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. Enjoy the rich history of early Tucson in this collection of 15 historic black-and-white postcards.
Anne I. Woosley is the executive director of the Arizona Historical Society. She received her undergraduate degree in history from UC Santa Cruz, a graduate degree in archaeology from Cambridge University, in England, and her doctorate in archaeology from UCLA. Her research interests and publications include prehistoric settlement, regional interactions, and subsistence practices of cultures in the American Southwest and West Asia. She serves on state and national committees promoting public history programs and historic preservation.