Tucson

The Hohokam Indians farmed the valley floor at least as far back as AD 100. Pima and Tohono O'odham Indian tribes had replaced the Hohokam long before the Spanish arrived in the 1500s.

The first Spanish visitors found a Pima Indian village, Stjuk-shon (stjuk meaning "dark mountain"; shon meaning "foot of"), at the foot of Sentinel Peak (the mountain with the big "A" painted on it). The Spanish settlement was founded August 20, 1775, by Irishman Hugh O'Connor, more notably known as Hugo Oconor for his explorations for Spain.

The Spanish changed the name to "Tucson" when they laid out the Presidio of San Augustine del Tucson in 1775. Attacks by roving Apache made fortification necessary, so adobe walls 12 feet high and 750 feet long went up to enclose the new settlement. Mexico inherited Tucson from Spain after the 1821 revolution, but little changed except the flag.

The Mormon Battalion took over the city in 1846 in the name of the United States, although Tucson did not officially come under U.S. control until the Gadsen Purchase in June 1854. Although Apache continued to menace settlers and travelers in the area, Anglo-Americans began to arrive, and the Butterfield Overland Stagecoach opened service to Tucson.

Confederate calvary under the command of Captain Sherrod Hunter captured Tucson in February of 1862. Union troops led by Colonel James Carleton marched in from California two months later and clashed with the Confederates at Picacho Pass, on the Butterfield road northwest of Tucson. After this battle the outnumbered Confederates retreated.

The 1860s were Tucson's Wild West days. Shootouts took place frequently and men rarely ventures unarmed onto the streets. The town served as the territorial capital from 1867 to 1877. By 1880, when the first train rolled in, the population had grown to over 7,000. The Arizona Territorial University opened its doors in 1891 on land donated by a saloon keeper and a pair of gamblers.

TUCSON ARCHITECTURAL STYLES

Three different types of architecture are present in the historic districts of Tucson that you will be visiting: Sonoran, American Territorial, and Victorian.

Tucson's earliest homes were single story unfinished adobes, with dirt floors, windows without glass, and ceilings of Saguaro ribs packed with mud. Walls were often 2 feet thick for more structural strength, privacy, and to keep the heat out. Irregular narrow streets, and houses close to one another and to the street are typical of the neighborhoods built in the Spanish-Mexican period. This style, found in the Barrio Historico District, is called Sonoran.

The transitional style, or American Territorial, came in around 1860 - pitched roofs, wood trim around the windows and doors, and houses that were set back, off the street. Victorian trim was often added to existing adobes during this period. A good example of this is El Adobe Mexican Restaurant/Charles O Brown House at 40 W. Broadway, in El Presidio Historic District.

By the 1890s the Victorian influence had taken hold, even in Tucson. Turn of the Century homes having the gingerbread-house look are found in the Armory Park Historic District.

The Steinfeld House (300 N. Main at Franklin) is a Spanish mission-style brick and stucco house, designed by architect Henry Trost - well known during his time. Albert Steinfeld was very well to do and his home is an excellent example of an affluent turn of the century house. Today it is being used as law offices.

Julius Kauttschnitt House (297 N. Main) This 1886 American Territorial style adobe, now the Presidio Bed & Breakfast, is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Sam Hughes House (223 N. Main at Washington) was home to Sam, his 13 year old wife, Atanacia Santa Cruz, and, eventually, their 15 children. The house started out small, like the family, and grew concurrently with the new arrivals. The hughes celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary here. It is now being used as garden apartments.

Stevens House (150 N. Main) Hiram Sanford Stevens and Edward Nye Fish were friends, and for many years their homes were the hub of Tucson society. Stevens was in the mercantile business and politics. He held man political positions, even delegate to the U.S. Congress. Part of the house dates back to 1856.

The Fish House (120 N. Main at Alameda) was built on the site of old barracks. Edward Nye Fish came to Tucson in 1865 and established a successful general merchandising business. The territorial-style home had 2-1/2 foot thick adobe walls, 15 foot ceilings built out of packing crates and saguaro ribs, dirt floors covered with fine Brussel carpets and elegant furniture imported from Europe. President and Mrs. Rutherford B. Hayes were entertained here.

The Plaza de las Armas in El Presidio Park is a lovely plaza with the modern Tucson City Hall rising on one side and the Pima County Courthouse rising on the other. In 1775, as the largest plaza with the Spanish Presidio of San Agustin del Tucson, it was used for military formation and drill, fiestas, circuses and other public events. In the northwest corner is the Kino Memorial. It is a bronze relief set in dark stone quarried at Sentinel Peak. The relief pictures Father Kino and a young Indian against a background of desert and cactus.

Pima County Court House (115 N. Church St) The present court house was constructed in 1928, replacing earlier structures of 1868 and 1881. The present courthouse is a mix of Southwest, Spanish, and Moorish architecture. Upstairs, a portion of the original Presidio wall is preserved in a glass case - you can find it in the south wing of the second floor, just before the Justice Court.

Garces Footbridge (over Congress between Church and Granada) This is a memorial to Francisco Garces, an explorer and the first Franciscan missionary to the Pima Indian village at the foot of Sentinel Peak.

Charles O. Brown House & Old Adobe Patio (40 W. Broadway near Church) was bought in 1868 (may have been built in the 1850s) by Charles O. Brown, saloon and gambling house owner. Brown added to the house over the years, enlarging and adding fancy trim. He built the gingerbread style wooden porch with Victorian wood trim, which were typical of the American Territorial style of the day.

St. Augustine Cathedral (192 S. Stone)was constructed in 1896. The stone masonry was done by Julius Flin. The sandstone facade was modeled after the Cathedral of Queretaro, Mexico. The statue above the entry is a bronze representation of St. Augustine, along with a saguaro and yucca cactus, and a horned toad - representing Arizona.

Cushing Street was named for the popular Army hero Howard Cushing.

El Tiradito (192 S. Stone), or "Wishing Shrine", commemorates a tragic love triangle. The story has many versions, but one account tells of a love affair between young Juan Olivera and his mother-in-law. Juan was caught and killed by his father-in-law on this spot in 1880. Because he had sinned, the dead Juan could not be taken to the church cemetery, and he was buried where he fell. Pious people lit candles and prayed for his soul at the site. Later, parents prayer for their errant daughters at the shrine. The custom then developed that anyone could light a candle on the grave and make a wish. If the candle burned to its base, the would be granted. The shrine if the only one in North America dedicated to a sinner.

University of Arizona In 1885, the 13th territorial legislature awarded Tucson $25,000 to establish Arizona's first university. Most townspeople didn't think much of the idea. They wanted to have the territorial capital (awarded to Prescott), or at least the territorial insane asylum (awarded to Phoenix and worth $100,000). It was left to a handful of determined citizens to get the school built. The walls started to go up after land was donated a mile form town by a saloonkeeper and two gamblers, but money ran out before the roof was finished. A federal loan put the roof on, and the university building, today known as Old Main. The University has a present population of over 37,000 students and a faculty of about 2,100.