1904 Map of Tucson

About this map

Tucson serves as the central hub of this early twentieth-century landscape, a desert frontier shaped by the Southern Pacific railroad and the seasonal flows of the Santa Cruz River and Rillito Creek. The map documents a period of transition, where the historical footprint of Old Fort Lowell remains a visible landmark northeast of the city. While the valley floor is punctuated by cattle ranches like the Bullock Ranch and Martinezs Ranch, the high elevations of the Santa Catalina Mountains reveal a network of seasonal camps and specialized cabins, including Summerhaven Cabin and Soldiers Camp. To the east, the rugged Tanque Verde Mountains and the newly designated Saguaro National Monument protect a wilderness of dramatic peaks like Mica Mt. and Rincon Peak, where early resource extraction is evidenced by the Loma Verde Mines.