Tierra Antigua Realty
1650 E River Rd Suite 202
Tucson AZ, 85718
Tucson History, the Old Pueblo
Tucson has a mixed cultural heritage and people from everywhere in the world live there, Iy is the heritage of these people that makes Tucson the right place for the University. Spanish, Mexican, and Native American influencesshow up all over the city which which helps to form its traditions.
Tucson's history is citizens are people who are visionaries, opportunists and free-thinkers. The city of Tucson has flown many flags over it's lifetime including three different countries and even both sides of our Civil War. As with most areas of development in this state, Tucson's first inhabitants roamed the area hunting mammoth and bison between 12,500 and 6,000 B.C. Following them was the Cochise culture and those that lived by it. They were who built pit houses and used stone tools, and the Hohokam, who began farming the valley floor in 300 A.D.
When the Spanish missionaries, looking for souls to convert and subjects for the king in 1692, people arrived in the valley to find the Indian village S-tukson ("black base"). The Spanish built an outpostcalled the Presidio of San Augustin in 1775.By 1804, approximately 1,000 people lived in the dusty and hot adobe village - mostly Spanish, Mexicans, and Native Americans who made their living raising crops and livestock. They had little contact with the outside world. Tucson became part of Mexico after the Mexican Revolution of 1821. As trade spread between the East Coast and California, a new brand of Americans - trappers (hunters) and traders - began traveling through Arizona.
in 1848 even more outsiders arrived in the region and thats when the discovery of gold in California - an influx of Easterners seeking their future in the mines occurred. Those that saw opportunity in the tough frontier town of Tucson stayed to begin families. Looking for a southern rail route being a primary goal, the U.S. negotiated the Gadsden Purchase with Mexico in 1854 and Arizona became a U.S. territory. As today, some people did not see the potential of this town. Several congressmen suggested the nation pay Mexico double the sale price to take Arizona back.
The wild, wild west
As more and more newcomers came to the Tucson, the region grew rapidl but the area's native inhabitants defended their territory fiercely. The settlers and the Apache Indian battled each other and paralyzed Tucson for several decades, distracting it from the War Between the States taking place back East. The 1860s were the days of the Wild West in Tucson, with arguments frequently ending in gunfight. In 1867, Tucson became the territorial capital for a 10-year period, which accelerated civic progress. The first train arrived in Tucson in 1884. The townspeople sent announcements that Tucson was now connected to the rest of the world. Fianlly civilized!
Around the turn of the century, Tucson began marketing itself as a sunshine city with more than 7000 citizens, attracting thousands of tuberculosis victims seeking a cure in its dry climate. In 1912, Arizona became the 48th state to enter the union.
During the Second World War, Davis-Monthan Field became an important training base. Many airmen returned to Tucson to settle or retire. Driven by the post-war industries and tourism, the town grew rapidly - at one point welcoming 1,000 newcomers each month. By 2000, the population had reached 800,000 and is now over one million.
All of this information has been obtained by reading the websites of the Arizona Historical Society, Arizona State Museum, City of Tucson website and from the University of Arizona web site.
