Oro Valley Historical Society: Oral History Series (Part 2)

Oro Valley Historical Society: Oral History Series
Before written language, information and stories were passed generationally via word of mouth. Oral histories are sometimes used to complement artifacts and archeological research. Oral history often gives human details to otherwise lifeless data. Oral interviews can provide narratives, social meaning and context to collected records. It is important to keep in mind that oral histories are in most cases not considered factual historical records. They can often be exaggerated, dates might be inaccurate and they might also have the storytellers biases and personal perspectives. That being said, they are invaluable resources that give meaning and experiential reference to history.

The Oro Valley Historical Society was fortunate to obtain an oral history from Henry (Hank) G. Zipf, grandson of George Pusch in 2006. This is Part 2 of a four part series of Henry’s oral history of the Pusch family and the Oro Valley area.
- - -

Tall Tales

Prospectors watered their burros at the [Steam Pump] ranch prior to going in the Catalina foothills to seek a treasure nobody ever found. For years there had been a tale of a fabulous gold mine in the Catalinas, sealed with an iron door. 

In 1922 Harold Bell Wright, a prolific writer at the time, came to Tucson for his health. He had tuberculosis. Wright was a visitor at the Steam Pump Ranch on a number of occasions and my mother told him the story of the mine with the iron door. 

Wright prevailed upon George Wilson, who owned the Linda Vista Ranch near Oracle, to allow him to live at the isolated line camp in the Canada del Oro. There, Wright wrote the "Mine with the Iron Door" and also greatly improved his health. He sold the story to Principal Picture Corporation and insisted that it be filmed at the Linda Vista Ranch [in 1923] to repay his old friend, George Wilson, for allowing him to live in the canyon line shack*. 

Wilson had to build cottages and other facilities to house the actors and film crew. So, after filming was completed he had to figure a use for the new facilities. He established the Linda Vista Guest Ranch – the first guest ranch in Arizona. It accommodated 45 guests and in its heyday attracted such notables as Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, and Rita Hayworth. Other guests were such national figures as Vice-President Dawes and Herb Brownell. Boyd Wilson, George’s son, told me that Tom Dewey came to the ranch immediately after his loss of the presidency to Harry Truman. 

One guest was Walter McDonald of the McDonald Press in Cleveland. He became enamored with the land as did other guests at the guest ranch. McDonald bought Rancho Vistoso. Another guest, Joe McAdams, bought Rancho Romero and Roberta Nicholas, of Johnson and Johnson Pharmaceutical Co., bought and occupied for many years, the ranch where Catalina and Saddlebrook are now located. 

TO BE CONTINUED……
- - -
*The term “line shack” referred to a small cabin built on the open range where cowboys could take shelter form nature while working away from their home ranch.
- - -
If you are interested in Oro Valley history, stop by the Pusch House Museum at Steam Pump Ranch (10901 N. Oracle, Oro Valley), the property noted in Henry’s oral history. The Oro Valley Historical Society (OVHS) provides exhibits and tours of the property. Visit our website for information and hours: www.ovhistory.org or our Facebook page. OVHS is a 501c3 volunteer organization. Want to volunteer? Message OVHS via our website “Contact” or “Message” on Facebook. Want to donate? Visit our website and click the “Donate” button. Thank you for helping “Keep Oro Valley History Alive!”