Saguaro National Park in Tucson in Pima County, Arizona — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Home for Saguaros
Photographed by J. Makali Bruton, June 7, 2015
1. Home for Saguaros Marker
The saguaro cactus before you owes its existence to the foresight of local residents. In the 1920s grazing and development threatened the saguaro's future. Saguaro forests began to disappear as mature cactuses were chopped to make way for new roads. Livestock added to the damage as cattle trampled seedlings. Fearing destruction of the Southwest's saguaro forests, Homer Shantz (pictured left) led the effort that created Saguaro National Park - protecting giant saguaros for generations to come.
Milestones in the life of the park
1928 Campaign to protect giant saguaros begins.
1933 President Hoover authorizes Saguaro National Monument.
1961 President Kennedy adds Tucson Mountains to the monument.
1976 Congress designates 71,400 acres as wilderness.
1994 Congress designates Saguaro National Park.
Photo caption: A great natural area...of the southwest. Homer Shantz, University of Arizona president.
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Environment • Horticulture & Forestry. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #31 Herbert Hoover
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Location. 32° 10.863′ N, 110° 44.067′ W. Marker is in Tucson, Arizona, in Pima County. It is in Saguaro National Park. It is on Cactus Forest Drive 0.2 miles north of South Old Spanish Trail, on the right when traveling north. This marker is on the grounds of the Saguaro National Park East. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Cactus Forest Drive, Tucson AZ 85730, 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.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Where Have All the Saguaros Gone? (approx. 1.2 miles away); Desert Homes (approx. 1.4 miles away); Officer Erik Hite (approx. 5.4 miles away); Agua Caliente Ranch and Hot Springs (approx. 6.9 miles away); Airmen Memorial Bridge (approx. 7½ miles away); Hacienda Moltacqua (approx. 8.1 miles away); Thiokol Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster (approx. 8.2 miles away); Sikorsky MH-53M Pave Low IV (approx. 8.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tucson.
Photographed by J. Makali Bruton, June 7, 2015
2. Home for Saguaros Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on December 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 12, 2015, by J. Makali Bruton of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 682 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 12, 2015, by J. Makali Bruton of Washington, District of Columbia. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
