crisis and was sent to Vietnam in 1961, becoming the first USAF jet aircraft to serve there.
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