TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Pima County recounted the story of the 1903 train wreck at Esmond Station, where two trains collided 12 miles away from downtown Tucson.
On the morning of Jan. 28, 1903, the Sunset Limited and Crescent City Express had a head-on crash on Houghton and Rita Roads.
Pima County says the explosion from the crash released smoke that was visible from Tucson.
Help from Tucson arrived by 4 a.m. and people were found trapped in the wreckage, along with civilians finding it difficult to breathe due to the smoke.
After hours of rescue efforts, 14 bodies were found but the exact number of people who died in the crash remain unknown.
Investigators pointed towards a telegraph operator as the reason why the incident happened in the first place.
The operator "failed to pass an order for the Sunset Limited to pull over at a siding at Wilmot," according to Pima County, and once he was called in to testify, the operator was believed to have fled town.
Esmond Station Regional Park remains in dedication to the tragedy.
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Marcos Icahuate joined the KGUN team in September 2022. He previously worked on digital content in Southern California's Imperial County where he was raised.
