Straddled on both sides of Sonoita Creek, Patagonia is a microcosm of the various rural town typologies that existed in southern Arizona at the end of the 19th century. It was first established to support mining and ranching industries in the surrounding area as reflected in its early vernacular architecture typologies. After the railroad arrived the town was a regional center for the shipping out of cattle and the importation of pre-manufactured goods that gradually transformed the architectural language of the small town. In addition, Patagonia represents the vision of a single man, Rollin Richardson, who as the town's real-estate magnate, controlled its development and town character as a middle-class company town. The town's architecture represents various types of national folk architecture, including gable-roofed hall-and-parlor and pyramidal-roofed four-square houses, built primarily of adobe.
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