Early Tucson

Images of America: Arizona

by Anne I. Woosley, Arizona Historical Society

Tucson is a history of time and a river. The roots of prehistoric habitation run deep along the Santa Cruz River, reaching back thousands of years. Later the river attracted 17th-century Spanish explorers, who brought military government, the church, and colonists to establish the northern outpost of their New World empire. Later still, American westward expansion drew new settlers to the place called Tucson. Today Tucson is a bustling multicultural community of more than one million residents. These images from the photographic archives of the Arizona Historical Society tell the stories of individuals and cultures that transformed a 19th-century frontier village into a 20th-century desert city.

128 pages, Paperback

First published November 24, 2008

Reviews

[Susan]

I like this book a lot. Many books about the west omit the real context, the reasons people moved to Tucson, what life was like in Tucson before the white man came, for the very early settlers, and what the trail of money or lack of it was in the history of Tucson's development as the city it is today, is omitted. But this book does address those things. It's not a lot because it's a photo gallery and the text is the captions. But they are of a good length and quality in terms of honesty and significance. There are a number of books that give peeks at early Tucson and as far as I've found this one is by far the best. The photos are wonderful and very illuminating.

[Myra Flowers]

This is a wonderful story of Tucson. I learned a lot of the city's history from this short book. The author has great credentials and goes a good job giving the history of one of my favorite places. Where else can you see these pictures in one place? I especially liked the recounting of Tucson benevolence toward the needy. What an enduring picture of some Tucsonans. I have 9 of these books about different places and this is the first one I've read through. If they are all like this, I need to read them all. Hurrah for Ms Woolsley and the AHS.

[Elaina Richards]

flagging Tucson “matured” as coded language for “anyone who wasn’t a colonizer was immature/less capable”

[Stephanie]

Loved the nostalgia!

[Ken Angle]

This is a picture book takes you back to times when Tucson was small. A population of hunderds or thousands as opposed to the metropolis of today. This book teaches about Tucson during territorial times. It provides a fun view of streets and locations that still exist today. Yahoo! KGA

[Craig Bolton]

Early Tucson (AZ) (Images of America) by Anne I. Woosley (2008)