An essential—and monumental—member of the Sonoran Desert ecosystem, the saguaro cactus has become the quintessential icon of the American West.

In the Arms of the Saguaros shows how, from the botanical explorers of the nineteenth century to the tourism boosters in our own time, saguaros and their images have fulfilled attention-getting needs and expectations. Through text and lavish images, this work explores the saguaro’s growth into a western icon from the early days of the American railroad to the years bracketing World War II, when Sun Belt boosterism hit its zenith and proponents of tourism succeed in moving the saguaro to the center of the promotional frame.

This book explores how the growth of tourism brought the saguaro to ever-larger audiences through the proliferation of western-themed imagery on the American roadside. The history of the saguaro’s popular and highly imaginative range points to the current moment in which the saguaro touches us as a global icon in art, fashion, and entertainment.

William L. Bird Jr. is a curator emeritus of the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution. His interests lie at the intersection of politics, popular culture, and the history of visual display.

“Anyone wondering how and why the saguaro cactus became emblematic of Arizona and the Southwest will find the answers here. Bird’s lavishly illustrated study is an informative and entertaining history of the creation of a southwestern icon.”—Bruce J. Dinges, judge, Southwest Books of the Year

“In the Arms of Saguaros: Iconography of the Giant Cactus is one of the more informative photo books I’ve had the pleasure of encountering. Specific in nature, it looks at how the image of the saguaro cactus was used to call tourists to the Southwest. Along the way, we find out quite a bit about the history and the botany of the saguaro, that ubiquitous cactus most of us accept as part of the desert landscape without thinking too deeply about it. However, the book’s heart is really about the intentional and spontaneous creation of a Southwestern icon.”—Gale Walden, Tucson Lifestyle Magazine— -