[Source: Greg Holt, Northwest Explorer] -- Everyday in Oro Valley, a bulldozer is tearing across the desert landscape to make room for a strip mall, housing development, office complex, or golf course. As this suburban community makes room for more people, the town moves further away from its dusty and remote past. Driving down Oracle Road, past the enormous Albertson's and the gigantic Home Depot, you might not notice the humble Steam Pump Ranch (pictured above) marking the town's birthplace if it weren't for the sprawling shopping plaza under construction next door. Similarly, the meticulous landscaping of Rancho Vistoso Boulevard might distract you from the neighboring Honeybee Village site where Hohokam Indians lived hundreds of years ago, although it is sure to become more noticeable once the site is surrounded by high-rise condominiums.Oro Valley is stepping into its future deftly and without remorse. As one of the most desirable places to live in Arizona, this reality is so inevitable that it can only be encouraged. Yet like a child that grows up much too quickly, some residents of Oro Valley worry that the town's past will soon be forgotten. For others, as Oro Valley quickly homogenizes into every-town USA, there is a desire to emphasize and celebrate all that is unique about Oro Valley's history. Whatever the reason, in the past year, historic preservation in Oro Valley has evolved from the hobby of a few individuals to something nearing a political movement. The Oro Valley Historical Society, a non-profit organization devoted to researching, preserving, an disseminating history about the Oro Valley-area, was founded last July and already boasts more than 90 members, according to OVHS president and Town Historian Jim Kriegh.
Indicative of its growing influence, about 80 Oro Valley residents, business and government leaders attended a society fund-raising dinner on May 6 at the White Stallion Ranch in Marana. Kriegh said the society raised $1,900, adding to a treasury of about $9,000. Oro Valley resident Lyra Done attended because she believes the town must act now to preserve its history. "The further away from history we get, the harder it is to go back and put history back together," Done said.
[Note: To read the full article, click here. Photo source: Peg Price.]
