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Arizona is heavily influenced by Indigenous People and Hispanic roots. This month the Oro Valley Historical Society is focusing on Hispanic-American Heritage. See the Hispanic history of the southwest and…
Check off another item on the OVHS “to do” list. Collections Chair, Sue Chambasian, had the restoration of Tootsie’s steamer trunk on her wish list. The trunk was donated to…
Summer’s over and OVHS is BACK! After taking a summer break, Oro Valley Historical Society is ready to welcome visitors to the Pusch House Museum. There are a lot of…
HISTORY IS BACK!!! After a summer hiatus, the Oro Valley Historical Society is ready to welcome you back to Steam Pump Ranch at 10901 North Oracle Road in Oro Valley!…
The Oro Valley Historical Society (OVHS) Board members are saddened to announce the passing of our friend and President Henry K. Zipf. Henry was the great-grandson of George and…
Oro Valley Historical Society Spring Newsletter George Pusch at the Pusch House! Thank you to Franz Fauley for his portrayal of George Pusch on February 18. Our February exhibit “Arizona…
The Oro Valley Historical Society greatly appreciates the support of the Lisa Bayless Team at Long Realty for contributing to the “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough!” fundraising event at the…
The Road to Arizona Statehood was a long trek! On Valentine’s Day, February 14, 1912 it became the 48th State of the Union and the last state to be admitted…
Don’t miss a great opportunity to hear a great presentation! “Ain’t no mountain High Enough!” How Sara Plummer Lemmon Reached New Heights Mount Lemmon towers above Oro Valley but…
Get into the holiday spirit and visit the Pusch House Museum. Beginning December 3, the Oro Valley Historical Society will feature “Traditions, Toys, and Trains” in the Pusch House Museum. …
You might have driven along Oracle road and passed Steam Pump Ranch a thousand times and wondered….what is that? You might have visited the Heirloom Farmer’s Market and never gotten…
It’s a new month and a new exhibit! November OVHS celebrates Native American Heritage Month. Explore Native American history and culture that is part of the fabric of our local…
New Month, New Exhibit! It’s October and that means there is a new exhibit at the Pusch House Museum at Steam Pump Ranch – Where Cultures Meet. This month OVHS…
Check our “News” link and “Event” link for the latest news, upcoming exhibits and the monthly schedule of events! Visit Steam Pump Ranch, a National Registry of Historic Places landmark…
Do you have a few spare hours a week? Do you love history…local history? Do you want to share Oro Valley’s rich past with other members of the community? If…
The Oro Valley Historical Society is happy to announce that our popular Steam Pump Ranch Property Tour will resume on Saturday, September 17. Tours begin at 9:00 a.m. and leave…
We are thrilled to announce that our new program year is around the corner! We have been busy during the summer planning for an exciting year of exhibits and surprises!…
THIS IS IT! It has been a spectacular OVHS program year from September through April. On Saturday, April 9 the Oro Valley Historical Society (OVHS) will feature “Celebrate Oro Valley,…
Come One, Come All, The Annual Meeting of the Oro Valley Historical Society (OVHS) will take place on Thursday, March 24 at 3:00 p.m. It will be held at the…
WONDER WOMEN OF ORO VALLEY AND BEYOND! Don’t miss this! March is Women’s History Month and Oro Valley Historical Society has a great new exhibit at the Pusch House. “Wonder…
A New Month a New Exhibit! This month the Oro Valley Historical Society’s exhibit will focus on Black History. Discover Black traditions and the origins of Black history month. The…
It’s a new month and that means a new exhibit! “Meanwhile Back at the Ranch” shows some of the aspects of ranch life. For both men and women ranch life…
This past fall, we were given the “go ahead” to reopen the Pusch House Museum. And that we did! In September we traveled back in time to the roots of…
It’s not too late for you to play Santa! Do you have any end-of-year giving to complete? We would love for you to stuff the Oro Valley Historical Society (OVHS)…
On Wednesday, December 1 at 2:00 p.m. we will have a talk on the history of railroads in our area..the Narrow Gauge. The talk will be given by two historians…
The Pusch House Museum is Back in Business! The Pusch House Museum reopened in September after a long hiatus due to….well you know. In September, we featured an exhibit…
After a long, hot, rainy summer the Oro Valley Historical Society is back! After a long ,weary, year and many months of COVID, we have an indoor exhibit at…
By the time the Declaration of Independence was adopted, signed and printed on July 4, 1776, much had already transpired to move the Patriots toward revolution. In the spring of…
Happy 47th Birthday Oro Valley! The following article is from the Oro Valley Historical Heritage Guide, April 2009 The Making of a Town by Marjorie K. Kriegh, Town Historian (Marjorie…
Please note that the OVHS Annual Membership Meeting will take place at Steam Pump Ranch (10901 N. Oracle) on Thursday, March 25 at 2:00 p.m. The meeting site will be…
Ina Road. You’ve probably used this local thoroughfare many times, but perhaps you don’t know how its name came about. The following excerpt from Claiming the Desert – Settlers, Homesteaders…
A “Garden of Earthly Delights”! You might remember this tag line from Clairol Herbal Essence shampoo from the 1970s (it smelled wonderful!) but it could also easily describe the Heritage…
Oro Valley Historical Society – “Keeping Oro Valley History Alive” William “Curly” Neal – (1849-1936) and Annie Box Neal (1870-1950) Oracle Road, now known as Historic Route 80,…
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…
Happy Birthday Arizona! Arizona Statehood and the Oro Valley Connection On February 14, 1912 the Arizona Territory was finally admitted to the Union as the 48th state. The road to…
The Garwood Dam in the Rincon Mountains Looking for an interesting outdoor activity? A moderately difficult 5 mile trail will take you past the historic Garwood Dam in…
One of the many questions that come up during the recent tours of Historic Steam Pump Ranch, is what kind of tree is that? The Oro Valley Historical Society tour…
Come Out, Come Out Wherever You Are! If you are looking for something to do OUTDOORS, look no further! The Oro Valley Historical Society is presenting docent-guided tours…
Oro Valley Historical Society Newsletter December 2020 MEANWHILE BACK AT THE RANCH! It’s been a LONG 2020! But we are happy to announce that the Oro Valley Historical Society (OVHS)…
The Town of Oro Valley (TOV) Parks and Recreation Division is currently working on Master Plans for area parks. This includes Historic Steam Pump Ranch. The Oro Valley Historical…
MEANWHILE BACK AT THE RANCH! It’s been a LONG 2020! But we are happy to announce that the Oro Valley Historical Society (OVHS) will be having a “round-up” at…
Hello Oro Valley Historical Society Members! The Board of the Oro Valley Historical Society (OVHS) planned to have the Annual Meeting way back in April! Of course, the pandemic had…
Dear Members, The current OVHS Board of Directors for your information: President……………Roxy Johnson orovalleylady@comcast.net Vice pres ……………Henry Zipf Henryzipf30@gmail.com Secretary……………Teri Colmar tericolmar@comcast.net Treasurer …………..Paul Loomis ploomis@msn.com Gardener…………….Joyce Rychener Joyceholloway2@gmail.com Collections…………Sue…
Sincere thanks to Walter Pusch (Great-Grandson of George/Mathilda Pusch) for these two special donations to the OVHS Collections. Walter donated a Pima/Papago and Apache Burden Basket. Burden Baskets were typically…
The following letter was delivered to the Town of Oro Valley Mayor and Councilmembers (others as noted) on May 26, 2020. (Formatting may be slightly different from the original letter…
Tentative Council Budget Study Session. Check the TOV website for viewing information www.orovalleyaz.gov
Do you like to sleuth? Our Collections Committee often has to don their Sherlock Holmes deerstalker hats to get to the bottom of historical mysteries. Back in 2009 Oliver Pusch…
Just before “social distancing” became the norm, OVHS was able to showcase its fundraising event, $$PRICELESS$$, at the Oro Valley Country Club. Guests brought in their treasures for appraisal. Catherine Baron…
THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELED! Did you know that Oro Valley Country Club Estates was one of the first developments that launched Oro Valley into the community that…
So you’ve taken on the task of cleaning out the storage unit and have come across that “thing” handed down from generation to generation. Is it valuable…who knows? Now…
Where were you Monday, February 24 at 7:00 a.m.? Peg O’Connell and Teri Colmar were at the KVOI 1030AM studios with Chris DeSimone! Chris graciously gave us a time slot…
If you haven’t checked the Oro Valley Historical Society (OVHS) calendar lately you might be missing something special! For all upcoming activities and details check out “Events” on this website….
Local historian, Bob Simpson, will discuss “Mining Law and Saddlebrooke’s Phantom Gold”. Bob is a published author and has been a very popular speaker at OVHS lectures. This lecture is…
So you’ve taken on the task of cleaning out the storage unit and have come across that “thing” handed down from generation to generation. Is it valuable…who knows? Now you…
Wednesday, February 19 – NW corner of Catalina State Park. Meet: 8:30 am – Equestrian Center, Catalina St. Park What a great way to spend a morning! Spread the…
IT’S TIME!! You can now buy tickets to our special event: “$$Priceless$$ – An Antiques Appraisal Event” to be held on Thursday, March 12 at 5:00 p.m. The event will…
We wish to thank all of you volunteered at the Christkindlmarket booth, visited the Pusch House, purchased items from our booth and gave donations! We had record crowds touring the…
History Hikes for January – March 2020 Oro Valley Historical Society Wednesday, January 22 – Honey Bee Canyon and Homesteader Ruins. Meet: 8:30 am at Honey Bee Canyon parking…
On Wednesday, November 12 the Oro Valley Historical Society featured a talk by Arizona Star columnist, David Leighton. David discussed the origins of many Tucson street names. His column “Street…
Many cities around the world have adopted the festive Christkindlmarket during the holiday season. The fairy-like Christkind (grounded in German culture) visits children, bestowing gifts to them once they…
ROMERO RUIN HIKE – OCTOBER 25, 2020 What a great morning it was for a hike! How many times have you walked over a pile of rocks and had no…
Did you see the question on our Facebook page? Here’s the answer! Tootsie was a turn of the century doll from the Henry G. Zipf Collection. She was presumably owned…
Romero History Hike Oro Valley Historical Society Friday, October 25, 2019 Registration: Contact Sue Chambasian at schambasian@gmail.com no later than noon on October 23. Limited to 20 people on a first come, first…
Now that fall is here and cooler temperatures are on the horizon (?), things are in full swing at Steam Pump Ranch! Come from 9am until 1pm for all the…
Don’t forget this easy way to help OVHS! Oro Valley Historical Society is a 501(c)3 non-for-profit organization . Our exhibits, events, and activities depend on YOUR support as members, financial…
The Heritage Garden at Steam Pump Ranch participated in the “One Seed Pima County” community project. Joyce Rychener cultivated the seeds of the Black Russian Sunflower this year’s chosen plant….
Here it is, August, and at the Oro Valley Historical Society we’re already thinking about the holidays! Our fundraising team is busy at work getting ready for the our first…
No matter where I travel I’m always searching out the local historical society or museum. The Gothenburg Historical Society (Nebraska) purchased this building (a former church) in 2005 and it…
By the time the Declaration of Independence was adopted, signed and printed on July 4, 1776, much had already transpired to move the Patriots toward revolution. In the spring of…
Members, volunteers and interested parties! We invite you to our Quarterly Information Meeting at 1:00 pm, on Wednesday July 10, 2019 at the Pusch House, Steam Pump Ranch, at 10901…
Summer vacation calls many to explore heritage sites. One of the best ways to learn about the roots of our country is to visit Historical Society Museums. While passing through…
June heat can’t keep Twink Monrad, Paul Loomis and Randy Blades from setting up the OVHS booth at the Saturday Heirloom Farmer’s Market at Steam Pump Ranch! These stalwart OVHS…
Summer time and the livin’ is easy and fun! Several Oro Valley Historical Society members shared their expertise at the ART + STEM = STEAM@STEAM PUMP RANCH OV Parks and…
With warmer weather on the horizon, many Tucsonans will be seeking cooler climates. If you find yourself headed north, you might want to take a detour to Florence. Did you…
While you visit the Oro Valley Public Library to pick-up your summer reading, browse our new display. Continuing the “Celebrate Oro Valley” theme, the OVHS Collection team put together…