Tucson Railroad Depot

1462 Words6 Pages

The railroad depot has been terrifically significant to Tucson, AZ in the period of 1880-2017. The railroad depot in Tucson, Arizona has been very significant to the population and size, racial relationships, community and economy of Tucson. The Tucson railroad depot was and still is a essential part of the city’s success. In regards to how the tran depot has changed the city, Tucson was a territory come to life in 1863, and though famed as the old pueblo, it was a savage itself, and a violent newborn. Tucson was a sorry looking mexican territory with narrow crooked streets, and was known as a place of gambling and prostitution. Streets were filled with brawls and none but two citizens in the early 1880’s died natural deaths. Men were drunken, …show more content…

The Tucson Railroad was built primarily by chinese workers, who were paid $1 a day, significantly less than that of their Anglo partners. Within three years, 80 percent of the Central Pacific workforce was made up of Chinese workers, and they proved to be essential to the task of laying the line through the Sierra Nevadas. A begrudging agreement by head workers was that the Chinese were conscientious, sober, and hard workers. Chinese workers also moved with their families to the growing city of Tucson to open restaurants. The chinese became a source of prosperity, and though highly criticized and targeted by racism, they fed Tucson and added to its plant growth and harvested much greenery. The Tucson Railroad gave them the opportunity to find solace in the city …show more content…

Before the railroad, there was numerous accounts of people describing Tucson as full of crime, and a place for gambling and prostitution. An account by J. Ross Browne illustrates Tucson as being degraded by villains, each and every resident being heavily armed and violence being a daily occurence. An account by Captain John C. Cremony illustrates Tucson as being merciless and savages with murder being as even MORE common as natural deaths. Currently, crime in Tucson is still extremely high compared to the national average. In some instances, crime in Tucson can be as high as two times more than the national average. Although the Tucson railroad depot had significant impacts in many different areas, the railroad depot had little to no impact on Tucson’s criminal

Open Document