Petroglyphs

Honey Bee Canyon Park – Discover Petroglyphs! Want to find this petroglyph? Scroll down the page for helpful tips!

PETROGLYPHS ~ A GLIMPSE OF THE PAST

Imagine Native Peoples of the past surveying the world around them; wildlife, rivers, plant life, the night sky and other people. It would have been natural to feel the need to communicate that beauty and save it for others along with more important aspects such as equinox events to ascertain when to plant crops, etc.

• Petroglyph is derived from the Greek word petros (stone).
• Petroglyphs are carvings made by chiseling, scratching or pecking into a rock surface exposing the lighter color of the rock underneath the surface. (Pictographs are images painted on rock surfaces with natural pigments.)
• Petroglyphs are typically found on vertical or overhanging surfaces of large boulders.
• Petroglyphs are found throughout the world. In the United States, they are predominantly found in the West.
• Petroglyphs are considered symbolic markers by the people who made them. They can depict animals, people and abstract figures. They may represent ceremonies, directions, migration routes and other specific places and markers understood by the cultural group.
• Many petroglyph figures continue to have meaning to descendent communities today.

Hank Zipf and Petroglyph

The Zipf Petroglyph Donation

Henry (Hank) Zipf (1916 – 2015) was a long-time Oro Valley resident. He worked as a local attorney and contributed to the early years of the Town of Oro Valley’s development.

Hank was the grandson of George and Mathilda Pusch, early area pioneers, who established Steam Pump Ranch in the late 1870s. Books, records, photographs and other Pusch family memorabilia from the late 1800s and early 1900s were kept by Gertrude Pusch Zipf, Hank’s mother. These materials were in turn preserved by Hank as part of his family legacy which he highly valued. They now make up the heart of the Oro Valley Historical Society collections.

In the 1970s Hank and his son, Henry K. Zipf (1956 – 2023) rode horseback along the foothills, washes and outcrops of the Santa Catalina Mountains looking for artifacts. Archaeology was a lifelong interest of Hank’s having spent time at Steam Pump Ranch in his youth. Hank had knowledge of the Native Americans who lived in the vicinity of the ranch through his mother, Gertrude’s, stories.

On one of their rides, Hank and Henry discovered various Native American artifacts. With permission from the landowner, they collected three bedrock mortars (used as food grinding implements), and a petroglyph. Hank kept these artifacts for the remainder of his life, moving them from his home in Oro Valley, to Sonoita, and finally Tubac.

Late in life, Hank told his adult children that he wanted the mortars and petroglyph to be donated to the Oro Valley Historical Society and placed near the Santa Catalina Mountains where they were originally found.

In 2016, after Hank’s death, Henry K. and his sons, Stephen and Nolan, transported the artifacts to the Steam Pump Ranch Historical Park. With the permission of the Town of Oro Valley (owner of Steam Pump Ranch), the mortars were placed in the Heritage Garden. The mortars, along with the petroglyph, are used in school and community programs to educate about the cultural heritage of the Hohokam People who once inhabited the area.

Helpful Tips to Find the Honey Bee Canyon Petroglyphs

Honey Bee Canyon is located at 13880 N. Rancho Vistoso Boulevard, Oro Valley.

• Parking lot to the canyon on the east side of Rancho Vistoso Blvd., and can only be accessed by driving in a northeasterly direction

The petroglyphs are easy to miss, but these tips will guide you to your discovery!

• From the parking lot, follow the sidewalk on the right to enter the park and continue down the ramp with a railing.
• Go towards the direction sign; continue to the right, away from the restrooms.
  NOTE: The petroglyph is NOT on the trail loop!
• The Rancho Vistoso overpass is on your right; head in that direction.
  Walk in the wash under the overpass and continue for about 1 mile. It’s sandy and flat; not a challenging walk
• Pass “the dam” (a man-made rock stack with an opening); the petroglyph is on the left just past the dam.
• Start looking at eye-level for a large stone balancing on another stone on the left Due to its orientation the figures may not be visible right away as you approach it due to its orientation.
• If you get to the trough and the “new dam”, turn around; you’ve gone to far!  Happy trekking!