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Below is a title list of most interesting local History stories about Tucson and the vicinity. Click on one of interest or browse through the stories further below.

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The Tale of William Oury

Occasionally we post other works that appeal to us and we believe will appeal to our fan base. It is a video about William Oury, a Tucson Pioneer who has a neighborhood center in the Barrio Anita named after him. This is a great little video prepared by the youth … Continue reading

Look to the Mountains: A History of Mt. Lemmon

Rose Canyon Lake on the way to Summerhaven and Ski Valley near the summit of Mt. Lemmon.

I found this book on the history of Mt. Lemmon at the Palisades Ranger Station on Mt. Lemmon last summer and have been trying to get time to read it ever since. The complete title is: Look to the Mountains: An in-depth look into the lives and times of the people … Continue reading

Apaches Attack A Stagecoach; Passenger and Driver Murdered!

Arizona Weekly Citizen: August 7, 1881 Back in the 1860’s to 1880’s, the terrorist threat to Anglo and Mexican Tucsonans was local and ever-present. Only back then, they weren’t called “terrorists”. They were called “Apaches”. Click on the picture to enlarge the article. Background to the Article In the 19th … Continue reading

The Camp Grant Massacre: Part I, Circumstances Leading up to the Slaughter

How Tucson’s Wealthiest & Most Prominent Civic Leaders Committed Mass Murder & Got Away With It. Today, there’s nothing there. Nothing to suggest what happened in the early morning of April 30, 1871. Nothing to commemorate this blood-soaked ground where between 118 and 144 people, almost all women and children, … Continue reading

Pioneer Hotel – The Fire That Destroyed Downtown Tucson

In the 1920’s, one of Tucson’s richest men was Albert Steinfeld. When he was 18-years-old, the German-born Steinfeld came to Tucson in 1872 via stagecoach to work for his uncle Louis’ mercantile, Zeckendorf’s. Originally, Zeckendorf’s was a large one-story adobe building with a flat roof situated just west of Calle … Continue reading

Tucson Police Capture The Dillinger Gang: No Shots Fired!

Arizona Daily Star headline Dillinger capture

Part1 of 3: The Dillinger Phenomenon Editor’s Note: Tucson celebrates Dillinger Days every year in front of the Hotel Congress. 2019 will be January 18 & 19. It’s a hoot. John Dillinger robbed banks. To many, he became a popular folk hero, not unlike train robber Jessie James back in … Continue reading

The Roads Of Tucson: A Historical Perspective

The most common complaint I hear about Tucson is the awful condition of Tucson roads, particularly the proliferation of potholes. Every time this subject comes up I recall that Congress Street wasn’t even paved until 1912 the year Arizona became a state. From myriad accounts by travelers in those early years, any pavement was better than no pavement.

Tucson History As Told By People Who Lived It

Throughout the history of Tucson, people who lived here, and others who were just traveling through, occasionally recorded their impressions. These hardy pioneers left us with a way to peak into our past though a tiny knothole in time.

A Targeted Killing: How Cushing Street Got Its Name

In 1942, Eve Ball, author and friend to many Mescalero Apaches (NM), convinced Asa (Ace) Daklugie, a Chiricahua Apache, to tell her the stories of his people’s war with the United States of America and the Republic of Mexico (1861-1886). These stories had been told many times by White Eyes: … Continue reading

A Parade & Ceremonial Sword: Tucson Honors The Wrong Man … Again!

Geronimo and a few warriors before his surrender to General Crook. Photo by C.S. Fly of Tombstone.

“No white man who ever in the service, or employment, of the United States … can keep pace with an Apache on foot when he is in a hurry …” Lt. Charles Gatewood from His Apache Wars Memoir. **************** I have often thought that if Tucsonans knew the actual history … Continue reading