Presidio San Agustin del Tucson Museum

Postcards are a fun way of exploring Tucson's history. They were invented in the late 1800s and were popular way to send messages, especially for people visiting places.

Postcard styles changed through time. The Smithsonian has published a handy guide to dating cards, available online HERE. Postcards that were mailed often have post marks, allowing them to be dated.

The second Pima County Courthouse was built in 1881 and remained in use until 1928. The view below is the southwest corner of the courthouse, looking to the north.

1881 Pima County Courthouse.

Congress Street was the center of mercantile activities, with many stores, restaurants, and saloons. Downtown streets were not paved until the late 1910s to early 1920s.

Congress Street.

The Library of Congress has recently posted scanned copies of the Sanborn Fire Insurance maps online. These maps were created to allow insurance adjustors in far-away cities determined how much to insure buildings for. They were color-coded by material, showed the location of fire hydrants and water lines, and provide addresses of buildings. The maps were updated periodically. To find the Tucson Sanborn maps, look HERE

1919 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, page 5, showing corner of Stone and Congress.

This view is probably looking north from Congress Street onto N. Stone Avenue.

N. Stone Avenue.

You can find Tucson postcards online at Ebay and other internet sites or in antique stores. At least one book on Tucson postcards is available on Amazon.com, Greetings from Tucson: A Postcard History of the Old Pueblo by Michelle B. Graye.

This blog is sponsored by 

Presidio San Agustin del Tucson Museum

196 N. Court Avenue
Tucson, AZ 85701
United States

540-622-0594