The brush huts of the Tohono O’odham, mistakenly called the Papago tribe, dotted the land. These Native Americans lived peacefully in their scattered villages, farming small fields and selling their beautifully crafted baskets and pottery in the settlement towns. Their water jugs, called ollas by the Mexicans, were famous for their ability to keep water cool throughout a hot desert day. As more settlers moved in to the territory, mission schools opened, run by different church groups. They worked with the US government to take Native American children from their families, and “Americanize” them. While Arizona didn’t have many mission schools before 1891, I took some liberties in describing the experiences of many Native American boys and girls through Rushing Cloud’s story.
In the ninteenth century, Tucson was the only fortified walled town in America. It had to fight off attacks by Mexican bandits, Apache raiders, and gunslinging outlaws. Tucson had a dusty main street, a brewery and some saloons, one café, and several low adobe buildings. One of its most highly respected residents was Charles Meyer, a German immigrant who ran the town’s only apothecary shop and was fondly called Doc Meyer for his vast knowledge of medicines. In 1864 he also became justice of the peace, serving as judge and jailer of the city’s lawbreakers.
By 1872, when young Miguel might have lived there, Tucson had been part of the United States less than twenty years. The annexation happened in 1854, when President Franklin Pierce signed an agreement called the Gadsden Purchase. Under this contract, Mexico sold land to the United States in what is now the southern portion of Arizona and New Mexico. Overnight, all the Mexicans and the native people living in the area became American citizens—whether they wished to or not.
Arizona Territory wanted desperately to become a full-fledged state, but the Congress in Washington, DC, repeatedly refused. The territory’s leaders were certain that if they established public schools, it would help their push for statehood. So, in 1871, Tucson built the town’s first public school for boys. The residents also wanted the newest citizens, who had so recently been Mexican, to learn English and study the government of the United States. Schools were the best way to accomplish those goals.
Settlers continued to arrive in the territory, some of them immigrants from European countries. Most of the time, they were met with acceptance and tolerance. But sometimes they faced hostile residents who didn’t like foreigners or those of a different faith. Tucson’s only house of worship was a small Catholic mission that offered weekly Mass and tried to convert newcomers and the native people. There were few Jewish settlers in the Southwest, but those that did arrive mostly overcame lingering prejudices to become successful in business and politics.
Arizona Territory was growing steadily toward statehood. Its population continued to rise as ranchers, merchants, and cattlemen braved its many dangers to make a new life for themselves and their families.