This Saturday, head downtown for the 2025 Silver Spike Railroad Jubilee . It’s the 145th anniversary of the arrival of the first train to Tucson. The annual event is put on by the Southern Arizona Transportation Museum, which is also celebrating 20 years.
The 2025 Silver Spike Railroad Jubilee is a celebration of Tucson’s diverse culture, honoring the legacy of our influential figures and the arrival of the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1880.
On March 20, 1880, Estevan Ochoa was chosen to present a silver spike from the Toughnut Mine to the Southern Pacific president to thank him for extending the railroad to Tucson.
This Saturday, descendants of those who participated in the first train’s arrival like Ochoa will re-enact that very moment.
“I’m very excited because we’ve been doing this every year since 2005,” said Ken Karrels, Southern Arizona Transportation Museum director…