Photos: Lochiel border station in 1970s-80s
Border Customs Inspector Helen Mills staffed the Lochiel, Ariz., port of entry for 10 years in the 60s-70s. Customs agent Mike Danielson staffed the port in the 80s.
Lochiel, Ariz. border crossing
Every morning housewife and customs inspector Helen Mills unlocks the gate that separates the US and Mexico through Lochiel, Ariz., in May 1972. For ten years, Mills has been managing the port of entry, which is mostly made up of five houses, a school and an vacant church. Dan Tortorell / Tucson Citizen
Lochiel, Ariz. border crossing
Helen Mills, the border customs agent in Lochiel, Ariz., talks to a family travelling in a 1950s model Chevrolet pickup truck in May 1972. Dan Tortorell / Tucson Citizen
Lochiel, Ariz. border crossing
Among her other duties, border customs inspector Helen Mills studies current FBI wanted posters to make sure she is up to date in Lochiel, Ariz., in May 1972. Dan Tortorell / Tucson Citizen
Lochiel, Ariz. border crossing
Boder customs inspector Helen Mills checks the identification of several young men in a car as they pass through Lochiel, Ariz., in May 1972. For ten years, Mills has been managing the port of entry. Dan Tortorell / Tucson Citizen
Lochiel, Ariz. border crossing
The hours of operation are clearly posted on the border fence that separates Lochiel, Ariz., from Mexico in May 1972. Dan Tortorell / Tucson Citizen
Lochiel, Ariz. border crossing
The Mexican customs house, left is just a short distance away from the US house, on the left, across the fence at Lochiel, Ariz., in May 1972. Dan Tortorell / Tucson Citizen
Lochiel, Ariz. border crossing
Housewife and customs inspector Helen Mills looks over the trunk of a man travelling north from Mexico as he passes through Lochiel, Ariz., in May 1972. Barely a dozen vehicles make their way across the border but it is a major convenience to the local residents. Dan Tortorell / Tucson Citizen
Lochiel, Ariz. border crossing
The US Customs building, right, at Lochiel, Ariz., is just a short distance away from the international border in May 1972. Dan Tortorell / Tucson Citizen
Lochiel, Ariz. border crossing
Aside from her duties as a customs inspector at Lochiel, Ariz., Helen Mills makes sure her two sons, Trace and Dalton, have done their 4-H chores before going to school in May 1972. Dan Tortorell / Tucson Citizen
Lochiel, Ariz. border crossing
Flag-raising, and lowering, is one of the many tasks performed by border customs inspector Helen Mills as she works in Lochiel, Ariz., in May 1972. For ten years, Mills has been managing the port of entry. Dan Tortorell / Tucson Citizen
Lochiel, Ariz. border crossing
Border customs inspector Helen Mills does the best she can as she communicates with her Mexican border inspector Efrain Merino-Lara, as he stands on the cattle guard at the border at Lochiel, Ariz., in May 1972. She does not speak Spanish and he does not speak English. Dan Tortorell / Tucson Citizen
Lochiel, Ariz. border crossing
U.S. Customs Service agent Mike Danielson appraches a vehicle at crossing into the U.S. at the U.S. Custom House at the U.S. / Mexico border crossing gate in Lochiel, Ariz., in September, 1983.
Lochiel, Ariz. border crossing
U.S. Customs Service agent Mike Danielson talks to three men crossing from Mexico into the U.S. at the U.S. / Mexico border crossing gate in Lochiel, Ariz., in September, 1983.
Lochiel, Ariz. border crossing
Sonora, Mexico, residents near the U.S. / Mexico border crossing gate in Lochiel, Ariz., in September, 1983.
Lochiel, Ariz. border crossing
The gate at the U.S. / Mexico border in Lochiel, Ariz., in September, 1983. Hours of service at that time were 10am to 4pm.
Lochiel, Ariz. border crossing
LOCHIEL, Ariz., 2006: The border and former gate for the port of entry at Lochiel, AZ.
Rick Wiley
Photo editor
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