Presidio Real de San Agustín del Tucson:
Plaza de las Armas,
First Raising of the U.S. Flag
within the Walls of Tucson
Marker:
Spanish Presidio, Plaza de las Armas,
Commemorating the raising of the U.S. Flag on December 16, 1846
Location:
El Presidio Plaza
165 W. Alameda Street
Tucson, Pima County, Arizona
32.22306, -110.973784
Historical Significance:
In 1846, seven years before the Gadsden Purchase of 1853, Tucson was yet part of Mexico. During the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), the Mormon Battalion of the U.S. Army marched from Council Bluffs, Iowa, to San Diego, California. After encounters with the Mexican soldiers stationed at the Presidio San Agustín del Tucson, but without military engagement, members of the battalion raised the flag of the United States, reportedly within a barrel of a canon.
This marker can be difficult to find, as it blends with the circular planters. However, it is in a direct line of someone walking between public elevators #2 and #3, as if exiting one of the elevators.
The Mormon Battalion was charged with exploring possible rail routes across the Southwest.
Dedicated:
1929
Sponsor:
Arizona State Society, DAR
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