Timeline of Tucson's First 240 Years
- Updated
Some of the major historical events that have shaped Tucson.
- David Devine Special to the Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Aug. 20, 1775
Tucson’s official “birth” day comes with the establishment of the Presidio San Agustín del Tucson by Hugo O’Conor, a red-haired Irishman who was a colonel in the Spanish Army.
- David Devine Special to the Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
c. 1797
Present San Xavier del Bac Mission Church, the “White Dove of the Desert,” is completed.
- David Devine Special to the Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
1925
First Tucson Rodeo is followed two years later by a downtown parade staged with a $20 budget.
- David Devine Special to the Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
1936
South Tucson incorporates for the first time. The community disincorporates, then incorporates again in 1939.
- David Devine Special to the Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
1941-1945
World War II brings thousands of airmen, soldiers and some sailors. Strict rationing requirements imposed.
- David Devine Special to the Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
1951
Public school segregation officially ends with the integration of Dunbar School. Legal discrimination in some hotels, motels and restaurants continues for 14 more years.
- David Devine Special to the Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
1955
After decades of discrimination against the Chinese nationally and locally, things begin to change and Esther Tang is named “Tucson Woman of the Year."
- David Devine Special to the Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
1950s
Population of metropolitan area almost doubles to about 260,000 and new home construction becomes a major part of the economy. A 1979 forecast predicts 1.5 million people by 2012, but about 1 million live here now.
- David Devine Special to the Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
1966
Pima Community College wins voter approval. Although a downtown site is pushed, west-side property for the initial campus is selected.
- David Devine Special to the Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
1970
El Rio Golf Course takeover seeks to convert the course into a public park. A coalition of Mexican-Americans, including Raúl Grijalva and Salomón Baldenegro, leads the demonstration.
- David Devine Special to the Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
1970
Pioneer Hotel fire kills 29 people, including longtime downtown supporters, Margaret and Harold Steinfeld. Louis Taylor was convicted of starting the fire, but was released in 2013 based on evidence that indicated his innocence.
- David Devine Special to the Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
1971
A “festival of harmony,” or street fair, debuts on Fourth Avenue, sponsored by what media representatives label “young, long-haired businessmen.”
- David Devine Special to the Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
1977
Gay Pride Day picnic is held at Himmel Park. A Marine Corps Reserve unit later refuses to accept 200 Christmas toys for needy children donated by gays.
- David Devine Special to the Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
1978
Pascua Yaqui tribe receives federal recognition 14 years after it obtained 200 acres of land on the southwest side to establish a reservation.
- David Devine Special to the Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
1978
A legal decision in the TUSD desegregation lawsuit concludes the district did not end school segregation in 1951. The district still operates under court order.
- David Devine Special to the Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
1981
Trichloroethylene (TCE), dumped in pits by Hughes Aircraft and others beginning in the 1950s, is discovered in south-side water wells and has a negative impact on the health of many people.
- David Devine Special to the Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
1983
After several days of torrential rain, massive flooding across the region claims five lives locally and does more than $100 million in damage.
- David Devine Special to the Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
1984
First female firefighter, Deanna Lewis, is hired by the Tucson Fire Department about 55 years after Nora Nugent became the first woman with the Tucson Police Department.
- David Devine Special to the Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
1988
IBM lays off half its total local workforce less than a decade after its arrival brought economic optimism and a real estate boom.
- David Devine Special to the Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
1993
Indian gaming compact is approved after work by many, including Tohono O’odham Chair Josiah Moore, and the first casinos soon open.
- David Devine Special to the Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
1997
UA basketball team under coach Lute Olson wins the NCAA championship and an estimated 50,000 people turn out at Arizona Stadium to celebrate.
- David Devine Special to the Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
2000
Drought begins and eventually concerns arise about the amount of Colorado River water available in the future.
- David Devine Special to the Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
2002
Desert crossings from Mexico exceed 100 deaths for the first time.
- David Devine Special to the Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
2006
Regional Transportation Authority’s $2.1 billion road and transit improvement plan is approved by voters, bringing street widenings, increased bus service and a modern streetcar.
- David Devine Special to the Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
2007
Economic downturn begins locally, new housing starts decline sharply and almost 15,000 construction jobs are lost.
- David Devine Special to the Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
2008
Phoenix Mars Lander, a project spearheaded by UA scientists, successfully arrives at its destination and transmits incredible pictures.
- David Devine Special to the Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
2011
Jan. 8 shootings kill six people and wound 13 others, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.
- David Devine Special to the Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
2010-2015
Downtown renaissance is an on-going process while work continues on “The Loop,” a pedestrian/bicycle/ equestrian trail to encircle Tucson.
More like this...
- David Devine Special to the Arizona Daily Star
1950s
Population of metropolitan area almost doubles to about 260,000 and new home construction becomes a major part of the economy. A 1979 forecast predicts 1.5 million people by 2012, but about 1 million live here now.
- David Devine Special to the Arizona Daily Star
1970
Pioneer Hotel fire kills 29 people, including longtime downtown supporters, Margaret and Harold Steinfeld. Louis Taylor was convicted of starting the fire, but was released in 2013 based on evidence that indicated his innocence.
More like this...
Most Popular
-
Arizona’s landscapes become star of new TV show filming here
-
Arizona's Medicaid, AHCCCS, undergoes huge changes
-
Vacant Tucson stores could transform into new housing -
Pima County official: Nanos angry she gave FBI info in Guthrie case
-
Arizona takes big Colorado River water cuts under new federal plan
