It's the county seat of Pima County in Southern Arizona. Second largest city in Arizona. Great golf. An hour from Mexico.
That's what most people know about Tucson, AZ. There's a whole lot more, and I'd like to introduce you to the city that captivated my Darlin' and me [no, it's not "I"] more than a decade ago.
The Spaniards established a fort (presidio) at Tucson in 1775. Father Eusebio Kino had visited the Santa Cruz valley in 1692, with the purpose of establishing a mission. He accomplished that task in 1700 with the founding of Mission San Xavier del Bac just south (but upstream) of the Tucson Presidio.
San Xavier is known locally as "the white dove of the desert." Destroyed in 1770 by the Apache Indians, the original building was rebuilt (with a loan of 7,000 pesos) beginning in 1783. Money went farther in those days. It was completed in 1797.
With Mexican independence in 1821, Tucson became part of Mexico, and stayed that way until 1853. That year, Tucson was purchased from Mexico, along with land west of the Rio Grande and south of Arizona's Gila River. The deal is known as the Gadsen Purchase (for the ambassador to Mexico who put it together.) It was intended to provide a southern route for an east-west railroad connecting the pacific coast with the American south.
The Civil War came along, and Tucson came (willingly) under the secessionist jurisdiction of the Arizona Territory (Confederate States of America.)
As a native South Carolinian, I refer to that war as the "War of Northern Agression." LOL (Oh, you're still reading? Just checking...)
Stay tuned for nine more chapters in the story of today's jewel of the Southwest, Tucson, Arizona. I promise to keep you entertained.
I'm Mike in Tucson, your preferred Tucson, AZ Mortgage lender.
Think of me as your Tucson mortgage expert.
Call me if I can help you with a mortgage to buy your next house:
(520) 349-9090
Presidio photo copyright Mike in Tucson (all rights reserved)
All others courtesy Wikipedia
