Dispatches from the President’s Desk
Come back, come back to Tubac
Come back, come back and when
We all come back to old Tubac
Tubac will rise again!
Will Rogers, Jr.
A year ago, we were preparing for summer with warnings of a surge of Covid 19 cases. We were hunkered down in our “Covid Bubbles”, trying to keep ourselves safe. But to paraphrase Will Roger’s Ballad of Tubac…..we’re back!
Now, the sun is shining, and we are emerging from our cocoons and making our way out into the light (and heat!) of the summer. All during the last year, the hearty volunteers of the Tubac Historical Society continued to keep our mission alive. Throughout the pandemic our research team responded to numerous requests for information. Our collections team continued to organize our materials and our website team added the latest examples of our projects online.
We have some great new endeavors in the works. Sharing the story of Tubac remains a vital part of our mission and we are excited to be able to present this information, including online.
Click here to visit the exhibits page of our website to view our videos, one documenting the invasion of the Javelinas in the village, and another about townsfolk reactions to the Pandemic in Tubac. You will also find our short video “Flooding along the Santa Cruz River, which was created for the Tubac Presidio’s Smithsonian “Water/Ways” exhibit. Look for our “online exhibits” showcasing various projects developed by our talented team. We will rotate these exhibits as we develop new ones. We have lots planned for the coming year, so “come back” and get involved!
Andrea (Andi) Miritello, President
Tubac Historical Society Updates
The Tubac Festival Exhibit Goes Virtual
The Tubac Festival: Then and Now, featured at the Tubac Center of the Arts, closed in February, but THS has created a virtual exhibit which is on the website. Volunteers Marcia and Betsy created an introductory slide about the exhibit and then a slide for each decade with a description of Festival activities during that decade. The slideshow was supplemented with five photos that included posters, banners, newspaper clippings and cartoons from that decade.
Breakfast With History Is Coming Back
Diane Brooks is thrilled to let you know that our popular Breakfast with History is set to begin again in the Fall. We are planning on a return in November. We will keep you posted.
THS Aids Dorn Homes
THS volunteers recently helped Dorn Homes. Dorn was interested in adding a little history to their new model homes. That’s good in that it recognizes the valley history and gives a little introduction to who and what this valley is about. A collage of vintage photos we helped assemble was placed in the Dorn Model home at 55 Burruel. Adam Grounds of Dorn Homes visited the Brownell Research Center and picked up THS membership applications. Dorn will gift a one-year membership to each new homeowner. Members are encouraged to stop by to see the model home and our collage of photos. Adam also created a video of Betsy and Marcia talking about THS, our recent Festival of the Arts exhibit, and the upcoming exhibit on Steiger fabrics. He supplemented the interviews with footage of the Research Center, and he intends to make a short video for display at the model home. It appears THS has a new fan!
Helpful Web Link
The link takes you to: A Guide to Researching the History of A House. The site is sponsored by Home Advisor.
www.homeadvisor.com/r/a-guide-to-researching-the-history-of-a-house
Community Outreach
Andi and Betsy were delighted to be invited to the May 21, 2021, meeting of the Tubac Rotary Club to give an update on the activities going on at the BRC. The audience listened attentively as Andi and Betsy discussed our mission, and the many ways in which we pursue that mission. Rotary members learned how the Tubac Historical Society is preserving current events in Tubac. Thank you to the Rotary members for inviting THS to present!
New Exhibit at the Tubac Presidio
 Who is Tubac? I AM TUBAC! Tubac Presidio State Historic Park welcomes a new permanent exhibit. Tubac has long been a community made up of people from various walks of life, a true fusion of cultural traditions, values and practices. Tubac is still distinguished by this cultural influence. The village is also a community of regular people with daily struggles and moderate ambitions. I Am Tubac is an exciting new exhibit that highlights ordinary people that carved out a life in the Santa Cruz Valley. From Chinese born Luis Lim, Tubac’s first known Asian, to Joseph, the O’odham leader of Tubac’s farming community these people left their names in the history of the village. Check out the new museum exhibit Wednesday through Sunday every week. Call for more info 520-398-2252. |
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History Bits
Monsoons, Winter Storms and the Mighty Santa Cruz
While we locals appreciate the beautiful green riparian area that slices through the desert near Tubac, visitors from eastern and northern locales are usually unimpressed with our Santa Cruz River. Early pioneers from the wet and humid east, also found the landscape parched and barren.
 Army Major and Pennsylvanian Samuel Heintzelman should have been used to the desert when he commented on the flow of the Santa Cruz. Sam had spent several years commanding a garrison in Yuma in the early 1850’s. In 1857 he became the first president of the Sonora Exploring and Mining Company, headquartered in Tubac. After taking a leave of absence from the military, Sam spent six months managing the mine.
The Colorado at Yuma, while swathed in very hot desert sands and malpais, often flowed wide and viciously. Sam must have been comparing the Santa Cruz to the Colorado when he commented on the river at Tubac.
“This afternoon I went and took a bath in the famous Sta Crus River. When the water runs a mule could drink it dry, but I found a hole with water a little over knee deep and that but little over my length. There is however an Acequia draws off considerable. A few miles above or below there is no water running.”
Heintzelman’s story tells us the condition of the river in normal times hasn’t changed too much, at least since the construction of the Rio Rico water treatment plant returned a perennial flow. The river, as it has for hundreds of years, rises below Tubac and then sinks into the earth as it flows north, reappearing below San Xavier. Travelers always knew they would have a dry camp between the two populated settlements.
This summer we’re crossing our fingers (and toes) that the monsoons will make an appearance. The lack of rain has left the region showing the stress caused by lack of water. Part of the Anza Trail has been closed because hungry livestock were moved down to the river to find forage. The surrounding landscape looks as if it hurts. Historically, severe drought during monsoon season has been short lived, and the summer rains should return.
Floods have always attracted our attention in the way drought has not. Floods are visual events and the force and destruction allow us to create dramatic visual records. Floods actually cause more deaths in the U.S. than other weather hazards, excep heat. According to the website CLIMA (Climate Assessment for the Southwest) flooding cost $5 billion dollars in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah during the years 1972 to 2006.
“You could walk from Rio Rico to Green Valley without being in the shade.” Tumacácori Park Ranger, master mason, and life-long valley resident, Ray Madril presented this vivid recollection recently. Ray presented that image of a naked Santa Cruz River after reviewing photographs of the flooded valley in 1967. The flood was gigantic, a damaging contrast to the normally benign ankle-deep river.
Though summer storms can produce flooding, the Santa Cruz has seen many winter floods, often more destructive. It wiped out buildings near the Santa Cruz and reclaimed land from the ranches along the route.
The National Weather Service classified the event as a “Storm of the Century.” The summer and fall had seen increased amounts of precipitation. The ground was saturated. The storm began from the north on December 12, paralyzing northern Arizona. 86 inches of snow filled the streets of Flagstaff. In southern Arizona, even the lowest elevations experienced sticking snow. Late on December 18 warm air moved in from the south and the next day one to three inches of rain fell into the valley in a 6-hour period. On December 20, water came hard down the river from Nogales.
The Santa Cruz flowed and quickly topped its banks. Madril remembers spending the night on a nearby bridge as water crossed farm fields in sheets.
Military helicopters from Tucson rescued people all day long, only finishing as darkness settled in. The most severe damage occurred near Tubac. The railroad tracks were washed out in several places and 8oo feet of Highway 89 disappeared. The river overflowed its banks to just 4 miles from Tucson.
The flood would, in the short term, partially recharge the aquifer. Cottonwood seeds were spread along the river bottom and the cycle of repair was begun again. For Ray Madril, “the powder like sand” in a much wider river bottom left a powerful memory.
Neighbors Helping Neighbors
The Rotary clubs along I-19 from Green Valley to Nogales will give away new and slightly used jackets and coats to deserving families in our communities in November. “It is the mission of all of us to keep our less fortunate neighbors warm in the cold months,” commented Rotarian Bob Eckhart.
The sizes most in demand are:
Men's L-XL/Women's L-XL, Toddlers all sizes, and Teen 12-14,16-18
For pick up or drop off, and donations, please contact:
Bud Eckhart 520-404-7294
Membership:
Have you renewed your membership in the Tubac Historical Society?
Your membership helps preserve Tubac’s incredible history and even its art! Your membership also helps to keep our research center open and digitize our collection for researchers and genealogists. A quarterly newsletter informs our members about things past and present, and sometimes the future, in Tubac's history.
Send a check to: Tubac Historical Society PO Box 3261, Tubac, AZ 85646 or complete the online membership form at: Support/Membership on our website: tubac.org/membership
Extend your membership for two years and receive a discount. Join/Renew ONLINE Today!
Event:
The Tubac Presidio state park presents a live outdoor concert:
Ted Ramirez and Gertie, and the T.O. Boyz.
When: Saturday July 3ed, 10:00AM-12:00 PM.
Where: Under the trees on the picnic grounds. Please bring your own chairs. Tickets are $25.00 and can be purchased by calling the Presidio 520 398 2252 or at Tubacpresidio.org/events.
Olden Day Recipes
Dulcitas
1 dozen flour tortillas
½ cup powdered sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
.5 tsp. cocoa
Cut the tortillas into eight triangular pieces. Mix dry ingredients in a large plastic bag. Heat oil in pan. Cook the tortilla pieces until golden, but not brown. Drain the pieces, put in the bag and gently shake to cover.
Blown almonds (21st Century version provided by Colonial Williamsburg)
- ½ to 1 cup blanched whole almonds
- 1 egg white
- ½ cup sugar
- Put the sugar on a plate or saucer about ¼ of an inch thick.
- Lightly beat the egg white.
- Dip the almonds in the egg white, and then the sugar, and place on a pan.
- Allow to dry 20-30 minutes and repeat dipping almonds into the egg white and sugar.
- Bake at 300-degree oven for 15 minutes.
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