UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM 4
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP
( ) Check this box if no longer subject to Section 16.
Form 4 or Form 5 obligations may continue. See Instructions 1(b).
1. Name and Address of Reporting Person
   Lowman, James F.
   
   5241 Spring Mountain Road
   Las Vegas, NV  89102
   USA
2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
   Southwest Gas Corporation
   SWX
3. IRS or Social Security Number of Reporting Person (Voluntary)
   ###-##-####
4. Statement for Month/Year
   March 1997
5. If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Year)
   
6. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer (Check all applicable)
   ( ) Director ( ) 10% Owner (X) Officer (give title below) ( ) Other
   (specify below)
   Senior Vice President/Central Arizona Division
7. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line)
   (X) Form filed by One Reporting Person
   ( ) Form filed by More than One Reporting Person
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Table I -- Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| 1. Title of Security |2. |3. |4.Securities Acquired (A) |5.Amount of |6.Dir |7.Nature of Indirect | | Transaction | or Disposed of (D) | Securities |ect | Beneficial Ownership | | | | | Beneficially |(D)or | | | | | | | A/| | Owned at |Indir | | | Date |Code|V| Amount | D | Price | End of Month |ect(I)| | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| Common Stock |3/3/97|A |V|169 |A | | |D | | - -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Common Stock |3/3/97|F |V|359 |D |18.50 |6500 (1) | | | - -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Common Stock | | | | | | |6911 (2) |I |401(k) Plan | - -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Common Stock | | | | | | | | | | - -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Common Stock | | | | | | |93 (3) |I |Custodian for | - -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | | | | | |children | - -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Table II -- Derivative Securitites Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| 1.Title of Derivative |2.Con- |3. |4. |5.Number of De |6.Date Exer|7.Title and Amount |8.Price|9.Number |10.|11.Nature of| Security |version |Transaction | rivative Secu |cisable and| of Underlying |of Deri|of Deriva |Dir|Indirect | |or Exer | | | rities Acqui |Expiration | Securities |vative |tive |ect|Beneficial | |cise | | | red(A) or Dis |Date(Month/| |Secu |Securities |(D)|Ownership | |Price of| | | posed of(D) |Day/Year) | |rity |Benefi |or | | |Deriva- | | | |Date |Expir| | |ficially |Ind| | |tive | | | | A/|Exer-|ation| Title and Number | |Owned at |ire| | |Secu- | | | | | D |cisa-|Date | of Shares | |End of |ct | | |rity |Date |Code|V| Amount | |ble | | | |Month |(I)| | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________|
Explanation of Responses: (1) Includes 73 shares acquired in March pursuant to a dividend reinvestment feature of the SWX restricted stock plan. (2) Includes 76 shares acquired in March pursuant to the dividend reinvestment feature of the SWX 401(k) plan. (3) Includes 1 share acquired in March pursuant to the dividend reinvestment plan. SIGNATURE OF REPORTING PERSON /s/ James F. Lowman by Faye J. Ringler, Attorney in Fact DATE 4/1/97