Ecology, Resource Redistribution, and Mormon Settlement in Northeastern Arizona

Abstract

Successful Mormon colonization of the American West has largely been attributed to the adaptive advantage of cooperative Mormon values. This article shows that successful Mormon colonization of the Little Colorado River Basin had an ultimate ecological basis: the redistribution of surplus resources among settlements situated in dispersed and functionally independent local environments. Two systems of resource redistribution among 19th‐century Little Colorado Mormon settlements are examined, showing that ecological considerations explain their differential success as adaptive mechanisms contributing to the success of this local colonization effort. The article concludes by suggesting that general ecology provides a useful theoretical framework for explaining successful Mormon colonization in this region and elsewhere.