Preserving Oro Valley’s Legacy: Historical Society Secures Grant for Steam Pump Ranch Enhancements

Oro Valley Historical Society receives a generous grant
On Monday, November 25, the Oro Valley Historical Society gratefully accepted a $3,600.00 grant from the Oro Valley Chamber Foundation at the Foundation Board meeting. In attendance at the meeting were Founder of the Society, Pat Spoerl; current President, Denzil Walker; Board member, Bob Kellar; Encore Fellowship volunteer, Lynn Zoyiopoulos; and Otton Suarez, supporter and Board member of the Foundation.

Purpose of the grant
The grant will be used to research and design and hire a company to manufacture new permanent signs at the historic Steam Pump Ranch. The Society has already put in place a committee to work on this very important project, which will help preserve the historic heart of Oro Valley and its stories.

Significance of the project
"OVHS is pleased to have been awarded this grant from the Oro Valley Chamber of Commerce Foundation. The grant is very timely in making Oro Valley's heritage more accessible to all who visit Steam Pump Ranch. Permanent outdoor interpretive signs that explain the history of the buildings and tell stories of the people who lived and worked in them will be available to those who visit the Ranch any time between sunrise and sunset," said Pat Spoerl, Founder.

Gratitude for the grant
The Oro Valley Historical Society is so grateful to the Oro Valley Chamber Foundation for this grant and the impact it will have on our ability to support our mission to promote research, preservation, education, and dissemination of history related to the Greater Oro Valley area. Thank you for joining us to keep Oro Valley history alive!

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Photo caption
From left to right: Bob Kellar, Board Member; Lynn Zoyiopoulos, Encore Fellow volunteer; Pat Spoerl, Founder; Otton Suarez, Supporter; Denzil Walker, President.

Historical Society Features The Early Settlers

Before Oro Valley, there were the early settlers

Early settlers and homesteaders were important to the growth of Oro Valley almost 200 years ago. Prior to their move north of Tucson, our Town didn’t exist – no Catalina State Park (it was a glorious landscape of trees, grass, cactus, and water); no Oracle Road, of course, just a dusty, rutted, gravel road between Mammoth and Tucson; and certainly no Steam Pump Ranch until George Pusch came along in the 1870’s. 

Francisco Romero--the first non native settler

The first non-native settler to our community was Francisco Romero, who was part of an old Tucson family that had come to Tucson to be a part of the Spanish army around the 1820’s. He envisioned that a part of what is now Catalina State Park would be the perfect place for a cattle ranch, and he built his home in what had been a Hohokam village. 

Perhaps you have seen Romero Ruin while hiking in Catalina State Park. Now, it is hard to believe that area was selected as a great place to raise cattle and crops and have a home. Because of Apache attacks, Francisco did not stay in this area for very long, although his son did return to the area to build his own home which must have been a testament to how valuable the property was at the time.

Then...Sutherland, Marin, Aragon and Elias
And the Romero family wasn’t alone. Other early residents of the Oro Valley area during that time were William Sutherland, (ever heard of Sutherland Wash in Catalina State Park?), Francisco Marin, Francisco Aragon, and Jesus Elias, who acquired land grants from the Mexican government in the 1870s and 1880s. These homesteaders contributed to the development of ranching and farming in our area. 

Our January Exhibit...

And you can learn more about them and others who lived their dreams of being prosperous ranchers unnerved by the Apache concerns at the time! The Oro Valley Historical Society’s January exhibit at the Pusch House Museum in historical Steam Pump Ranch is all about the early settlers and homesteaders in our area. Come see why and how these courageous, energetic families chose Oro Valley as their new home…probably for way different reasons than we did!

A "shout out" To Intelligent Office
We would like to thank Intelligent Office for their recent support and donation to our mission. Located in Innovation Park, the company provides individuals with office space to call your own now that so many of us have gone to remote work. You have offices, meeting space, someone to answer your phone, executive assistants, and a mailing address. What more could you ask for in this busy world? https://www.intelligentoffice.com
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Are you looking for something to do? Want to make a difference?

We are currently looking for enthusiastic volunteers who are interested in becoming docents at the Pusch House museum and for Steam Pump Ranch tours. A training session is scheduled for January 10 at 10:30 a.m. in the Pusch House Museum. We hope to hear from you. Contact: Tina at tinhow@comcast.net 

In addition, we could use some help with social media, fundraising, and gardening – there’s something for everyone because history loves company!

About Us

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 supporter and/or a volunteer. Visit us at ovhistory.org and help keep Oro Valley history alive!