1968 Map of Cat Mountain

About this map

Tucson expands westward into the foothills of the Tucson Mountains in the late 1960s, a period marked by suburban development meeting the edge of Saguaro National Monument. The eastern edge of the sheet captures a dense institutional and residential corridor, including St Marys Hospital, the University of Arizona Geochronology Laboratories, and local schools like Brichta Sch and Sahuaro Sch. The landscape is defined by the sharp transition from the flat valley floor of the Santa Cruz River to the volcanic peaks of Cat Mountain and Golden Gate Mountain. Evidence of early land use and resource extraction appears in scattered prospects and quarries, while modern recreation is represented by the extensive Tucson Mountain County Park and specialized facilities like the Rifle Range and Pistol Range.