El Rio Golf and Country Club opened in 1929. The first round of golf at El Rio was played by Hi Corbett on November 10, 1929. There were other historically significant events occurring at that time.

"Black Tuesday", the day of the infamous stock market crash of 1929, was October 29 of that year. After a brief recovery the next day, the market continued to fall until reaching bottom on November 13, 1929.

El Rio opened in the midst of national economic turmoil.

El Rio then survived the Great Depression and WWII. Not only did it survive these events, it became the site of a PGA Tour event, the Tucson Open, in 1945.

It survives and flourishes to this day.