Feb. 22: Today in Arizona history

February 22, 2013 7:00 am • Arizona Daily Star

There was no operating church in Arizona when Salpointe’s party of four — three priests and a teacher — came from New Mexico in 1866. Salpointe, newly named vicar general of the Arizona missions, was their leader. He was a Frenchman who had arrived in America as a missionary six years earlier. Within two years of his arrival in Tucson, Arizona’s status in the church was elevated to a vicariate apostolic and Salpointe was named bishop. His territory stretched east to El Paso and north to Utah. Over the next 15-plus years, he oversaw the establishment of many parishes and schools — Prescott, Phoenix and Tombstone among them. He eventually became archbishop of Santa Fe, but returned to Tucson after his retirement.

1825: John Baptiste Salpointe, the first Roman Catholic Bishop of Arizona, is born.

1898: University of Arizona baseball players challenge a team of Tucson businessmen in one of the city's first baseball games. The businessmen beat the college boys, 25-23. (from "The book of Tucson firsts" by Larry Cox)

1943: The first Tucson chapter of Alcoholics Anonymous — which consisted of two members — meets. (according to "The book of Tucson firsts" by Larry Cox)

1984: "Tucson Weekly" premieres. The 12-page publication, started by Doug Biggers and Mark Goehring, brings in approximately $600 of advertising revenue.

Want to share an important event from Tucson's history? Email it to krumore@azstarnet.com.

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