America’s Semiquincentennial

This is your last chance to visit the Pusch House Museum at historic Steam Pump Ranch to view the exhibit celebrating our Nation’s 250th birthday.  See the events leading up to the revolution and the challenges faced and overcome.  Tours are self-guided, and knowledgeable volunteers will be on site to answer questions and provide additional information.

While at the Ranch, join our Naturalist on a one-hour walk to learn about the people who lived on the Ranch as well as the flora and fauna of our desert surroundings.  Tours are scheduled at 9:15 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. and finish at the Oro Valley Historical Society-managed Heritage Garden, where you can experience a replica of a Hohokam pit house and see what winter crops are growing.

John Barthelme, archaeologist and Heritage Garden volunteer, will give a demo on stone tool making in the Heritage Garden between 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. He will supply the obsidian for tool making, goggles, gloves, and band-aids. Also on display will be plastic replica human and pre-human skulls, as well as various African animal bones.  This will be an experience for kids and adults alike!