Do the names Sutherland Wash and the Sutherland Trail sound familiar?
William Henry “Idaho Bill” Sutherland
Born in Maine on July 5, 1848, William Henry Sutherland arrived in Tucson via San Francisco and was living in Florence by 1880. He married Maria Monica Matilda Douglass Sutherland “Tillie”, daughter of Tucson pioneer James S. Douglass, on December 25, 1880. William manager of Arizona Stage Line, a stagecoach and mail service between Florence and Tucson until the arrival of the railroad. He also drove a stagecoach from Arizona to San Francisco for a time.
Tilly Sutherland
When the train arrived in Tucson in 1880, William saw that the stagecoach was going to be unnecessary in the future, and in 1882, he sold his horses, wagons, depots, and stables between Casa Grade and Globe and decided to go full time in the cattle business. Tillie was a women’s clothing designer and seamstress in Tucson and quickly learned the ways of cattle ranching. In 1883, William Sutherland established Dripping Springs Ranch.
By 1913, he and his wife Matilda began homesteading in what is now Catalina State Park, likely residing there before officially filing. About six-seven years later, William, a cattleman, was granted 320 acres under Patent #725339 in 1920, and Matilda received a separate 320-acre Patent #859012 in 1922 although it was unusual at that time for women to own land. Their sons Ray and Frank also filed nearby claims; the family owned much of the land in the northeast corner of what is now Catalina State Park.
Trail Sign at Catalina State Park
They only lived part-time on this land as they owned a home at 712 N. Seventh Avenue in Tucson. However, their name is forever a part of Catalina State Park, namely the Sutherland Wash and Sutherland Trail. Remains of their home can be seen on the east side of the Sutherland Trail in the same area as the Hohokam petroglyphs.
William A. Sutherland’s Headstone at Evergreen Memorial Park in Tucson, AZ.
William “Idaho Bill” passed away on April 23, 1925, and left the Catalina State Park land to his two sons. Matilda followed on September 2, 1932. Both are buried at Evergreen Memorial Park in Tucson. Find William’s Grave.
Learn more about Stagecoach Lines by Gerald R. Noonan, PhD
Catalina State Park: A Vision Realized