Old Spanish Trail Estates in Tucson in Pima County, Arizona — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Where Have All the Saguaros Gone?
In February 1937, a cold front brought record low temperatures to Tucson. A few years later saguaros began to die at an alarming rate. For a decade, scientists and the public struggled to deal with the "cactus blight." Following another killing freeze in 1962, researchers realized that temperatures below freezing for more than 20 hours could kill saguaros.
Before 1980 almost no young saguaros could be found here. Predictions of doom were made: "the last saguaro will die in the 1990s." In 1979, the National Park Service acquired all grazing rights in the Cactus Forest. After decades of trampling by cattle, young saguaros began to sprout under palo verde and mesquite "nurse trees." The trend toward renewal continues today.
Photo captions:
Saguaro in 1935
Saguaro in 1960
Saguaro in 1985
Erected by National Park Service.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Environment • Horticulture & Forestry. A significant historical month for this entry is February 1937.
Location. 32° 11.904′ N, 110° 44.098′ W. Marker is in Tucson, Arizona, in Pima County. It is in Old Spanish Trail Estates. Marker is on Cactus Forest Drive, 1.8 miles north of South Old Spanish Trail, on the left when traveling north. The marker is on Cactus Forest Drive inside of 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.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Home for Saguaros (approx. 1.2 miles away); Desert Homes (approx. 2.6 miles away); Officer Erik Hite (approx. 4.4 miles away); Agua Caliente Ranch and Hot Springs (approx. 5.7 miles away); Airmen Memorial Bridge (approx. 6.9 miles away); Hacienda Moltacqua (approx. 7.3 miles away); Thiokol Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster (approx. 8.6 miles away); Sikorsky MH-53M Pave Low IV (approx. 8.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tucson.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on July 12, 2015, by J. Makali Bruton of Accra, Ghana. This page has been viewed 583 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 12, 2015, by J. Makali Bruton of Accra, Ghana. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.