Few cities on Earth have natural settings as spectacular as Tucson’s. The Sonoran Desert covers approximately one-third of Arizona, from Tucson west into California and south into Mexico and the Baja Peninsula. Out of this desert grow several mountain ranges and a remarkable array of plants, animals, and natural resources—not to mention several million people in cities like Tucson, Phoenix, and Yuma and in Mexico. The Sonoran Desert floor lies 3,000 feet above sea level but rises to more than 9,000 feet in the mountain ranges surrounding Tucson. The city of Tucson occupies 150 square miles of this desert, while metropolitan Tucson covers 550 square miles.
Take a few moments to review the Pronunciation Guide. Many of the words for plants, animals, and places come from Spanish and Native American languages. Here’s a sample of some you might need to know. Learning how to pronounce these strange-looking words will be of great benefit as you travel in and around Tucson and through this chapter.
Since 1927, some of America’s most famous (and infamous) flying machines have flown the skies of Tucson. The Spirit of St. Louis and its pioneering pilot were here to participate in the opening ceremonies of the air base. Bombers like the B-17 Flying Fortress, the B-24 Liberator, and the B-29 Superfortress (used to drop the atomic bomb on Japan) flew overhead during World War II.
Overview
When the jet age was ushered in around 1953, Tucsonans could glance skyward and spot a new B-47 Stratojet or a squadron of F-86-A Sabre jet fighters. And then came the cold war era with its Titan II missiles and silos and U-2 reconnaissance planes that flew global missions out of our Air Force base. Later years brought the F-4 Phantom fighter, and today A-10 Thunderbolts shine against our blue skies.
But long before “US Air Force” was even a glimmer in anyone’s eye, what is now known as Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in south-central Tucson got its humble start as a municipal airfield—really just a two-man refueling station and a dirt runway. The year was 1919 when Tucson officials voted to create an airport. It all began on an 82-acre site where the rodeo grounds are today. (A plaque on the rodeo grounds on S. 6th Avenue marks the spot.) First called Macauley Field and then Fishburn Field, it became Tucson Municipal Flying Field in 1923. Tucson officials definitely had vision. Not only had they established the first municipal airport in Arizona, but hoping that it would be selected as the site for an Army air base, they also began building it to military specifications under guidance from the Army Air Corps.
By 1927 their dreams were coming true. Col. Charles A. Lindbergh, fresh from his triumphant solo flight across the Atlantic aboard the Spirit of St. Louis, came to town to dedicate the air field as an Army Signal Corps base. It was the largest municipal airport in the US and the first to be converted to a military base. By this time the airfield had been relocated from S. 6th Avenue—still a good way from where the heaviest concentration of Tucson’s population of 32,000 was concentrated—to a location farther southeast where city fathers had already bought up 1,280 acres of homesteaded ranch land. This was the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base of the future.
It was also at the 1927 dedication that two Tucson military aviators became immortalized when the airfield was officially named Davis-Monthan Airfield. The two young men may never have even met each other, but it would turn out they had a lot in common. One was born in England, the other in Tennessee, but both would eventually live in Tucson. One attended Tucson High School and the University of Arizona and served in the Army at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. The other worked on his family’s Tucson ranches before joining the Army. Both were military pilots when aviation was still in its infancy, and both ultimately would perish in the flying machines they loved—Lt. Samuel H. Davis in Florida in 1921 and Lt. Oscar Monthan in Hawaii in 1924. Their names would grace a municipal airport, an Army air base, and eventually a US Air Force base.
For more than 10 years after its conversion to an Army Signal Corps base, Davis-Monthan Field continued to serve both military and commercial flights. Among the pilots who landed here were Amelia Earhart, Wiley Post, and James Doolittle, along with Standard Airlines, which later was absorbed by American Airlines.
During the 1930s the Army built the base’s first hangar and operations building and added paved roads and runways. By the end of the decade, with war clouds building in Europe and the Pacific, the Army wanted to station some men and planes at the field. At the same time city leaders wanted the federal government to take over the field in order to get additional funds for construction and the soldiers who would be stationed there. Agreement was reached—the city would move its airport to a new site (where Tucson International Airport is today) and the Army would take over Davis-Monthan Field.
Welcome to Tucson—the Old Pueblo!
One of the “themes” you’ll notice as you read through this guidebook is diversity. Tucson is a diverse city—in culture, in history, in recreation, in business, in dining, in lodging, in entertainment, in education, in the arts . . . the list goes on and on. There are many reasons for such diversity.
Maybe it all started when a settlement was established in the name of Spain just a stone’s throw from where Native American tribes had lived for centuries.
Perhaps it’s because so many people here are from someplace else—places like Milwaukee, Mexico, or Montreal—and they’ve all brought with them their talents and interests.
Maybe it’s the University of Arizona with its mix of people and ideas from all over the world, as well as its outstanding programs in everything from space exploration to creative writing to music to medicine.
Of course the amazing weather has something to do with our diversity. With more than 350 days of sunshine a year, folks can enjoy all sorts of outdoor activities except playing on a beach (but Tucson does have more than its fair share of places to swim and splash).
Tucson’s colorful history—over the years we’ve lived under five different flags—certainly has something to do with it. Tucson has been a sleepy pueblo, a wild and woolly Western town, a midsize Air Force city, and a sophisticated university town.
The best guess would be that all of these factors (and a handful of others that aren’t quite so apparent) make Tucson—Tucson. You’ll soon see that Tucson is a great place to visit or live, with lots of exciting activities, fascinating landscapes, and amazing wildlife.
Discovering Tucson’s many hidden treasures is what makes living and visiting here fun, and you’ll find many such gems described in these pages. As with any city as diverse and growing as Tucson, there is lots to see and do.
So grab this Insiders’ Guide and explore the Old Pueblo. We’re glad you’re here.