It was Arizona's territorial capital from 1867 to 1877, & a university was founded there in 1885
In 1885, 
the University of Arizona, was founded as a land-grant college on over-grazed... [DOC] [TLE] Tucson | Arizona, United States | Britannica.com [PAR] Sep 8, 2016 ... Tucson lay in the territory that was acquired from Mexico by the United States ... 
and the town served as the territorial capital of Arizona from 1867 to 1877.