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The Hanging Road

This photograph, more than 120 years old, is a testament to someone’s eye for composition. It’s a little work of art, really, because it implies the truth about this doctor, a Tucson icon in his day. In public life, symbolized by the light, airy buggy he used on his Samaritan rounds, he was admired, even revered. But he had another side, as dark as the shadow he stands in, and finally it killed him.

The tall man at right is Augustine Chacon, a notorious criminal tracked down and captured by an Arizona Ranger in 1901. The man with him is identified simply as Chavez. Both men are in leg irons.

This illustration of Miss Beautiful in June appeared in a 1912 bridal advertisement for the Phelps Dodge Store in Bisbee. The ad featured such fine merchandise as onyx silk boot hose, long and short silk gloves, parasols, white and beaded bags and lingerie dresses of sheer fabrics “beautifully finished.’’

“Strictly modern. Absolutely fireproof. Comfort plus, in a variety of accommodations ranging from single rooms to luxurious suites,’’ reads the reverse side of this postcard, issued by the posh Hotel Adams during the 1920s.

A Staged Photo of a Legendary Man

This excellent sketch of the Gila River Valley was rendered by Lieutenant (later General) William H. Emory of the Army Corps of Topographical Engineers, as he accompanied General Stephen Watts Kearny’s Army of the West and guide Kit Carson on the 1846 trek across the Southwest en route to California. His journal of that expedition later appeared in book form as “Notes of a Military Reconnaissance.”

Lindbergh Visits Tucson

An unidentified bartender struggles with the door on the Turf Saloon in this 1908 Bisbee photograph. A flood sent the torrent of water from the back alley through the building and out the front door onto Main Street. Photographer M.W. Low recorded the action during the storm that caused more than $25,000 in damage to Main Street businesses. Although flooded, the Turf sustained only minor damage and remained open throughout the deluge.

This is what the building on the northwest corner of Third Avenue and Washington Street looked like 70 years ago, when it was occupied by the Central Arizona Light & Power Company. Today it is home to Stickler’s Restaurant, which opened in early 2004, replacing Walker’s Café, which had been at the location since late 2001.