22 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
OutBoise.com | Issue 4.2 | February 2015
Tucson: The Old Pueblo
Tucson
by Kris Muñoz
Have you ever wanted to know what
it was like to travel and get to experience
and see other places? Then you’re going
to love this! I’m very excited to share and
be a part of this new section of OutBoise.
This article will focus on a particular
travel destination for each issue. Since I
decided to take on this topic, I figured
there would be no better place to start
than my recently visited home to Tucson,
Arizona.
The Old Pueblo is alive and well. It has
been for the past 12,000 years for various
tribes, cultures and indigenous humans.
Tucson has that unique claim to history
as being the oldest living inhabited area
in all of the United States. At that time,
it is believed that migrating Paleo-Indians, a race of archaic hunters and gathers, began to settle in the area. It is quite
interesting to learn why humans have
been living in that area for the past several millennia. Once a year, Tucson experiences annual rainstorms known as
Monsoons. These particular storms can
range from a standard thunderstorm to a
raging Monsoon that releases walls of
water, along with 65 mph winds
flooding ancient riverbeds and modern
day roads. I have to tell you, there is no
greater smell than that of a desert rain.
Tucson has made the history books for
other reasons. Being part of the Old Wild
West, the city’s downtown area is home
to the infamously and historically known
Hotel Congress, located at 311 E. Congress
St. This hotel was the place where the notorious gangster John Dillinger was captured and was the site of various
shootouts and more than one
murder/suicide. The Hotel Congress has
been reported to be haunted by as many
as eight ghosts. Most famous of these spirits is the one that resides in room 214, also
known to be the Suicide Room.
The second ghost being that of a 1930’s
era woman who was killed by her own
hand by putting a bullet to her head in
the bathroom, she likes to watch guests
sleep and sometimes will tickle them, she
has never left room 242. Lastly, a woman
who likes to show herself in the hotel’s
lobby staircase. Many have seen her as
she has appeared in many of visitor’s
photographs from the lobby area.
Another place worth mentioning is the
The Old Pueblo
Loft Cinema, located at 3233 E.
Speedway Blvd. This is definitely a local
favorite, much like The Flicks in Boise.
The nonprofit cinema has a rich and
vastly loyal following. They have played
host to many different filmmakers to
local graduating college students and
Hollywood hit makers.
Big names are nothing new to this city.
In fact, Tucson called home by a few
celebrities. Linda Ronstadt is one of them.
She was born here and is an 11-time
Grammy Winner and mega superstar of
both pop and country music. Her family
name is very much known, aside from
herself and musical career, she was
known for being a Ronstadt first.
The Rodstadt name is been known in
that city since her family came to Tucson
in the late 1800’s. They started musical
festivals that continue on to this day. She
grew up listening to her father and family playing instruments and traditional
Mexican music. It was no surprise to this
town that she made a strong and successful musical career.