What did we do before AC came to the Old Pueblo?

Monday | May 20^th | 10am – 11am | Education Center – Classroom 1

If you ever had your air conditioning break down in the summer, it is likely you thought, “How did people live here before at least evaporative cooling?” The pioneers had to develop the same strategies as all the other desert dwellers: endure, evade, and escape. A summer routine developed around staying inside during the heat of the day, cool water from your olla, and sleeping outside. There was a grudging acceptance that when May came up on the calendar, one needed to decide whether to stay or leave the Old Pueblo for the summer. Escape after the arrival of the railroad in 1880 was more a question of the necessary funds. Travel before the railroad was especially difficult given the physical hardship of the crossing and the ever-present possibility of an Apache ambush. Thanks to George Hand’s Saloon Diary, there is a first-hand (pun intended) account of the distinct way of life in the summer including his first encounter with ice cream in 1870s Tucson. Everyone had to come together to get through the summer while having some fun along the way.

$10 for members and $15 for the general public.