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| Petroglyphs on Signal Hill Trail |
Though humans probably have been in the Tucson area for at least 13,000 years, the earliest sign if habitation in the park dates to around 200 CE. At that time the Hohokam culture flourished in the region, growing corn, beans and squash while hunting deer and gathering cholla buds, palo verde buds, prickly pears, and saguaro fruit. They left pottery shards and petroglyphs in a variety of locations. The Hohokam culture, however, disappeared around 1450 CE. Several trails explore this heritage.
Spanish explorers and modern Native Americans encountered one another during the former’s expeditions in 1539-40. In 1692, the Spanish established San Xavier Mission at what is now Tucson then in 1775 constructed a fort, the Presidio San Agustín del Tucsón. The area became Mexican territory when the colony gained independence from Spain in 1821. Following the conclusion of the Mexican-American War in 1848, the United States took control of it.
Through the late 1800s and early 1900s, homesteaders, ranchers and miners slowly settled the Tucson area, including what later would become the park. Ruins from all are found scattered across the park’s two districts. Most noticeable are the mines. There are 149 abandoned mines in just the Tucson Mountain district, where prospectors and companies sought copper, gold, lead, silver, zinc, and other ores. Several mining sites can be reached via trails while the Freeman Homestead Trail heads to the ruins of a former ranch.
A movement to protect the area’s saguaros began in 1920 when members of the Natural History Society of the University of Arizona discussed creating a sanctuary for the iconic plant. Finally in spring 1933, U.S. President Herbert Hoover created Saguaro National Monument, the precursor to the park. It included portions of the Rincon Mountain District. During the Great Depression, the Civilian Conservation Corps worked on several projects in the park, including construction of Cactus Forest Loop Drive. One popular hike off the loop drive is the Javelina Rocks Trail.
In 1961, President John F. Kennedy added 16,000 acres in the Tucson Mountains to the monument from land managed by Pima County. The new western district expanded in 1976 then again in 1994. A popular hike in the western section is the Valley View Overlook Trail.
In 1994, President Bill Clinton signed legislation that elevated the monument’s east and west districts to national park status. More than a quarter century later, annual visitation to the national park has topped 1 million.
