Steam Pump Ranch

Started in 1874 and restored in 2012, the Ranch house originally consisted of a kitchen and two bedrooms. Eventually the ranch properties extended to 10,000 acres, 60 miles to the North and 30 miles to the Northeast.

George Pusch and John Zellweger were German immigrants who originally met in New York. George trained as a butcher. Later they met again in San Francisco and decided to pool their resources and start a ranch near Tucson.

Early on they installed a Steam Pump, only one of two in the Territory, to pump water from their well. The ranch became known as the Steam Pump Ranch. "PZ" was the brand that was burned onto their cattle, horses, donkeys, and mules. In 1883 Pusch bought out his partner.

When the railroad came to Tucson, ranchers from the Territory would drive their cattle to Steam Pump where the herds were rested and filled with water. Later the cattle would be weighed before being sold and loaded onto the railroad destined for points East. This process was known as "Watering the Stock".

President of the Historical Society led a tour of the ranch house and she told this story:

Under the kitchen was a Root Cellar. Mrs Pusch kept a harmless King Snake in the Cellar to eat mice and rats. One day when the family was hosting a party, the snake crawled out of the cellar and into the kitchen. One of the guests freaked out and killed the snake, much to the consternation of Mrs Pusch. A boy at the time, who is now 97 years old, relates this as a very humorous tale.