The Story of Oro Valley’s Russell Ranch School and Its Lasting Legacy.
1943 – 1944
The Russell Ranch School operated on a 160‑acre ranch at the base of what is now Catalina State Park, land once homesteaded by Teodoro Marin and later Buster Bailey. Founded by Rev. Robert Russell, the boys’ boarding school attracted families—particularly from the East Coast—seeking a blend of rigorous academics, outdoor living, and character‑building adventure.
“The locale not only benefits the healthy, growing boy, but also gives renewed strength and stamina… In this part of the state many varieties of cactus and plant life fill the desert with interest and beauty.”
Situated at an elevation of roughly 2,500 feet and surrounded by the Santa Catalina Mountains, the ranch offered warm winters, abundant sunshine, and opportunities for classes to be held outdoors from October through May. The school maintained two deep wells for fresh water, had access to a modern hospital twenty minutes away, and partnered with a Tucson Clinic pediatrician who monitored each student’s health.
Men and Boys, Horses at Coral (3 Photos)
Riding was one of the school’s most important outdoor activities. Students owned and cared for their own horses, learning responsibility and horsemanship as part of daily life. The desert landscape—rich with cacti, wildlife, and open space—served as both classroom and playground.
The school operated until 1950. The property is now home to Cielo Tierra Stables, but its history remains closely tied to the development of the Oracle Road corridor. The Rooney family, who wintered in the area from the 1930s through the 1950s, sent their son to the school and later purchased land from Jack Procter of Steam Pump Ranch. Much of that land has since been commercially developed.
Photographs, scrapbooks, and documents related to the Russell Ranch School were donated to the Oro Valley Historical Society by Debbie Giese and Pat Marshall, granddaughters of Ellen Stuart Russell. Additional research was contributed by historian James A. Williams.
Russell Ranch School OVHS Display Exhibit
Written by Devon Sloan, October 2023
It’s OCTOBER, and school just started…at least that was the case at The Russell Ranch School in the late 1930’s.
In the early 1900’s, ranch schools became popular to provide an education to youth living in rural areas. However, wealthy Easterners soon realized they could provide their children with an opportunity to enjoy experiences not found in East coast cities. Sending their children to boarding schools that would enable them to live a life that encompassed nature, a ‘western’ style of living (think horseback riding, unfamiliar farm/ranch equipment, various chores), became a popular alternative.
Reverend Robert Russell, a minister from New York, started the Russell Ranch School and hired highly acclaimed teachers to educate students in grades 7 through 10. He and his wife were headmaster and headmistress. The school year began In October and ended in May. (No doubt the climate had much to do with that!) Although mostly a boarding school, the Russell Ranch School accommodated day students, including children of some locals you may have heard of – Laurence Rooney and Joe Bonanno, to name two.
Russell Ranch School Sign
Students from over 17 states and four foreign nations learned far more than just a western style of living (although horseback riding was very popular). Academic studies included international affairs and politics as well as the expected geography, history, math, and English classes. Hobbies and crafts were encouraged, and a building was even designed and built specifically for those skills. Additional extracurricular activities were shooting, baseball, and drama.
The school was closed in 1950 due to lack of funding, and became a guest ranch, a motel, a hippie compound, and is now a successful stables complex – the Rolling Hills Riding Academy, owned by Susan Blake. It is located on the north side right before the entrance to Catalina State Park, and many of the buildings (which include the main ranch house, dormitories, several classrooms, and a library) are still standing. Definitely worth a trip to see Oro Valley history come alive!
Stables at Rolling Hills Riding Academy, October 2023, Formerly Russell Ranch School
Love: Let Oro Valley Excel – Heather’s Corner: Russell Ranch School for Boys: An Oro Valley Legend for Those Who Attended, January 2015
Learn more about western ranch schools in this article by Kathy Montgomery in the February 2024 issue of Arizona Highways: Reading, Writing…and Ranching
Arizona Origins Facebook post, The Origins of Russell Ranch School taken from
Oro Valley- The First Fifty Years by Jim Williams (AASLH award winning book!) – can be purchased at Amazon, the Western National Parks Store on North Vistoso Village Drive, or in the Pusch House Museum at historic Steam Pump Ranch, with proceeds benefitting the Oro Valley Historical Society.
Buster Bailey: A Life Carved from Desert Grit, by Devon Sloan, October 2023
