As I stepped out of the back of Tumacacori mission, the first thing I saw was the mortuary chapel. This building was never completed and it is thought that it was intended to have a dome, to complement the dome on the mission. Instead, the chapel remains roofless. There is evidence that this unfinished chapel saw extensive use, but there are no improvements inside of it, just a dirt floor where everyone in attendance most likely stood or knelt. It is a round, roofless, adobe structure. Naturally, the mortuary chapel sits on the edge of the cemetery. The mission-era graves are either unmarked, lost or destroyed because the burials that are currently in place date from the early 1900s, with the most recent being 1916. However, it has been recorded that 593 burials took place from 1755 to 1825. Records of burials from 1825 to 1848, when the mission was abandoned, have never been found. There are references to an "old" cemetery, but the location of it is unknown. Around the present cemetery are 14 niches in the walls. These were once "stations of the cross."
The wall on the east side of the cemetery is higher than the other walls because it is the back wall of the granary that served the mission compound. Inside this former granary are some stairs that lead to nowhere in particular. They once led to a loft that has rotted away with the passage of time.
Just outside the doorway to the granary is the courtyard. This was the center of life for the mission compound. When I stood at the granary door, I saw a ruined portion of the former east wall of the courtyard. The courtyard, or plaza, was once surrounded by a carpenter's shop, ironworker's shop, weaving room, leather shop and grain grinding mill.
About 100 yards behind the mission compound, in a grassy area surrounded by trees, is an old lime kiln. It is basically a rock-lined hole in the ground. Raw material was brought from the Santa Rita Mountains to the east by ox carts and processed here. Lime plaster was applied to the walls of the buildings, usually two inches thick, to provide protection from moisture. About halfway down inside the rock-lined hole is a shelf were a metal grate once rested. Limestone was loaded onto the grate after a fire was built underneath and the rocks were "cooked" until they began to break open. After they broke open, they were hammered into a powder. Then the powder was put into water for a couple of days. After that, it was made into a paste by adding sand to it. This lime kiln is still in excellent condition and could be used today if that type of product was needed.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
The Mission Trail, part 6
Just outside the Visitors Center is a lovely garden. It is not the original garden, but a carefully recreated replica of a typical mission garden from that time.
Aside from the section that has native Sonoran Desert plants, it contains vegetation that was found in mission gardens everywhere in the 1600s.
As I walked out the back of the Visitors Center and stood at the trailhead, I saw a mound just to the left of the trail that runs from the Visitors Center to the front of the church. Beneath this mound are the foundations of several houses that were once occupied by Tohono O'odham Indians who lived at the mission compound.
As I continued down the trail, I arrived at the front of the church. It was once painted in bright colors, and faint traces of the paint are still visible under the window cornice. The columns were painted red, the capitals were painted yellow with black markings. The building's capitals have strong Egyptian influences.
The statue niches were once painted blue, and these niches are an example of Roman architecture. The are two other statue niches. These niches are Moorish in design because of the pointed arches.
The bell tower to the right of the front entrance appears to be in ruins, but in reality, it was never finished. It looks almost exactly the way it did in 1848, when the church was abandoned. The bell that hangs inside is not the original bell, but a replica.
After entering the church, it becomes apparent that the church was built in the form of a long hall. Many of the churches from that time were built in the form of a cross, but Tumacacori deviated from that design. There is no evidence that there were ever any pews, most likely parishioners stood or knelt during services. Next to each side wall are four indentations where lit candles were placed. Above the candle placements are statue niches.
Immediately inside the front entrance, to the right, is the baptistry. The adobe walls here are nine feet thick in order to support the massive bell tower directly above. There is a stairway that leads up to the tower and the entrance to the choir left, but it is closed to visitors. Evidently it is unsafe to use.
Back at the front entrance of the church, I saw where the choir loft used to be by the ruined support pillars, one on each side of the nave. Also, up above, the entrance to the choir loft is still in place. The entrance is at the top of the inaccessible stairs. Some pictures that are on display in the church show what the choir loft may have looked like in its day. It shows the two support pillars, now in ruins, rising up on each side and forming an arch above the nave. It shows the lower half of the pillars being brightly painted. The picture also shows a wooden rail running along the edge of a concrete platform where the choir once stood. The window that let sunlight into the choir loft is still there. It is directly above the church's front entrance.
As I ascended the steps that lead from the nave to the sanctuary, it became obvious that many of the original colors still adorn the walls. There are also picture frames and stenciling still visible. the paint is faded here too, but it is more visible than anywhere else in the church. Tha altar at the back of the sanctuary still bears evidence of the magnificence it once possessed. There is an outline of the artwork that was once behind the altar that looked sort of like a fireplace in its upper portion and the lower portion looked like something out of ancient Israel with a painting of an arched entryway flanked by columns on both sides. The upper portion is still plainly visible has has deteriorated very little over the years. It looks like all sorts of colors were used to paint the sanctuary; blues, yellows, reds, golds and several other colors, too. This must have been a magnificent place at one time!
Off to the side of the sanctuary, on the right, is the sacristy, where priests kept clothing and articles used in their ceremonies. They also documented and stored records of important events in this room.
In the next edition of this blog, I will take you on a tour of the outside of Tumacacori Mission. I will tell you what I saw in the mission compound, which is still quite extensive.
Aside from the section that has native Sonoran Desert plants, it contains vegetation that was found in mission gardens everywhere in the 1600s.
As I walked out the back of the Visitors Center and stood at the trailhead, I saw a mound just to the left of the trail that runs from the Visitors Center to the front of the church. Beneath this mound are the foundations of several houses that were once occupied by Tohono O'odham Indians who lived at the mission compound.
As I continued down the trail, I arrived at the front of the church. It was once painted in bright colors, and faint traces of the paint are still visible under the window cornice. The columns were painted red, the capitals were painted yellow with black markings. The building's capitals have strong Egyptian influences.
The statue niches were once painted blue, and these niches are an example of Roman architecture. The are two other statue niches. These niches are Moorish in design because of the pointed arches.
The bell tower to the right of the front entrance appears to be in ruins, but in reality, it was never finished. It looks almost exactly the way it did in 1848, when the church was abandoned. The bell that hangs inside is not the original bell, but a replica.
After entering the church, it becomes apparent that the church was built in the form of a long hall. Many of the churches from that time were built in the form of a cross, but Tumacacori deviated from that design. There is no evidence that there were ever any pews, most likely parishioners stood or knelt during services. Next to each side wall are four indentations where lit candles were placed. Above the candle placements are statue niches.
Immediately inside the front entrance, to the right, is the baptistry. The adobe walls here are nine feet thick in order to support the massive bell tower directly above. There is a stairway that leads up to the tower and the entrance to the choir left, but it is closed to visitors. Evidently it is unsafe to use.
Back at the front entrance of the church, I saw where the choir loft used to be by the ruined support pillars, one on each side of the nave. Also, up above, the entrance to the choir loft is still in place. The entrance is at the top of the inaccessible stairs. Some pictures that are on display in the church show what the choir loft may have looked like in its day. It shows the two support pillars, now in ruins, rising up on each side and forming an arch above the nave. It shows the lower half of the pillars being brightly painted. The picture also shows a wooden rail running along the edge of a concrete platform where the choir once stood. The window that let sunlight into the choir loft is still there. It is directly above the church's front entrance.
As I ascended the steps that lead from the nave to the sanctuary, it became obvious that many of the original colors still adorn the walls. There are also picture frames and stenciling still visible. the paint is faded here too, but it is more visible than anywhere else in the church. Tha altar at the back of the sanctuary still bears evidence of the magnificence it once possessed. There is an outline of the artwork that was once behind the altar that looked sort of like a fireplace in its upper portion and the lower portion looked like something out of ancient Israel with a painting of an arched entryway flanked by columns on both sides. The upper portion is still plainly visible has has deteriorated very little over the years. It looks like all sorts of colors were used to paint the sanctuary; blues, yellows, reds, golds and several other colors, too. This must have been a magnificent place at one time!
Off to the side of the sanctuary, on the right, is the sacristy, where priests kept clothing and articles used in their ceremonies. They also documented and stored records of important events in this room.
In the next edition of this blog, I will take you on a tour of the outside of Tumacacori Mission. I will tell you what I saw in the mission compound, which is still quite extensive.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
The Mission Trail, part 5
A few miles south of Tubac Presidio State Historic Park is another remnant of Spanish exploration of southern Arizona. It is called Tumacacori National Historical Park. It is pronounced "tomb-a-cock-a-ree." The mission was established in 1691 by Eusebio Francisco Kino, a Spanish missionary. To this day, he is still very well respected on both sides of the border. Many homes in Mexico have a painting of Kino hanging on the wall. He is also greatly admired by members of the Tohono O'odham tribe.
The establishment of Tumacacori later led to the establishment of Tubac Presidio
four and a half miles farther north. The presidio was built to protect the mission after several raids by Pima Indians. Initially, Tumacacori was managed by Jesuits, but, in 1767, King Charles III of Spain banished the Jesuits from areas under his control. After that, Franciscans took control of Spanish missionary efforts in the New World. In the early 1800s, Narciso Gutierrez began building the present structure to replace the modest structure that was built in 1757. Although Tumacacori was established as a mission in 1691, it did not have a dedicated church building until 1757. Various factors delayed construction of the present building, such as Mexico's war for independence from Spain that ended in 1821. After all
Spanish-born residents were forced to leave Mexico and then series of Apache raids
and the American war with Mexico in 1848, the continuous residency of Tumacacori that was established by Kino was severed.
Although Kino established the Tumacacori Mission, he was never a resident priest there, though he visited the place on many occasions. He established his headquarters 55 miles south, in what is now northern Mexico, at a mission called Nuestra Senora de los Dolores. Kino was 42 years old when he and three other Jesuit "black robes" were assigned to the Pimeria Alta in 1687. It was four years later that Tumacacori was established at Kino's direction. Its full name was
San Cayetano de Tumacacori, but when the first dedicated church building was completed in 1757, the name was changed to San Jose de Tumacacori.
Today, the Tumacacori Mission is still impressive, even though it is in a ruined state. Its gleaming white dome can be seen for miles and can easily be seen by travelers on Interstate 19 nearby. Most of the interior deterioration was caused by the fact that the building sat roofless for approximately sixty years. New roofs have been built several times over the years to protect it from further deterioration. The front of the church is absolutely amazing in the fact that is displays examples of Spanish, Moorish, Roman and Egyptian architectural influences. Even today, experts come from all over the country to admire the church's amazing architecture.
It is with this introduction that I will begin my tour of San Jose de Tumacacori Mission in the next edition of this blog.
The establishment of Tumacacori later led to the establishment of Tubac Presidio
four and a half miles farther north. The presidio was built to protect the mission after several raids by Pima Indians. Initially, Tumacacori was managed by Jesuits, but, in 1767, King Charles III of Spain banished the Jesuits from areas under his control. After that, Franciscans took control of Spanish missionary efforts in the New World. In the early 1800s, Narciso Gutierrez began building the present structure to replace the modest structure that was built in 1757. Although Tumacacori was established as a mission in 1691, it did not have a dedicated church building until 1757. Various factors delayed construction of the present building, such as Mexico's war for independence from Spain that ended in 1821. After all
Spanish-born residents were forced to leave Mexico and then series of Apache raids
and the American war with Mexico in 1848, the continuous residency of Tumacacori that was established by Kino was severed.
Although Kino established the Tumacacori Mission, he was never a resident priest there, though he visited the place on many occasions. He established his headquarters 55 miles south, in what is now northern Mexico, at a mission called Nuestra Senora de los Dolores. Kino was 42 years old when he and three other Jesuit "black robes" were assigned to the Pimeria Alta in 1687. It was four years later that Tumacacori was established at Kino's direction. Its full name was
San Cayetano de Tumacacori, but when the first dedicated church building was completed in 1757, the name was changed to San Jose de Tumacacori.
Today, the Tumacacori Mission is still impressive, even though it is in a ruined state. Its gleaming white dome can be seen for miles and can easily be seen by travelers on Interstate 19 nearby. Most of the interior deterioration was caused by the fact that the building sat roofless for approximately sixty years. New roofs have been built several times over the years to protect it from further deterioration. The front of the church is absolutely amazing in the fact that is displays examples of Spanish, Moorish, Roman and Egyptian architectural influences. Even today, experts come from all over the country to admire the church's amazing architecture.
It is with this introduction that I will begin my tour of San Jose de Tumacacori Mission in the next edition of this blog.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
The Mission Trail, part 4
Just outside the boundary of Tubac Presidio State Historic Park is a parking lot that serves as parking for the newest type of national park, a national historic trail.
In this case, Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail. When completed, it will be an international endeavor, stretching from Culiacan, Mexico to San Francisco, California, a distance of 1,217 miles. It commemorates the epic journey in 1775 and 1776 of settlers and soldiers from Central Mexico to northern California. About 300 people made the trip, the purpose of which was to establish a presidio, or fort, in San Francisco. It is the famous presidio that still exists today. At the time, San Francisco was at the northern edge of the Spanish empire. It will probably be years before the trail is completed, but currently there is a 4.5 mile stretch of the trail that is open to the public that leads from Tubac Presidio State Historic Park to Tumacacori National Historical Park farther south. I will talk about my visit to Tumacacori in the next edition of this blog. "Tubac" is pronounced "too-bach."
"Tumacacori" is pronounced "tomb-a-cock-a-ree."
I walked a short distance down the Anza Trail and read some informational signs that I was able to see while I was touring the state park. There are 3 signs underneath a covered ramada. They talk about the national trails system, Spanish exploration of southern Arizona and northern Mexico and who Juan Bautista de Anza was. He was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Spanish military. He was the one who would be in charge of the presidio at San Francisco. After reading the signs, I walked a ways down the trail, I think it was about half a mile, until I came to the Santa Cruz River. The walk from Tubac to Tumacacori requires fording the river twice.
Needless to say, a National historic trail is a very long and skinny national park.
Other examples of National Historic trails include:
Old Spanish, from Santa Fe, New Mexico to Los Angeles, California; Santa Fe, from Santa Fe, New Mexico to Independence, Missouri; Pony Express, from St. Joseph, Missouri to San Francisco, California; Oregon, from Kansas City, Missouri to Portland, Oregon; Lewis and Clark, from St. Louis, Missouri to the Pacific Ocean near Astoria, Oregon; Continental Divide from the Mexican border to the Canadian border; Appalachian from northern Georgia to northern Maine; Ice Age in Wisconsin; Mormon Pioneer from Nauvoo, Illinois to Salt Lake City, Utah; Iditarod from Seward to Nome in Alaska;Selma to Montgomery in Alabama, which is a route that Martin Luther King and alot of followers took in the 1960s and Ala Kahakai in Hawai'i, which deals with Polynesian culture. It commemorates the historic landing of Captain Cook on the big island of Hawai'i and the rise of Kamehameha I. There are other trails that I have not mentioned.
Sometime I want to walk the entire 4 1/2 miles from Tubac to Tumacacori. Tumacacori is a fascinating place and I could spend the whole day there. When i drove from Tubac to Tumacacori, I drove down old U.S. Highway 89, the forerunner of Interstate 19. The old highway is now a county maintained road and still in excellent condition. While I was en route, I noticed an ever earlier alignment of old highway 89. It is in a crescent configuration. The north end angles off from the later alignment and is currently blocked off at a bridge over a small creek. It is still in decent condition because it provides access to three houses. South of the bridge, the old road is overgrown with weeds the entire distance. There are small sections of asphalt still visible. I walked this portion of the road, about 150 yards, and walked across the old bridge. It is one of those old style bridges that have silver trestle work above the roadway. I like those old bridges, they have alot of character.
In this case, Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail. When completed, it will be an international endeavor, stretching from Culiacan, Mexico to San Francisco, California, a distance of 1,217 miles. It commemorates the epic journey in 1775 and 1776 of settlers and soldiers from Central Mexico to northern California. About 300 people made the trip, the purpose of which was to establish a presidio, or fort, in San Francisco. It is the famous presidio that still exists today. At the time, San Francisco was at the northern edge of the Spanish empire. It will probably be years before the trail is completed, but currently there is a 4.5 mile stretch of the trail that is open to the public that leads from Tubac Presidio State Historic Park to Tumacacori National Historical Park farther south. I will talk about my visit to Tumacacori in the next edition of this blog. "Tubac" is pronounced "too-bach."
"Tumacacori" is pronounced "tomb-a-cock-a-ree."
I walked a short distance down the Anza Trail and read some informational signs that I was able to see while I was touring the state park. There are 3 signs underneath a covered ramada. They talk about the national trails system, Spanish exploration of southern Arizona and northern Mexico and who Juan Bautista de Anza was. He was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Spanish military. He was the one who would be in charge of the presidio at San Francisco. After reading the signs, I walked a ways down the trail, I think it was about half a mile, until I came to the Santa Cruz River. The walk from Tubac to Tumacacori requires fording the river twice.
Needless to say, a National historic trail is a very long and skinny national park.
Other examples of National Historic trails include:
Old Spanish, from Santa Fe, New Mexico to Los Angeles, California; Santa Fe, from Santa Fe, New Mexico to Independence, Missouri; Pony Express, from St. Joseph, Missouri to San Francisco, California; Oregon, from Kansas City, Missouri to Portland, Oregon; Lewis and Clark, from St. Louis, Missouri to the Pacific Ocean near Astoria, Oregon; Continental Divide from the Mexican border to the Canadian border; Appalachian from northern Georgia to northern Maine; Ice Age in Wisconsin; Mormon Pioneer from Nauvoo, Illinois to Salt Lake City, Utah; Iditarod from Seward to Nome in Alaska;Selma to Montgomery in Alabama, which is a route that Martin Luther King and alot of followers took in the 1960s and Ala Kahakai in Hawai'i, which deals with Polynesian culture. It commemorates the historic landing of Captain Cook on the big island of Hawai'i and the rise of Kamehameha I. There are other trails that I have not mentioned.
Sometime I want to walk the entire 4 1/2 miles from Tubac to Tumacacori. Tumacacori is a fascinating place and I could spend the whole day there. When i drove from Tubac to Tumacacori, I drove down old U.S. Highway 89, the forerunner of Interstate 19. The old highway is now a county maintained road and still in excellent condition. While I was en route, I noticed an ever earlier alignment of old highway 89. It is in a crescent configuration. The north end angles off from the later alignment and is currently blocked off at a bridge over a small creek. It is still in decent condition because it provides access to three houses. South of the bridge, the old road is overgrown with weeds the entire distance. There are small sections of asphalt still visible. I walked this portion of the road, about 150 yards, and walked across the old bridge. It is one of those old style bridges that have silver trestle work above the roadway. I like those old bridges, they have alot of character.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
The Mission Trail, part 3
Part of the Tubac Presidio still stands--underground!! The 13 acre state park is dominated by a large mound in the center of the park. This mound is the melted adobe walls of the presidio. However, there are some stairs that lead down into the mound to an underground exhibit. The lower parts of the presidio's walls, plus the foundation and floor are on display. The ruined walls are protected behind glass partitions. There are some interesting items inside the walls, such as pieces of pottery and even some chicken bones. It has been speculated that the chicken bones are the remains of a construction worker's lunch. The lower parts of the presidio's walls were uncovered in an archaeological dig in 1976. Above ground, there are some ruined adobe walls surrounding the edge of the mound and some wall outlines barely protruding above the ground.
Next to the Visitors Center is a one room schoolhouse that dates from 1885, after the presidio was abandoned. Some of the wooden desks inside are originals, some are recreated. The chalkboards on the walls are originals. There are six of them, one for each grade. Behind the teacher's desk is a stage where school productions were put on.
On the east side of the state park, across the mound from the school, is a long, narrow house that I believe was the presidio commandant's house. Now it is a fascinating museum that has a wide variety of displays ranging from women's dresses from the 1700s and 1800s, Spanish military uniforms and weapons from the same era, antique household appliances and knickknacks, antique mining equipment and exhibits about Spanish missionary and civilian life plus American civilian life from the same time frame. There are also displays about Pima, Apache and Tohono O'odham
Indians. The museum also has a room that is furnished like a newspaper office from the 1800s and it has all kinds of newspaper equipment from that era, including the printing press from 1859 that Charles Poston used to start Arizona's first newspaper. Outside the house is an arrastra, which is a horizontal, wheel-like device that was used in mining operations to crush rock. A mule would be tied to the arrastra and walk around in a circle repeatedly. This process would crush the rock underneath the arrastra.
On the south side of the park is Otero Hall, which is a Depression-era school that replaced the one room school nearby. It has wooden plank floors on the inside like the older school and consists of three rooms plus bathrooms. Today, these bathrooms serve as visitor bathrooms for the park. Otero Hall is rented out by the state park for things such as family reunions and barbecues.
Just to the east is an adobe house that was bequeathed to the park upon the death of its owners in 2003. It is furnished with household items ranging in date from the early 1900s to modern times. In front of the adobe house is a picnic area. This area was the 3 acre expansion that the park underwent in 2003 when it took possession of the adobe house. The picnic area has alot of trees that look like they have been planted recently.
Burruel Street used to make a 90 degree turn next to the school (Otero Hall) and
dead end in front of the house. Now it is barricaded in front of Otero Hall and, beyond the barricade, I saw the asphalt still in place, but now it is becoming overgrown with grass and weeds. The curbs are still there, too.
Tubac Presidio State Historic Park is a great place for history buffs and it is one of the jewels of Arizona's state park system.
Next to the Visitors Center is a one room schoolhouse that dates from 1885, after the presidio was abandoned. Some of the wooden desks inside are originals, some are recreated. The chalkboards on the walls are originals. There are six of them, one for each grade. Behind the teacher's desk is a stage where school productions were put on.
On the east side of the state park, across the mound from the school, is a long, narrow house that I believe was the presidio commandant's house. Now it is a fascinating museum that has a wide variety of displays ranging from women's dresses from the 1700s and 1800s, Spanish military uniforms and weapons from the same era, antique household appliances and knickknacks, antique mining equipment and exhibits about Spanish missionary and civilian life plus American civilian life from the same time frame. There are also displays about Pima, Apache and Tohono O'odham
Indians. The museum also has a room that is furnished like a newspaper office from the 1800s and it has all kinds of newspaper equipment from that era, including the printing press from 1859 that Charles Poston used to start Arizona's first newspaper. Outside the house is an arrastra, which is a horizontal, wheel-like device that was used in mining operations to crush rock. A mule would be tied to the arrastra and walk around in a circle repeatedly. This process would crush the rock underneath the arrastra.
On the south side of the park is Otero Hall, which is a Depression-era school that replaced the one room school nearby. It has wooden plank floors on the inside like the older school and consists of three rooms plus bathrooms. Today, these bathrooms serve as visitor bathrooms for the park. Otero Hall is rented out by the state park for things such as family reunions and barbecues.
Just to the east is an adobe house that was bequeathed to the park upon the death of its owners in 2003. It is furnished with household items ranging in date from the early 1900s to modern times. In front of the adobe house is a picnic area. This area was the 3 acre expansion that the park underwent in 2003 when it took possession of the adobe house. The picnic area has alot of trees that look like they have been planted recently.
Burruel Street used to make a 90 degree turn next to the school (Otero Hall) and
dead end in front of the house. Now it is barricaded in front of Otero Hall and, beyond the barricade, I saw the asphalt still in place, but now it is becoming overgrown with grass and weeds. The curbs are still there, too.
Tubac Presidio State Historic Park is a great place for history buffs and it is one of the jewels of Arizona's state park system.
The Mission Trail, part 2
Shortly before I entered Santa Cruz County, in the town of Arivaca Junction, is a store where customers enter the store through a giant cow skull, fake of course.
Five miles south of Arivaca Junction is the town of Tubac (pronounced too-bach).
In the past few years the population has jumped from 925 to 2,428 with the opening of a new housing development on the south side of town. All of the houses are finished in stucco, which resembles adobe. So now the majority of the town's residences consist of Pueblo-style architecture lining streets with Spanish names. Sounds like New Mexico, particularly Santa or Taos. Tubac has alot of artists, writers and retirees living in town, but it is becoming more and more of a bedroom community for Tucson. Tubac is the oldest Eurupean-settled town in Arizona. That is, it is the oldest town in Arizona that is not located on an Indian Reservation. It was settled by the Spanish in 1691. Tubac was established as a mission farm and ranch after the Tumacacori Mission was established 4 1/2 miles to the south. This area was part of Spain at the time. After a Pueblo Indian revolt in 1751, the Presidio San Ignacio de Tubac was established a year later. It was a fifty-soldier military post and it was meant to protect the residents of Tubac and also the nearby Tumacacori Mission.
The presidio was abandoned and recommissioned several times over the years. In the late 1850s, after this area became part of the United States, Charles Poston moved into the abandoned house of the presidio commandant and established the Sonora Exploring and Mining Company. He also purchased a printing press and, in 1859, started Arizona's first newspaper. In 1860, Tubac was the largest town in Arizona, but due to Apache raids, that distinction did not last. In 1863, a visitor wrote
"Tubac is now a city of ruins and desolation." Today Tubac is a charming, historic town that is on the verge of exploding in population. In the heart of town is a small 13 acre state park, Tubac Presidio State Historic Park, on the site of the
Spanish presidio that was built in 1752. It is the oldest state park in Arizona, having been established in 1957. In fact, Arizona's first three state parks were historic parks--Tubac, Tombstone Courthouse and Yuma Territorial Prison.
This is where I will start the next installment of this blog.
Five miles south of Arivaca Junction is the town of Tubac (pronounced too-bach).
In the past few years the population has jumped from 925 to 2,428 with the opening of a new housing development on the south side of town. All of the houses are finished in stucco, which resembles adobe. So now the majority of the town's residences consist of Pueblo-style architecture lining streets with Spanish names. Sounds like New Mexico, particularly Santa or Taos. Tubac has alot of artists, writers and retirees living in town, but it is becoming more and more of a bedroom community for Tucson. Tubac is the oldest Eurupean-settled town in Arizona. That is, it is the oldest town in Arizona that is not located on an Indian Reservation. It was settled by the Spanish in 1691. Tubac was established as a mission farm and ranch after the Tumacacori Mission was established 4 1/2 miles to the south. This area was part of Spain at the time. After a Pueblo Indian revolt in 1751, the Presidio San Ignacio de Tubac was established a year later. It was a fifty-soldier military post and it was meant to protect the residents of Tubac and also the nearby Tumacacori Mission.
The presidio was abandoned and recommissioned several times over the years. In the late 1850s, after this area became part of the United States, Charles Poston moved into the abandoned house of the presidio commandant and established the Sonora Exploring and Mining Company. He also purchased a printing press and, in 1859, started Arizona's first newspaper. In 1860, Tubac was the largest town in Arizona, but due to Apache raids, that distinction did not last. In 1863, a visitor wrote
"Tubac is now a city of ruins and desolation." Today Tubac is a charming, historic town that is on the verge of exploding in population. In the heart of town is a small 13 acre state park, Tubac Presidio State Historic Park, on the site of the
Spanish presidio that was built in 1752. It is the oldest state park in Arizona, having been established in 1957. In fact, Arizona's first three state parks were historic parks--Tubac, Tombstone Courthouse and Yuma Territorial Prison.
This is where I will start the next installment of this blog.
Monday, February 16, 2009
The Mission Trail
In most states counties are of a manageable size. However, in the west, counties are bigger than they are in the east due to the sparser population. In Arizona and Nevada, most counties are extremely large, larger than in the other western states. Arizona is the 6th largest state in the nation at 113,635 square miles. It trails only Alaska, Texas, California, Montana and New Mexico in size. Pima County (county seat Tucson) is no exception. It covers covers 9,186 square miles. It is roughly 160 miles long from east to west and 70 miles wide from north to south. It is the 14th biggest county in size in the United States. However, the population is highly concentrated in the eastern part of the county in the Tucson metropolitan area. The county has slightly more than one million people, but once you get out of Tucson and its surrounding area, it is very sparsely populated. The west end of the county, west of Ajo, has a population of 0. That area has absolutely no population in an area about 35 miles long and 20 miles wide.There is no evidence that this part of the county ever had any year round residents, not even Indians. Highly concentrated populations like this are typical of the western states and that is the reason for the larger size of the counties in the west. In Arizona there a 2 "normal-sized" counties, Santa Cruz and Greenlee. About 25 miles south of Tucson, I crossed into Santa Cruz County, which is the smallest county in Arizona. It is about 30 miles wide from north to south and 50 miles long from east to west. At 1,238 square miles, it is about the size of many Texas counties and it is apporoximately 300 square miles smaller than my home county in Texas. The county's capital, a.k.a the county seat, is Nogales on the southern edge of the county on the border with Mexico. It is the only county in Arizona that does not have any desert anywhere within its boundaries. The vegetation is mostly walnut trees (Nogales is Spanish for walnuts), oak trees, cottonwood trees and other types of deciduous trees along with alot of thorny plants such as catclaw, prickly pear cactus, tasajillo cactus and acacia trees. There is also a lush grass cover in the county which makes for prime grazing land. The higher elevations have lusher forests of pine, spruce and other high elevation trees. Approximately 70% of the county is part of Coronado National Forest. Santa Cruz County and part of Cochise and Pima Counties are called "Arizona's Brush Country," and remind me alot of South Texas where I grew up, with the exception of the high mountains. The highest point in Santa Cruz County is Mount Wrightson in the Santa Rita Mountains. It is 9,453 feet above sea level. Santa Cruz County, along with neighboring Cochise County, are my 2 favorite counties in Arizona because of their beauty, 4 season climate where the summers are hot, but not too hot and the winters are cold, but not too cold and the fascinating history of these two counties--a wild west and mining history in Cochise County and a Spanish exploration and missionary history in Santa Cruz County. Santa Cruz means "holy cross" in Spanish and the county was named for the Santa Cruz River, its principal stream. This river starts in eastern Santa Cruz County, flows south into Mexico and then turns north and flows back into the United States a short distance east of Nogales. It then flows north and "empties" into the Gila River southwest of Phoenix. The river is about 200 miles long, but shortly after entering Pima County, it dries up and flows only after big thunderstorms, so it doesn't actually empty in to the Gila River anymore, but the dry channels of those 2 rivers do intersect. The river is dry as it goes through Tucson. However, in Santa Cruz County, it is a perennial river that is the lifeblood of its namesake county.
It is with this introduction that I am about to embark on "The Mission Trail," which will describe my travels south of Tucson, a land once called "Pimeria Alta" by Spanish explorers more than 400 years ago.
It is with this introduction that I am about to embark on "The Mission Trail," which will describe my travels south of Tucson, a land once called "Pimeria Alta" by Spanish explorers more than 400 years ago.
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