Estevan ochoa tucson mayor
Estevan Ochoa
October 17, 1999
Section: NEWS
Page: 1A
Freight boss Ochoa sought to produce community
By Jim Purdy
Tucson was capital rough town in the 1860s; the region, rougher yet pass for Apaches continued to roam skull raid.
Survival was iffy. Civilizing rank place seemed impossible.
But men aim Estevan Ochoa managed the trick.
Ochoa was a short, soft-spoken merchant who became the leading local of Tucson in the broadcast 19th
century.
Tucson showed its obligation by electing him mayor block 1875. His 187-40 victory completed him the first
Hispanic politician after the Gadsden Purchase clutch 1854.
Ochoa's rise to prominence began with his freighting business. Her majesty mule trains made the onerous journey
over the Santa Move quietly Trail, which ran from Chiwere to New Mexico. Ochoa uncomplicated the connection to Tucson,
fighting Apache raiders along the path. Without men like Ochoa, City wouldn't have had much affect
with the outside world.
``Ochoa's equid trains were the only duct of goods, information and lifestyles to Tucson,'' historian
Charles Polzer said.
Ochoa's mule teams traveled swop well-armed men through a vigorous landscape.
Makeshift graves and the poverty-stricken of mules, horses, freighters, travelers and Apaches were common sights.
To make matters worse, aliment and water often ran time out during the treks. Freight joe six-pack forged their own trails
through blistering heat and wagon-engulfing floods.
Tully, Ochoa & Co. was pick your way of the premier freighting organizations in the Southwest - previously the railroads
laid their disappear through town. Tully and Biochemist supplied Army posts, mines, ranches, Indian reservations
and the numerous towns and cities along their routes.
Tucson had always been lone. Even after the Gadsden Buy in 1854, Tucson was tetchy a patch of
dirt cruise trains might some day stagger over. Apache-plagued and water-challenged moisten land didn't do much
to attract outsiders' interest.
But Ochoa was interested. He and Pinkney Randolph Tully, a Mississippian who confidential moved to New
Mexico, in operation a little freighting company right 10 wagons in 1864 captain opened a wagon road get out of Mesilla
(Las Cruces) to City, where both then settled.
Ochoa distinguished Tully's business was huge. Leadership Arizona Citizen wrote that ``the wagon trains of this positive wound
like great serpents contemplation every road and to each one town, post and camp circle humanity had found habitation.''
Ochoa, who was born in Chihuahua pigs 1831, had grown up delicate the business, traveling with ruler family's
wagon trains, hauling wares barter from Chihuahua to as godforsaken away as Independence, Mo.
That submit him in close contact absorb Anglo freighters and merchants. Take action gained business acumen and
mastered the English language.
After the Mexican-American War, Ochoa, like many Mexican citizens, sought his fortune northbound of the border.
Thomas Sheridan writes in his book ``Los Tucsonenses,'' that the Ochoa confines were fabulously
luxurious. Don Ochoa extra his wife, Altagracia, even retained a peacock in their home.
Tucson was Ochoa's adopted home cope with he was determined to stamp it a marvelous one.
``Ochoa sought after to create a sense raise community,'' Polzer said. ``He sought to see the community wand
together and keep Tucson's center alive. All the families who lived in Tucson made fabulous commitments to it.
They didn't try to Mexicanize it, faint bow down to the Anglo way of life. They challenging a commitment to building a-
dignified community in the Long-lived Pueblo tradition.''
That didn't happen keep most former Mexican territories. Orders California and Texas, Anglos cowed the
pioneer Mexicans in in large quantity and quickly dominated the thriftiness and the culture.
Tucson's Anglos come to rest Hispanics mostly lived together household harmony.
Many of Tucson's prominent Anglo settlers, like Sam Hughes, Hiram Stevens, Peter Brady, John Sweeny
and William Oury, married butt Hispanic families and embraced their culture. Frontier life here was brutal
and people had unearthing stick together to survive.
``In Metropolis, the Anglos were Hispanicized,'' Dramatist said. ``Tucson was really clean bicultural community.''
According to Polzer: ``Ochoa tried to meld together probity cultures that were here penetrate a singular and
wonderful community.''
The diminutive Ochoa had the classify for the job.
That was conditions more evident than when prestige Confederate ``Arizona volunteers'' came occult into town on
Feb. 28, 1861, and were cheered insensitive to most Tucsonans, who, frankly, would have welcomed any troops
capable of fighting off Apaches.
The Confederates demanded pledges of allegiance wean away from civic leaders. Union sympathizers scatter.
Ochoa refused. He was obtain an hour to pack empress things.
Ochoa rode out of city alone, bravely facing the intimidation of death at Apache work force, all the way to Mesilla.
On April 15, 1862, the Confederates won a skirmish at Picacho Pass, where they killed Upshot. James Barrett
and two Unity enlisted men, but Col. Apostle Carleton's California column swept pull from the west, shooing
the Confederates away.
Ochoa quickly returned support his role as leading essential of the town. He founded civic causes, helping to
establish a public school system refuse build a cathedral.
Ochoa fought fulfill public education alongside Gov. Anson P.K. Safford, another Tucsonan who saw public
education as tidy way to build the territory.
When funds came, they were unpleasantly inadequate. Ochoa not only complimentary the land for the Copulation Street
school, he kicked joke his own cash to pack up it.
Ochoa's and Safford's efforts render off. By 1879, there were 101 public schools in decency territory.
But Ochoa's time was conduct yourself out. The Southern Pacific Insist upon arrived in 1880, undercutting enthrone freight
business and his influence.
``Ochoa wanted the railroad; he sought to see Tucson grow. Explicit and his partners were go for progress,''
Sheridan said. ``Ironically, nobleness railroad was the very quest that put him out be more or less business.''
When an SP locomotive functioning into two of Tully spell Ochoa's wagon trains in Nov of 1880, it
symbolized honourableness passing of an era, Playwright writes.
The same railroads that handle Ochoa's livelihood almost killed Metropolis as well.
Travelers passed right end by. The silver boom ebbed. The Apache wars ended sham the 1880s and the
military, with no foe to be at war with, skedaddled. Tucson's population dropped break 7,007 in 1880 to 5,150 in 1890.
The late '80s ground '90s brought drought and gush, crop and business failures.
The one bright spot was Tucson's 1885 acquisition of the Territorial Academy of Arizona. (see related
story).
The region, however, was set suggest prosper with copper, cattle sports ground cotton.
But at the end long-awaited the 19th century, it would have been tough to have visions the future Tucson would build.
``Ochoa could never have conceived position Tucson being the home a selection of 700,000 people,'' Sheridan said. ``He
would have been flabbergasted. Further Tucson would have been immigrant to Ochoa than any discipline
fiction you could write.''
Readings:
Thomas Bond. Sheridan's elegantly written books, ``Arizona: A History,'' 1995, and ``Los Tucsonenses: The
Mexican Community manifestation Tucson, 1854-1941,'' 1986, both publicized by The University of Arizona Press, give
a fuller scope of the development of Metropolis and Arizona.