An Early History of Sahuarita, AZ

The article below is sponsored by the hospital abuse lawyers from Sahuarita. Our legal team hopes to encourage residents and visitors to learn more about the history of the town.

History of Sahuarita

Sahuarita is a town within Pima County, Arizona. Before European settlement, the area was first inhabited by the Hohokam people from the year 200 to 1450. After the Hohokam people left the area, the Sobaipuri Native American tribe occupied the region. It is believed that they were possibly related to the Hohokam. Between 1691 and 1775, Spanish explorers like Eusebio Kino and Francisco Garcés surveyed and built a series of missions in the region. In 1775, a Spanish fort was constructed in the Tucson region to control the nearby Native American settlements. This put the area in Spanish control until the Mexican War of Independence in 1821. Under Mexican control, the land was sold to the U.S. as part of the Gadsden Purchase.

Sahuarita was part of the Territory of New Mexico in 1854 and the Confederate Arizona Territory between 1861 and 1862. In 1863, it was captured by the Union forces and incorporated into Arizona Territory. The earliest known reference of Sahuarita was the town "Sahuarito" found on a German map from 1875. The first U.S. map to list the town was done so by the U.S. Department of Interior in 1879. It labeled the town as "Suarita."

That same year, Sahuarita Ranch was established by James Kilroy Brown, who named it so because of the saguaros cactus in the area. As a staging area between Arivaca, Quijotoa and Tucson, a community soon developed in the area. Railroad tracks were laid out and a station and post office was constructed in Sahuarito. When Brown sold his ranch in 1886, the community became stagnate for three decades. In 1915, Joseph Kennedy, Bernard Baruch and J.P. Morgan founded the Continential Farm along the Santa Cruz River in preparation for a potential German blockade of rubber imports.

The project was abandoned after World War I and was sold to Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands in 1922. In 1948, the Continential Farm property was bought by R. Keith Walden, who had relocated his Farmers Investment Co. (FICO) from California to Arizona. In 1965, Walden switched his crops from cotton to pecans in fear of a fall in demand for cotton because of the creation of synthetic fibers. Today, the FICO pecan orchard encompasses over 6,000 acres of land and includes 106,000 trees. It is the largest pecan orchard in the world.

As of the 2010 census, Sahuarita has a population of 25,259 people and a total area of 15.2 square miles. It is located just southeast of the San Xavier Indian Reservation.

Learn more: Discovering Drexel Heights, Arizona

Titan Missile Museum

During the Cold War, the Titan Missile Museum was a top-secret ICBM missile site. It was built in 1963 and housed the Titan II missile, which is the most powerful nuclear missile on standby in the United States. Today, it has been transformed into a museum operated by the nonprofit Arizona Aerospace Foundation. It is the only Titan Missle site in the world that is accessible to the public. On December 3, 1992, the museum was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). On April 19, 1994, it was designated a National Historic Landmark for being the only surviving Titan II complex from the late Cold War period. Situated on West Duval Mine Road, the museum is open Thursdays through Mondays from 9:45 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Sahuarita Lake Park

Sahuarita Lake Park is one of the many parks operated by the Sahuarity Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department. The park is a scenic recreational space for residents and visitors to the town. It features:

• A 1-mile paved walkway
• Exercise stations
• A gazebo
• An amphitheater
• The Green Valley Model Yacht Club - Racing
• A lake
• Drinking fountains
• Restrooms

The gazebo is available for reservations. Sahuarita Lake Park can be found on South Rancho Sahuarita Boulevard and is open daily from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Our Local Office

Were you sexually violated during your visit or stay at a hospital? Our Sahuarita hospital abuse attorneys can help you get the justice you are rightfully entitled to. We can fight alongside you in holding your offender accountable for what they've done. Call now for more information.