El Presidio in Tucson in Pima County, Arizona — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Presidio San Agustín del Tucson
Photographed by Bill Kirchner, January 8, 2012
1. Presidio San Agustín del Tucson Marker
Inscription.
Presidio San Agustín del Tucson. . For about 80 years, the adobe walls of the Tucson Presidio protected the residents of the area from attacks by Apache groups, who opposed Spanish and Mexican peoples and their native allies beginning in the 1600s. The Spanish military designated the site in 1775 on the location of a prehistoric native village site. The fort housed 100 soldiers at its height, and 300 civilians lived in the area, with several hundred O'odham and Aravaipa Apache allies in the vicinity. The main gate for the fort was located south of here at Alameda Street. The interior walls were lined with residences, stables, a blacksmith shop, and warehouses. The walls of the fort were dismantled after abandonment by Mexican forces in 1856 and were mostly gone by 1862. The last visible wall segment was photographed in 1915, and taken down soon after that. Remnants of the wall foundations are still preserved beneath the lawns, streets, and buildings of downtown Tucson. The reconstructed northeast corner of the Presidio is on the southwest corner of Washington Street and Church Avenue.
For about 80 years, the adobe walls of the Tucson Presidio protected the residents of the area from attacks by Apache groups, who opposed Spanish and Mexican peoples and their native allies beginning in the 1600s. The Spanish military designated the site in 1775 on the location of a prehistoric native village site. The fort housed 100 soldiers at its height, and 300 civilians lived in the area, with several hundred O'odham and Aravaipa Apache allies in the vicinity. The main gate for the fort was located south of here at Alameda Street. The interior walls were lined with residences, stables, a blacksmith shop, and warehouses. The walls of the fort were dismantled after abandonment by Mexican forces in 1856 and were mostly gone by 1862. The last visible wall segment was photographed in 1915, and taken down soon after that. Remnants of the wall foundations are still preserved beneath the lawns, streets, and buildings of downtown Tucson. The reconstructed northeast corner of the Presidio is on the southwest corner of Washington Street and Church Avenue.
Erected 2011 by the Tucson Presidio Trust and Pima County Supervisor Richard Elias.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Forts and Castles • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1775.
Location.
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32° 13.446′ N, 110° 58.552′ W. Marker is in Tucson, Arizona, in Pima County. It is in El Presidio. It is at the intersection of North Main Avenue and West Paseo Redondo, on the right when traveling south on North Main Avenue. Marker is on the northwest corner. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 207 N Main Ave, Tucson AZ 85701, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Arizona’s Sky Islands, in the Sonoran Desert, and in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American Southwest. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also the Gadsden Purchase.
Regarding Presidio San Agustín del Tucson. Regarding Presidio San Agustin del Tucson.
Presidio San Agustin del Tucson is #1 on the Presidio Trail Walking Tour. The description reads:
“On August 20th, 1775, Lt. Col. Hugo O’Conor, an Irishman serving in the Spanish Army, founded a fort in what is now downtown Tucson. With the exception of a small Spanish chapel across the Santa Cruz River at
Photographed by Bill Kirchner, January 6, 2012
2. Presidio San Agustín del Tucson Marker
the foot of “A” Mountain, this was the first European structure in Tucson. By the 1780s, when the 11-acre fort was completed, it consisted of 10-foot-high adobe walls and two corner towers, each 20 feet high. The fort marked the northwestern edge of the Spanish frontier in Arizona. The northeast corner of the presidio has been reconstructed on its original site at Church and Washington and is open to the public.”
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.
Photographed by Bill Kirchner, January 8, 2012
3. Presidio San Agustin del Tucson Marker
Marker is in center of photo.
Photographed by Bill Kirchner, January 8, 2012
4. Reconstructed corner of Presidio
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on January 9, 2012, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona. This page has been viewed 1,378 times since then and 41 times this year. Last updated on May 13, 2015, by J. Makali Bruton of Washington, District of Columbia. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on January 9, 2012, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
