Arizona citizen. [volume] (Tucson, Pima County, A.T. [i.e. Ariz.]) 1870-1880, 1876-07-15
HISTORICAL ADDRESS.
Having Reference to the Whole
Territory but More Particularly
TO Tucson and pima County.
Delivered in Tucson by Mr.. JOHN SPRING.
July :, 1875.

NhaiCh To- iOiO, II Was pIOFlueu 10y
joint resolution of Congress. tha
with the celebration of the Fourth o
July this year, there should be a histo
rical account of every town and coun
ty in the country, prepared and deliver
ed and then filed away as a permanent
record. In pursuance thereof the Pres
ident issued May %, proclamation
in which suggestions are given as t
the manner Of preparing and keeping
such record. Having been selected t
write up the history of this town anC
county on this occasion, respectfully
submit the following:
In spite of diligent research from
all available sources, l have not been
able to trace definitely the origin OF
, this town of Tucson. 1t appears in
fact that very little is known that can
be taken as positively referring TO the
establishment of this preside or rather
military post, which it appears to have
been originally.
I find in the Smithsonian Report of
1869, very interesting essay written
by Brevt-Brig.-Gen. J. H. Simpson.
Col. OF Engineers, I. S ~, and emit
tied Coronado's March in Search of
the Seven Cities of Cibola." now call
ed Zuni villages) That part of Co,
ronadO's army must have descended
along the Santa Cruz river somewhere
in this vicinity, but although his report
is very minute in every particular, no
mention is made therein Of any set
Element along the Santa Cruz river.
This search for the Seven Cities ocur-
red from 1910 to 1912.
! His Eminence, Bishop Salpointe,
who has kindly assisted me in my
Investigations, states that the missions
of New Mexico were established and oc-
cupied by priests in 1851, according to
the military report made at the time
to the viceroy, and that nothing posi-
/ tive is known as to the establishment of
Tucson but that he has strong reasons
( to believe it existed in 1894. In fact, the
Bishop says we read in the work emit
! tied "Rudo ensayo o Provincial descrip-
cion dc Ia Provincial de Sonora, that
from 1894 until iiji the Jesuit Fathers
had preached the Gospel to all the tribes
on the San Pedro and ella rivers, al
though the mission nearest those tribes
was Sau Xavier del Bac. Now rea-
sons the Bishop, Il San Xavier existed
ia 1894, il is more than probable that
it was under the protection Of some
town, preside or military post, and
that could be no other than Tucson.
vt all events, he is positive tina, the
missions OF san Xavier, ST. Gertrude
at Tubac, St Joseph of Tumacacuri,
San Miguel of Sonoita, those Of Cue
yavi. Calabasas, Arivaca and Santa
Ana, existed IN 115l In that yea-, one
Luis from the town of Saric who passed
himself as sorcerer, instigated the
Indians of Punoria Alta to q rebellion
against the Spanish government and
lis missions, and these Indians together
with the Seris caused the priests great
suffering ana loss, killing three Of their.
number and hindeIing all the mission
aries IN their religious duties until 1854,
when peace and quiet were again
restored.
In 1869 the Viceroy Marquis de Croix
called the Franciscans of the College
of Santa Cruz de Quere,aro, 10 take
charge ofthe missions. They respond.
ed promptly to the call and fourteen
of their number Immediately arrived :;
among them WAS Father Carols, who
later visited the Casa Grande on the
ella river. together with Father Font,
and the latter gives it as his opinion
that the Casa Grande then called Mon
tczuma) must have been built in the
thirteenth century. Father Carols was
sent upon his arrival (l76S) to visit the
Pimas, which visit he repeated in 100.
and I'LL. These Indians were then
suffering severely from smallpox. In
1774 Father Carols was called upon to
open a road leading from Sonora
through Tubac to the ella river and
from thence to the missions Of Cali
fornia. Bishop Salpointe states that
the church now standing at San Ma
vier was finished in 1884, and that the
labor of erecting it is reported to have
lasted fourteen years, but previous to
that date another church had been
standing on precisely the same spot
He regrets exceedingly not to be able
to give any more information at pres
ent. as the necessary material was sent
by him to Philadelphia. l beg that he
will accept my sincere thanks for the
manner he has assisted me.
Mr.. Francisco Leon, who WAS born ,
in Tucson in 1919, does not compli- I
men, the town upon the appearance /,
then presented He states it was mere ]
" a military post with a garrison OF.
from eighty to ninety soldiers, and {
about three hundred inhabitants. All ,
Inc grain raised was sold to the gov {
srnment and placed in a s,ore-house ;
situated where Nj Fish's dwelling !
house now stands. The total number
# houses or rather novels conld not {