Following our March meeting presentation on the Historic Canoa Ranch (which is near Green Valley), twenty-seven members of the SaddleBrooke Nature Club toured the Raúl M. Grijalva Canoa Ranch Conservation Park on March 27th. The tour, led by a very knowledgeable volunteer, took the group through various restored buildings and corrals and reviewed the history of the ranch from the time of the native Americans, to the period under Spain and on to the present. We also learned about the De Anza Expedition in 1774 when a group of Spanish colonists led by Juan Bautista de Anza blazed a trail from Tubac to San Francisco.
Canoa ranch was a working cattle ranch from 1820 to the 1970’s. At its height in the 1930’s the ranch spanned over 300,000 acres and was known for a variety of cattle and horse breeds. In 2001 4800 acres of the original ranch was purchased by the Arizona Open Land Trust. Pima County Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation has done an impressive job with the restoration of the site. The park also has trails for walking and wildlife viewing.
After the tour, the group enjoyed a wonderful lunch at the Longhorn Grill & Saloon in Amado. The food was delicious, and the service for such a large group was excellent.
Our next program will be on April 20 at 3:30 PM in the Desert View Theater. The topic is “Water in SaddleBrooke” presented by Thomas Brothen. (Note: our April program had been scheduled for April 13 but had to be delayed due to room scheduling)
For more information on the Nature Club please check our website at saddlebrookenatureclub.org
Vacant Tucson stores could transform into new housing
