---
The Steam Pump Ranch Ledger Book
Records were kept at Steam Pump Ranch and a ledger book listing transactions remained with the Pusch family. George Pusch's grandson, Henry Zipf, donated the book to the Oro Valley Historical Society. The ledger book, entitled “Ranch Provisions and Cattle,” includes entries from 1898 until 1921.
All of the brands registered by George Pusch appear in the Ranch ledger. The “PZ” brand is the best known of his brands. John Zellweger, sold his interest in the brand to Pusch in 1883 and the Pusch family continued to use it for over 40 years.
Pusch’s son, George Jr., owned a similar brand, the "PZ connected". This brand remained in the family until 2010 when Pusch’s grandson sold it to the Oro Valley Historical Society to preserve as part of the historical record of Steam Pump Ranch and the Pusch family.
Reading brands
Reading brands involves a special system. Brands are read from left to right, top to bottom, and outside to inside. Capital letters, numbers and characters are among the combinations used to create brands. Letters can be vertical, sideways, reversed, or hanging.
Other notable brands
One brand illustrated on the roadway walls was owned by Henry Feldman, brother of Pusch’s wife, Mathilda. He managed some of the Pusch holdings in the San Pedro Valley near its junction with Aravaipa Creek. The Pusch family reportedly grazed cattle throughout the open range between Steam Pump Ranch and the San Pedro Ranch.
The "JE" brand was owned by Noah Bernard and John Bogan who ran cattle in the Arivaca area southwest of Tucson. Pusch was a partner with them in the Arivaca Land and Cattle Company.
Another brand illustrated on the Oracle walls is the "7-6". It was owned by W.O. Ramsey who lived in Tombstone, Arizona.
The story of livestock brands and their uses is much more complicated than a single ranch and a single owner. There are stories still to be uncovered that will help tell the history of cattle ranching associated with the historic Steam Pump Ranch.
Text and photographs by Patricia Spoerl, 2019. Along with Jim Kriegh and Dick Eggerding, Pat is a founder of the Oro Valley Historical Society.
---
WE WANT YOU! The Oro Valley Historical Society is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit volunteer organization, whose mission is “To promote research, preservation, education, and dissemination of historical information related to the greater Oro Valley area.” We invite you to become a member or volunteer. Visit us at ovhistory.org and help keep Oro Valley history alive!
We are currently looking for enthusiastic volunteers who are interested in becoming docents at the Pusch House museum and for Steam Pump Ranch tours. Training sessions are being scheduled for the fall season. We hope to hear from you. Contact: Teri at tcolmar@comcast.net
