Sunday, Sept. 20
On this date in 1927, Leo, the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer lion, was being flown from San Diego to New York when the Ryan monoplane with its specially constructed cage of glass over steel bars, crashed in the Mogollon Rim, 60 miles (97 kilometers) north of Roosevelt Lake. Pilot Martin Jenson found his way to the Apache Lodge and cowboys located the wreckage and rescued Leo.
On this date in 1929, for the first time the waters of the Coolidge Dam produced electric power when Supervisor Theodore Rose opened the gates into the turbine which started the generators.
On this date in 1929, newspapers announced the loss by fire of several valuable paintings by Mrs. A.Y. Smith, noted Arizona artist, when her home at Pearce burned to the ground.
Monday, Sept. 21
On this date in 1870, Gov. Anson P.K. Safford came out of the mountains with the Territorial Militia after a 26-day campaign between the San Pedro and Santa Cruz rivers without having seen a single Apache.
On this date in 1920, many residents of Tucson found themselves stuck with thousands of dollars worth of worthless stock in an airless tire company.
On this date in 1921, there were 963 students enrolled at the University of Arizona.
On this date in 1923, four people were killed and many more injured when the Santa Fe’s California Limited derailed.
On this date in 1929, Valentine Perez, pioneer Yuma resident and one of the first employees of the Colorado River steamers, died.
Tuesday, Sept. 22
On this date in 1554, Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, his fortune lost in the vain search for the fabled Seven Cities of Cibola, died.
On this date in 1917, the Nogales jail overflowed with prisoners as draft dodgers from many states were trapped in that border city.
On this date in 1921, the Ajo Road was designated by the U.S. government as a transcontinental military highway.
Wednesday, Sept. 23
On this date in 1829, Gen. George Crook was born in Dayton, Ohio.
On this date in 1879, the Public Shower Bath House opened in Tucson.
On this date in 1921, an early morning fire at the Arizona Egyptian Cotton Co. caused damage estimated by company officials to cost between $25,000 and $30,000.
On this date in 1921, a total of 963 students were enrolled at University of Arizona.
On this date in 1927, Col. Charles A. Lindbergh arrived in Tucson in his plane, “The Spirit of St. Louis,” to dedicate Tucson’s new airport. Officials of three Mexican states joined more than 20,000 enthusiastic Arizonans to welcome him.
On this date in 1929, 225 wild and stray horses and burros were rounded up and held at Bonita Creek northeast of Safford by the Graham County assessor’s office. The owner did not surface to pay the taxes owed on them and the animals were sold.
Thursday, Sept. 24
On this date in 1891, Dr. J.C. Handy, physician and former chancellor of the University of Arizona, was shot and fatally wounded by attorney Francis J. Heney during a quarrel at the corner of Pennington and Church streets in Tucson.
On this date in 1929, while the Sunshine Climate Club celebrated at a dinner in Tucson, record floods cut off all highways east and west of town.
On this date in 1929, Phelps Dodge Corp. announced plans to construct a leaching plant and a mill in the vicinity of Bunker Station between Clifton and Morenci.
Friday, Sept. 25
On this date in 1868, Arizona became a separate Roman Catholic Diocese under Bishop Jean Baptiste Salpointe.
On this date in 1896, the Tucson School Board decided that it could not afford to open a high school for only six students.
On this date in 1929, 4.7 inches (12 centimeters) of rain washed out bridges throughout southern Arizona, closing roads, isolating towns and stranding motorists, including a school bus which was trapped by mud and deep water northeast of Tucson with 20 children aboard. The children stayed overnight at a nearby home.
Saturday, Sept 26
On this date in 1864, the First Territorial Legislature convened in Prescott, adopted a code of laws, created the four original counties of Pima, Mohave, Yavapai and Yuma and established a university and a Board of Regents.
On this date in 1876, Taza, the son of Apache chief Cochise, died in Washington D.C. of pneumonia while he was visiting the Capitol with a group of Apaches. He was buried in the congressional cemetery with the Commissioner of Indian Affairs and other noted dignitaries in attendance.
On this date in 1878, a big reception was held at Prescott for Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman.
On this date in 1880, the first Congregational Church in Arizona Territory was established in Phoenix with 13 members.
On this date in 1929, a Tucson resident who had demanded, unsuccessfully, that his next-door neighbor maintain absolute silence between the hours of 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. each day erected a wall 14-feet high and 8-inches thick, extending the full length of the property line from the sidewalk to the alley.
On this date in 1986, William Rehnquist of Phoenix is appointed Chief Justice of the U. S. Supreme Court.
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