Origin of my fortune

Tucson  is a small town located in southern Arizona about 160 km south of Phoenix and 100 km north of the Mexican border. The city lies in a desert flat valley, surrounded almost completely by rugged and arid mountains. Just like Phoenix, it has become a retirement resort for seniors who enjoy its warm weather throughout the year and an inexpensive life. It is less crowded than Phoenix and well located for tourists who can explore the many attractions of the surrounding area.
The climate of Tucson is always dry with temperatures spreading from warm to extremely hot. The city normally receives less than 25 cm of precipitation per year. During summer days, the temperature can exceed 45 ° C. In winter the daytime temperatures are between 20 and 25 ° C.
The town is surrounded by mountains, including the Santa Catalina, where the cañada de Oro is located, suitable for walks and trekking on foot or on horseback (there are many ranches in the area, including those of the Charouleau).

In 1804, the village of Tucson counted 600 inhabitants, 1000 in counting the Indians. In 1860, the population did not increase, but changed its nature: the United States victory over Mexico, the successive purchase of the territories of the Southwest, New Mexico and the Pacific, a narrow strip of land south of the border, to build the southernmost of the transcontinental railways, provoked the arrival of the first Americans, military, settlers and miners. But it is mainly the gold rush in California that indirectly will allow a beginning of settlement in Arizona: disappointed prospectors, who have no more fire or place, will try their luck in the territories neighbors.
With 500,000 inhabitants today, Tucson is the second largest city in Arizona, and the oldest.
On the death of Michael, I left Acapulco, and following the migratory roads, arrived in 1869, at Tucson, Arizona. It is under the name of Charouleau (or more exactly Churouleau at the census of June 11, 1870).

In 1869, I lived alone in Tucson, under my name my maiden name until I remarried. I said I was only 47 years old when I had 10 more .... (small coquetry on my part), that I owned real estate worth $ 15,000 and personal property of $ 10,000 (totaling a value of $ 402,000 today). I won in Mexico, I started in business as a retail and pawnbroker, with a 20% wear rate on movable property loans and 5 to 10% on land, usually covered by a mortgage. This allowed me to recover the land and property of all those who could not reimburse me.
The earliest of these mortgages dates from mid-1869.
Soon I became the "French woman", and I was described as "a very industrious and skilled business woman," "strong and economical," or "a very enterprising woman." My origin in Ariège is for many !!!
I was, at that time, one of the richest, if not the richest, of the women of Pima County.
My first purchase of property in June 1870., was located at the northeast corner of Court Street and Maiden Lane.
In 1872, I recorded three acts essentially in Tucson (purchased for a total of $ 3,680, or 57,643 current) and one for land outside the city limits ($ 2,712.59 or € 42,478 current).
Between August and September 1872, I acquired ten properties for lots in the city.
I also took possession of the remaining seven lots through the foreclosures.
An eleventh act of property established in May 1873, then five others in September will be added to the previous ones. These were mostly located outside of downtown Tucson.
In December 1873, I bought another lot, and in November 1874, two others, all from mortgages, not to mention three properties on foreclosure in December 1874.
I had thus a total of twenty-two lots in town.
Many of these properties produced rental income which contributed to the growing prosperity of my personal fortune.
I also bought land outside of Tucson.
Between 1871 and 1874, I acquired seven quarters of land area homesteaded along or near the Gila River, just west of Florence.
(HOMESTEADED: In Arizona in the 1870s over 21,000 contracts, covering 4.1 million acres, were issued on homesteaded lands, namely mostly desert or unoccupied lands that the state was giving with an act to settlers .
So, I was able to own some 1100 acres (or 4.45 km² !!!) of farms or pastures, with water rights in Adamsville (Sanford). Far from the few acres of land that my brother Sebastien held at Montardit .....