Newsletter February 2021
Save the Date!
The OVHS annual meeting will take place on Thursday, March 25 at 2:00 p.m. Assuming that COVID protocols will still be in place, the meeting will be outdoors at Steam Pump Ranch. Check the OVHS Facebook page or website (ovhistory.org) for the exact meeting location at the ranch as the date approaches. We will also send an email update in mid-March. At the last Membership Meeting, the Board discussed bylaws changes. These changes will be voted upon on March 25. We will send the proposed changes via email prior to the meeting date to give you another opportunity to review. Your proxy vote may be submitted via email due to current conditions and COVID concerns.
Did You Know…?
1. OVHS will have featured articles on the Let Oro Valley Excel (LOVE) blog http://letorovalleyexcel.blogspot.com. We hope to
communicate Oro Valley’s rich history, stories, and personalities to our residents. You can also find the articles on our
website: ovhistory.org and Facebook page (Oro Valley Historical Society).
- Your membership supports the ongoing programs of OVHS. This includes our displays, exhibits, and collections preservation. Not a member? It’s easy to join or donate on our website: ovhistory.org. The Oro Valley Historical Society is a wholly volunteer, self- sustaining 501 (c) (3) and your membership is even tax-deductible! You can help keep Oro Valley history alive!
- You can be a volunteer! Do you have a few extra hours on your hands? We are seeking docents, hosts, tech support, administration assistants and other hands on help. Contact Teri Colmar (tcolmar@comcast.net).
We can’t learn from history once it’s gone. Let the future know that Oro Valley has a long, rich and vibrant history. Many thanks for your continued support!
Visit www.orovalleyhistory.org for more Information!
A New Arrival!
OVHS President Henry Zipf came across this piece of history while working on a project in Tucson. It was about to be disposed of when he brought it to the attention of OVHS! While we have no history of its use at the Copper Queen mine, we do know that the Herring-Hall-Marvin Company was a consolidation of several safe companies that had a 100,000 square foot factory
in Hamilton, Ohio in 1896. “The city of Hamilton was once known as the “Safe Capital of the World”. In addition to safe building, Herring-Hall-Marvin was a contractor for the armed services. During World War II they built gun mounts and were engaged in projects related to the atomic bomb. Several other transitions of the safe company ownership transpired through the years. In 2001, the last owner, Mosler, Inc., filed for bankruptcy.” (Cite: Historical Collection at the Lane.)
OVHS can certainly attest to the fine reputation of the safe builder! It was an all-day project moving the VERY heavy safe into our storage office in the Tack Room at Steam Pump Ranch. We plan to use the safe to house selected items in the OVHS collection.
Walk Around the Ranch
The Oro Valley Historical Society is presenting docent-guided tours of the Historic Steam Pump Ranch property on the second and fourth Saturdays in February, March and April. Find out what makes Steam Pump Ranch stand out in local history and earned it a spot on the National Register of Historic Places.
Tours leave on the hour and every fifteen minutes thereafter, between 10 a.m. and Noon (the last tour). Tours are about 50 minutes. COVID protocols are observed. Each tour is limited to 6 participants. First come first serve…no reservations. Check in at the south end of the Farmer’s Market ramada.
Look for the Oro Valley Historical Society tent. 
Be sure to dress for the weather and bring water. Suggested donation is $5 per person. Take out a yearly membership (tax-deductible) on-site and the tour donation is waived!
What better way to learn the roots of your community, spend time outdoors and support the Oro Valley Historical
Society! A great way to learn about the town…when it was a land of indigenous Americans, homesteaders, and ranchers.
The Historic Steam Pump Ranch is located at 10901 N. Oracle Road, Oro Valley. For updates please visit the Oro Valley Historical Society Facebook page and our website ovhistory.org.
TOUR DATES: February 27, March 13 and 27, and April 10 and 24.
Some Important Historic Dates in Oro Valley History
1869 Francisco Romero settled in the area (first non-native resident)
1874 George Pusch settled in Tucson
1879 Local newspapers mention George Pusch’s ranch north of Tucson
1889 Fabian Romero established a ranch at junction of CDO and Sutherland Washes
- 1902 Federal surveyors plot the first homestead township in Oro Valley
- 1903 Federal government began to sell homesteads in the Oro Valley area
1903-05 Pusch and Romero families claim homestead land in Oro Valley 1905 Francisco Romero dies
1917 Pusch family expands the ranch to over 1,100 acres
1921 George Pusch dies
1925 Pusch family is forced to sell Steam Pump Ranch
1930 Romero family loses its remaining land in Oro Valley
1935 Joseph McAdams purchases most of the former Romero lands in Oro Valley 1937 Jack Procter begins to purchase sections of Steam Pump Ranch
1939-41 Electric power lines constructed along Oracle Road to Catalina
