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The name Tucson comes from a Spanish interpretation of a Tohono O’odham phrase meaning “at the base of the black hill.” An appropriate, descriptive name since the earliest inhabitants did live near the base of a small hill made of dark basalt, a volcanic rock. For us it means home. I have lived here since the age of two and though I have left the “Old Pueblo” many times through the years, I always end up back here. Lance’s time in Tucson was more intermittent than mine, yet he too considers it home. We both have family, friends and memories here. It is such an amazing place I think I would keep coming here even if it wasn’t home.

The city of Tucson is surrounded and co-mingled with a dozen other communities, some small and some not-so-small, in a large, relatively flat alluvial plain. Collectively known as the Tucson Valley, the area is ringed by five mountain ranges: the Santa Catalinas, the Santa Ritas, the Tortolitas, the Tucsons and the Rincons. The two highest peaks in the area, Mt. Wrightson (9,453’) and Mt. Lemmon (9,157’) rise over the valley floor which lies at 2,389’. Mt. Lemmon has the distinction of having the southern-most ski area in the contiguous U.S., it can only open when there is enough snow—which isn’t every year.

Through this large desert valley once flowed three year-round rivers, the Santa Cruz, the Rillito, and the Tanque Verde. Here, in the middle of the Sonoran Desert people have lived for at least 12,000 years, sustained by running water. Unfortunately, except for in times of flood, I have not seen the rivers flowing in the desert as the growth of Tucson long since lowered the water table and the rivers disappeared underground. I have seen old photographs of Tucson, a small town strung out alongside the Santa Cruz River. The desert town even had a dock where boats would unload goods brought up from Mexico, some 60 miles to the south. Perhaps that is why we appreciate water so much: rain, rivers, lakes, creeks, and even puddles can offer enough to sustain life.

The Tucson Valley that was once home to scattered small tribes is now the second largest city in Arizona with over a million people. The first non-native settlement was established in 1692 by a Jesuit missionary working for Spain, Father Eusebio Francisco Kino. In 1700 a large church was built, the Mission San Xavier del Bac. Just a few miles south of downtown this National Historic Landmark still holds services for the Tohono O’odham people, the same people who helped build it. Called the “White Dove of the Desert” the mission is beautiful both inside and out.

Five years later the Spanish built a presidio (fort) called San Augustin to protect the mission and its people from the marauding Apaches. Some of the walls of the presidio are still visible in downtown Tucson. In 1821 Mexico achieved independence from Spain and the presidio raised the Mexican flag. In 1853, Tucson entered the U.S. as part of the New Mexico Territory. Residents of Tucson and other towns resented being lumped into such a large territory and tried to get the government to split the territory into two. Resentment ran high when the government refused, so it is no real surprise that the area split itself off and seceded in 1861. For two short years the area was known as the Confederate Arizona Territory. In 1863 the U.S. established the Arizona Territory. Perhaps as punishment, Arizona was not admitted as a state until February 14, 1912, the last of the contiguous 48 states to join.

Tucson served as capital of the area several times before Phoenix took over that role. The large metropolis is just over 118 miles north of Tucson, 1,389’ lower in elevation and is as different from Tucson as Los Angeles. Phoenix is the place that people from Tucson love to hate. My favorite story helps point out the differences between the two valley towns. Upon statehood the towns were offered the choice of two infrastructure opportunities; Phoenix turned its nose up at the university and instead chose the mental hospital, so Tucson received the University of Arizona. Today, I still think all the insane people live in the “Valley of the Sun” (just kidding).

Speaking of the University of Arizona, Lance and I both graduated from there and I am proud to say that it is considered one of the thirty Public Ivies in the country. Located in the center of town, it is a fairly large school with close to 40,000 undergrad and graduate students, making it the second largest employer in the city.

The largest employer is Davis-Monthan Air Force Base with 7,000 military personnel and close to 2,000 civilian employees. The thing I think is coolest about the base is the “Boneyard”: the military long-term storage facility for aircraft which stretches for acres and acres. Planes are stored here because the dry air prevents them from rusting. The Tucson valley is quite a hub of military activity. The defense contractor Raytheon has its missile systems operation based here, and at one time there were eighteen Titan II intercontinental ballistic missiles set up in rings around the Tucson Valley. The high concentration of missiles made Tucson one of the top targets for the Soviets during the Cold War.

My elementary school was across the highway from one of these deadly missiles. During school we would have air raid drills; when the ear-splitting sirens went off we all crawled under our desks and covered our heads with our hands. By the time I was in the third grade I realized that my hands and my desk would offer no protection from the blast that could occur if the Soviets hit us. I gave my teacher fits because I refused to crawl under my desk. Ironically, the decommissioned silo across from my old school is now the site of a church.

Speaking of things getting blown up, for years Tucson has been a safe haven for members of the mafia, most notably Joseph Bonanno. “Joe Bananas” was the boss of one of the “Five Families” of New York City who lived in Tucson off and on through the years. In the 1980s Joe moved to Tucson to lay low permanently. My aunt still lives across from one of Joe’s old houses. She says he was always courteous but there were some strange comings and goings. The peace policy has been broken through the years with mysterious arsons and car bombs. Lance and I both felt the 1996 car bomb blast that killed a man. We didn’t know each other back then but we were working at the same resort property.

Tucson has plenty of stories to share, like how Wyatt Earp shot Frank Stilwell (the man who killed his brother Morgan) at the Tucson train station in 1882. Wyatt killed the man with his first shot, but others, including Doc Holiday, used Stilwell’s body for target practice—making him “the worst shot-up man that I ever saw” according to one Tucson resident. Tucson is also the place where in 1934 John Dillinger and his gang were captured. Another local tradition is the El Tiradito shrine downtown. Here a jealous lover lost his life while fighting for his woman; it is said to be the only shrine dedicated to a sinner. Yet obviously the story touches many as the shrine is alive at night with the flicker of numerous candles.

There is more to the story of Tucson and it is different for everyone. Next time I will focus on Tucson’s amazing natural treasures.