THS Fall Newsletter

Dispatches from the President’s Desk

“As long as you live, keep learning how to live.”
Seneca

Greetings Members,

When last I wrote to you, we were all filled with optimism about the waning COVID 19 pandemic and the return to pre-pandemic activity. Despite the recent resurgence of this foe, the volunteers of The Tubac Historical Society have been hard at work preparing exciting events that highlight historical moments in our very interesting past. Please be assured that we will take all necessary precautions to keep everyone safe at all events. We are all in this together and I feel certain that we only want the best for each other.

Please visit our website ths-tubac.org for information on our current events and exhibits. We will continue to add to our "online exhibits" page for those of you who do not feel comfortable attending events in person.

We all thank you for your continued support. Together we will persevere!

Andrea (Andi) Miritello, President

Historic Tubac Golf Resort

Historic Hotels of America has named Tubac Golf Resort and Spa one of the top 25 historic hotels for 2021. Businesswire (businesswire.com) released an article, The 2021 Top 25 Historic Hotels of America Most Historic Golf Courses List Announced. Each course has earned its reputation, in part, based on the many famous people who have played it, including U.S. Presidents, world leaders, golf champions, film and entertainment celebrities, and famous inventors and industrialists. Many amateur and professional golfers can look back to their first lesson or first golf game played with a parent or grandparent on one or more of these legendary golf courses. The golf courses are some of America’s most historic greens. The Tubac Golf Resort and Spa, located on the Santa Cruz River was founded in 1959 by a group of investors. It was the setting for scenes in the golf movie, Tin Cup.

The site of the golf resort has a revered place in Tubac’s long

history. The resort started life as a ranch. In 1789, the land was granted to Toribio de Otero. It was the first land grant recorded in what is now Arizona, and the first individually owned property in our state. The grant was retained through both the Mexican and American periods. The Otero ranch was active until the 1930’s. Financial setbacks caused the selling of parts of the ranch until it was purchased by investors in 1959.

The Cost of Civilizing
In the late 18^th century New Spain’s working poor had cash incomes between 60 and 300 pesos per year. The pequeña burguesía, the middle class of the frontier, had a starting income of about 300 pesos with 500 pesos enabling a comfortable living, Ordinary bureaucrats received between 500 and 1,000 pesos.
The income difference between the working poor and the rich was 1 to 1,000. The frontier economy around Tubac, unlike that of Mexico City, was based on barter more than cash, a situation further exacerbated by the lack of real coin at most frontier presidios.

The Events Committee would like to welcome you back to our program schedule, Fall 2021 to Spring 2022. Our tentative schedule is coming together. We hope to bring it all back to our community (with the cooperation of the pandemic). We’ll start slowly, with a limited attendance preview of our Harwood Steiger exhibit in cooperation with the Tubac Center of the Arts. The exhibit runs through November 14, 2021 if you are not able to attend the preview.

Again, welcome back everyone and we look forward to a year of great events!

Don Pedro Tueros provides a good example of a regular Spanish officer sent to bolster the defenses of New Spain, who ended up on the northern frontier. Tueros was born in 1739, in northwestern Spain. His family must have been prominent, for on April 1, 1760 at the age of 21 he was commissioned a Cadet in the Regiment of the Spanish Guards which were regarded as the elite of the Spanish Army.

Two years later Tueros saw action during the invasion of Portugal when Spain entered the Seven Years War. It was as a result of Spain’s disastrous defeat in the conflict that King Charles III began an empire wide series of military reforms designed to prevent similar losses in the future. Large numbers of Spanish regular officers were dispatched to the New World to recruit, equip, and train new military units composed almost totally from American [New World] troops.

Serving under the auspices of Lt. General Villaba, Tueros was one of a large number of Spanish officers sent to the Viceroyalty of New Spain in 1764. Upon arrival, he was made a Lieutenant in the newly raised Dragoon Regiment of [the Spanish province of] Mexico. In 1771 Tueros was appointed the military governor of the newly discovered gold mines at La Cieneguilla, near the mission of Caborca.

After ten years of service in the Regiment of the Dragoons of Mexico, on January 28, 1775, Tueros was promoted to Captain. In 1777, Tueros transferred to presidial service when he assumed command of the Royal Presidio of Santa Gertrudis de Altar. Two years later, Tueros was named Interim Military Governor of Sonora, after Lt. Colonel Juan Bautista de Anza had moved on to the Governorship of [the Spanish province of] New Mexico.

In 1779, Adjutant Inspector Roque de Medina arrived in Sonora to review the military garrisons in the province. As part of his official duties, Medina compiled a service record (hojas de servicio) on most of the commissioned and non-commissioned officers of the presidios. Excerpts from Captain Tueros’ record reveal the following: “His age: 39 ½. His country: the Bay of Biscay. His character: Noble. His health: robust…Valor: he has it. Application: Accredited. Capacity: much. Conduct: distinguished. Status: single.”

Inspector Medina also noted that up to that time, Captain Tueros had participated in only a single foray against the Apaches but had failed to contact the enemy. Nevertheless, Tueros had not only performed competently as Interim Military Governor, but he had also overseen the royal interest in the rough and tumble mining boom at the Real de la Cieneguilla, “to which he continually marches and countermarches.”

In concluding his report, the Inspector concluded that Captain Tueros could expect regular promotions “for his notorious zeal and love of the royal service.”

In 1783 Tueros was appointed governor of Coahuila where he continued to campaign against Apaches and other Indians hostile to the Spanish. In 1791 he was named Castellan of the fortress at Acapulco but died several months after taking office.

We love researching families and buildings in the area, so contact us if you have any questions.

Ketchup is about as far from its origins as it can get. There is no denying that modern ketchup is full of sugar. In fact, a tablespoon has more sugar than a chocolate chip cookie. If you’d like to try your hand at the real thing then use this recipe from the New England Farmer in 1860.

Take ripe tomatoes, and scald them just sufficient to allow you to take off the skins; then let them stand for a day, covered with salt; strain them thoroughly to remove the seeds; then to every two quarts, three ounces of cloves, two of black pepper, two nutmegs, and a very little Cayenne pepper with a little salt; boil the liquor for an hour, and then let it cool and settle; add a pint of the best cider vinegar, after which bottle it, corking and sealing it tightly. Keep it always in a cool place.

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