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Santa Cruz County is located the southernmost central part of Arizona,
bordering Mexico and serving as the gateway to North America's most
important port of entry, Nogales, Sonora, Mexico. While one of the state's
smallest counties, Santa Cruz County is also one of Arizona's most diverse
and interesting destinations, offering an eclectic blend of history,
culture, art, recreation, shopping, cuisine and entertainment in a beautiful
and relaxing setting. From the artist colony of Tubac to the historic
national monuments at Tumacacori, to the twin border towns of Nogales,
Arizona and Mexico, to the mountain and birding town of Patagonia, to
Arizona's wine country in Sonoita & Elgin, a journey though Santa Cruz County
will intrigue, stimulate and satisfy the senses!
The history of the region dates back to the cultures of the Apache, Yaqui and Hohokam
peoples who built their communities along the Santa Cruz River, Sonoita Creek and Harshaw Creek, whose waters flowed
year round and provided ideal sites for agriculture and ranching.
In 1539 the Spanish explorer and Franciscan monk, Fray Marcos de Niza,
was the first European to visit the area, entering near present-day
Lochiel on the Mexican border. Coronado's expedition also entered the
region in the 16th century in search of the legendary Seven Cities of
Gold. Nearly a century and a half later in the late 1600s, the Spanish
sent the Jesuit priest Padre Eusebio Francisco Kino to the region to
establish missions and map the territory for Spain. For the next two
decades this extraordinary man, known as a humanitarian, farmer, cattle
rancher, explorer, mathematician, cartographer and geographer, traveled
through Southern Arizona spreading the Catholic faith and teaching people
how to farm.
In 1752, after an uprising by the Pima Indians, the Spanish Crown established
New Spain's northernmost outpost and Europe's first settlement in Arizona
at what is now Tubac. Shortly thereafter, soldier and explorer Juan
Bautista de Anza along with 240 settlers traveled through Presidio de Tubac on their journey to found the city of San Francisco in 1775 and
1776. During his tenure at Tubac (1760-1776), Anza built the chapel
of Santa Gertrudis, the foundations of which lie beneath today's St.
Ann's Church.
Gradually the vast Spanish land grants that had been established were
broken up as settlers from the East moved west to homestead and ranch.
By 1853, the Gadsden Purchase formed the southeastern corner of Arizona,
then Mexico, making it part of the United States. Santa Cruz County,
created in 1899 by Arizona's 20th Territorial Assembly, is named after
the Santa Cruz River which was named in the late 1600s by Father Kino.
Santa Cruz means "holy cross" in Spanish.
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Historic Figures of
Santa Cruz County
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Fray Marcos de Niza.
A Franciscan priest in search of Cibola, the Seven Cities of
Gold, felt he was close when he reached the Ambos Nogales territory.
His report on the district promoted a Spanish expedition led
by Francisco Vazquez de Coronado in 1540 to lay claim to the
cities.
Padre Eusebio Francisco Kino. Nearly
a century and a half after Fray Marcos de Niza, the Jesuit priest
Padre Eusebio Francisco Kino entered the region in order to
establish missions and map the territory for Spain.
Juan Bautista de Anza.
Perhaps Tubac's most famous personality, Anza's second expedition
to the Pacific coast departed from Tubac October 23, 1775. It
included approximately 300 soldiers and colonists, and culminated
with the founding of San Francisco.
Pete Kitchen.
The man who restored order, sort of...In 1853 a former U.S.
Calvary soldier, Pete Kitchen, established a ranch and fortified
stronghold 5 miles north of present day Nogales, Sonora along fertile Portrero Creek. He recruited a group of 28 Opata Indians from
Sonora Mexico to help build the structures and act as "Kitchen's
Army" guarding the area 24 hours a day. Eventually Kitchen
tired of the settled life and sold his ranch. Today it's a
restaurant.
Jacob Isaacson.
In 1880, Jacob Isaacson, a Russian immigrant, built a trading
post, called Isaacson, which later became Nogales.
General Francisco "Pancho Villa."
"Pancho" Villa was rumored to have regularly crossed
the Nogales border and when he had, would hide in secret rooms
or closets in some of the prestigious homes on Crawford Street.
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