This month marks the 150th anniversary of the establishment of Fort Lowell, and the Tucson Presidio Museum will mark the occasion with a full slate of activities from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 18, at Fort Lowell Park.
The event, called “Fort Lowell at 150: A Look at Our Regional History,” will feature a tour of the fort hospital ruins at 11:30 a.m., remarks by Tucson City Councilman Paul Cunningham at 12:15 p.m., and a performance by the Cavalry Regimental Band of Fort Lowell at 1 p.m.
Historical reenactors will be on hand to portray the fort’s quartermaster; his wife, Lola Smith; ranchers from the fort era; and Louise Gerard, wife of the fort’s surgeon.
Scheduled lectures will be held on military medicine and 19th century amputations at 11 a.m.; prehistoric and cultural resources in the area at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.; and quirky tales of danger and death in the Santa Cruz Valley at 2 p.m.
The park at 2900 N. Craycroft Road will also play host to demonstrations by a blacksmith and a faro dealer, displays by the Mormon Battalion and the Buffalo Soldiers, and children’s activities, including crafts, Territorial Era games and arrow throwing using a prehistoric atlatl.
The officer’s quarters and the Adkins Steel Property across Craycroft from the park will be open to the public throughout the event, with neighborhood docents on-site to answer questions.
Tickets are not required, but a suggested donation of $5 per person will be accepted.
In December, the Tucson Presidio Museum entered into an agreement with the city to operate the Fort Lowell Museum, which has been closed since 2020.
The museum in the park is now being renovated and could reopen this fall.
Until then, the Presidio Museum hopes to organize more occasional “pop-up” history events at the 150-year-old fort site.
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