Estevan Ochoa
History of Arizona, Vol II, Thomas E. Farish, 1915, pg 203

Estevan Ochoa was a New Mexican by birth.  In his early youth 
he went to Kansas City, where he obtained employment and 
acquired a fair knowledge of the English language.  He 
started in business on his own account at Mesilla New Mexico.  
He made a success of the enterprise and thereafter started a 
number of branch stores in both New Mexico and Arizona.  The 
firm of Tully and Ochoa of which he was a member was one of 
the largest mercantile establishments in Tucson.  In Bourke's 
"On the Border with Crook" is an account of his visit to 
Tucson in which he has this to say of Estevan Ochoa:

"This rather undersized gentleman coming down the street 
is a man with a history--perhaps it might be perfectly 
correct to say with two or three histories.  He is Don 
Estevan Ochoa, one of the most enterprising merchants as 
he is admitted to be one of the coolest and bravest men 
in all the southwestern country.  He has a handsome face, 
a keen black eye, a quick business-like air with very 
polished and courteous manners.

During the war, the Southern leaders thought they would 
establish a chain of posts across the continent from Texas 
to California, and one of their first movements was to send 
a brigade of Texans to occupy Tucson.  The commanding 
general--Turner by name-- sent for Don Eestevan and told 
him that he had been informed that he was an outspoken 
sympathizer with the cause of the Union but he hoped that 
Ochoa would see that the Union was a thing of the past, 
and reconcile himself to the new state of affairs and 
take the oath of the Confederacy and thus relieve the 
general from the disagreeable responsibility of 
confiscating his property and setting him adrift outside 
of his lines.

Don Estevan never hesitated a moment.  He was not that 
kind of man.  His reply was perfectly courteous as I am 
told, all the talk on the part of the Confederate 
officer had been.  Ochoa owed all he had in the world 
to the Government of the U.S. and it would be 
impossible for him to take an oath of fidelity to 
any hostile power or party.  When would General 
Turner wish him to leave?

He was allowed to select one of his many horses and to 
take a pair of saddle bags filled with such clothing and 
food as he could get together on short notice and then 
with a rifle and twenty rounds of ammunition was led 
outside the lines and started for the Rio Grande.  When 
Union troops reoccupied Tucson, Don Estevan resumed 
business and was soon wealthy again.
He died on October 27, 1888 at his home in Las Cruces 
New Mexico.

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