University of Arizona - Desert Yearbook (Tucson, AZ)

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Tucson ' s Bicentennial Celebration, Aug 20-24. 1975 MS du! andlnd was photos by Karen Silvey and Mike Casey flour ar source Tucsor HM bandit! wasal addinc pularif But ' Tucso familif Old Pi the to teredi CaW again, asafc Ire toTuc overg HI 22

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Our forefathers would be proud ' I feel kind of bad that this Bicentennial didn ' t happen back when people were still in the mood to appreciate America. America is still one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. The American dream is still alive to those who believe in freedom. It ' s good to observe the Bicentennial because we tend to take our American freedoms for granted. The Bicentennial is an awareness of all that ' s gone into America. And that ' s the way it was in 76. .. us bicentennial 21

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200 years of Tucson living BY DONNA MEEKS (Facts taken from Arizona Daily Star Bicentennial Supplements. Aug. 24, 1975) It was on Aug. 20, 1775, that San Augistin delTucson was founded by Spanish Col. Hugo Oconor who noted that the area met the requirements of water, pasture, and wood. El Pueblo Viejo, as Tuscon was dubbed by many Mexican and Indian residents, was where it was because a fort was needed between the Mission at Tumacacori and the Presidio at Tubac. Though it is hard to believe today, Tucson ' s greatest advan- tage was its water. The Santa Cruz River created fertile farm- land, provided power for the flour and lumber mills and was a source of life and enjoyment to Tucson ' s first residents. However, early pioneers who passed through described Tuc- son as dreary, dangerous, and uncivilized. Because of its isola- tion, gamblers and Mexican bandits thrived in Tucson. There was also a shortage of women, adding to Tucson ' s early unpo- pularity. But about the time of Tucson ' s Centennial in 1 875, families started settling in the Old Pueblo. More and more of the town ' s activities were cen- tered around the family, and the Catholic church. Tucson thrived again, this time as a city and not as a fort. Then another hardship came to Tucson residents. Because of overgrazing, extensive wood- cutting (which caused erosion), and the rapidly growing water needs of the city, Tucson ' s water sources dried up. Fortu- nately Tucson found other rea- sons for existence. Five of these reasons are well known to all good students of Arizona History: the five C ' s. Copper, Climate, Citrus, Cotton, and Cattle all began to attract settlers to Tucson. Tucson also became a major transportation center in the West and mushroomed during the Califor- nia Gold Rush. These industries kept Tucson growing steadily until the turn of the 20th century when residents began to capitalize upon one of Tucson ' s world-famous attrac- tions: air. Clean and clear and especially dry. Health seekers, attracted by the wonder air, began coming here in droves in the early 1900 ' s. Tourists also flocked to Tucson in increasing numbers over the years, and many decided to make Tucson their home. Several industries, nota- bly aviation and the just-boom- ing astronomy complex, are results of the clean air. Today Tucson ' s air is drawing less and less praise. On many days, the air is clouded t y smog from the ever-growing number of cars in the valley and mine smelters outside of the valley. Non-native vegetation brought in to green the yards of transplanted Easterners has brought on such a startling increase in pollen that some doctors are sending their asthma patients to other states. And astronomers are worried that bright lights from the ever- growing urban sprawl will encroach upon their nighttime observatories. Nevertheless, Tucson contin- ues to boom in 1975, Arizo- na ' s growth rate was topped only by one state in the Union, California. So for now, at least, Tucson will remain a thriving metropolis. 200 years, and many more to come. So rest in peace, Hugo Oconor, wherever you are. TUES0N 1775 - 1875 BICENTENNIAL tucson bicentennial 23