The National Votes for Women Trail and the William G. Pomeroy Foundation have honored the Patagonia Museum by sponsoring a suffrage sign marker that will be displayed on the grounds of the 1914 Grammar School. In 1915, a special election was held in Santa Cruz County and the Grammar School was the voting site for the Patagonia community. At the time there were at least 31 women registered to vote in Patagonia. The suffrage sign will honor these women and Amalia Valenzuela and Mary Kane in particular, as Hispanic women who pursued their right to vote at a time when it was unacceptable in much of the country.

The 1913 Official Register of Electors listing Mary Kane as one of six registered voters in Crittenden.

A brief ceremony to celebrate this suffrage sign marker will take place along with our annual meeting on Saturday, January 23, 2021, at 10:30 am, on the grounds of our museum facility, 100 School Street. Mary Melcher who received her Ph.D from Arizona State University in American History, will be our guest speaker. Mary is an oral historian, consultant, curator, historian, author and the driving force who made this recognition possible.

The 1870 US Census includes the military personnel at Camp Crittenden as well as the settlers around the Sonoita Creek Valley. Camp Crittenden was established in 1867 on the mesa overlooking the former Fort Buchanan site. Camp Crittenden was disbanded in 1873 but not before spawning another civilian community: the town of Crittenden. Fifty-three percent of the soldiers and settlers were foreign-born. This census reflects the population in what is now eastern Santa Cruz County.

Thanks to the Arizona Historical Society in Tucson for maintaining copies of the “Census-Territories of New Mexico and Arizona” (US Govt Print Office 1965, 312.979 U58). You can click on the links below to view the individual census records.  In general, the civilian residents are listed in alphabetical order as opposed to by location or household which is the order of the typical census document.

Click the link below to view the census data:

1870 Census in eastern Santa Cruz County

After the ratification of the Gadsden Purchase in 1854, the eastern portion of Santa Cruz County became part of the United States. In 1856 US Army Major Enoch Steen who was stationed in Santa Fe, NM was given orders to establish a military post to defend the citizens of Tucson from the Apache. Upon his arrival in the area along with Captain Richard Ewell, the two officers decided that the Tucson valley could not sustain a military post. They rode south along the Santa Cruz River with two companies of  United States Dragoons and established Camp Moore near Calabasas, at the confluence of the Santa Cruz River and Sonoita Creek.

The citizens of Tucson were disappointed when the troops left the immediate area and started a campaign to bring the troops closer home. After several months of receiving complaints at the Santa Fe Headquarters, Major Steen was ordered to locate a military post closer to Tucson. Captain Ewell chose the location for the next encampment at the headwaters of the Sonoita Creek (about 9 miles northeast from Patagonia along Highway 82). It was named Fort Buchanan in honor of the president.

The new location afforded ample forage for the horses plus it was less prone to mosquitoes than Camp Moore and was in the corridor used by the Apache to raid into Sonora. Unfortunately, according to the citizens, it was still not close enough to Tucson so they continued to complain until Fort Buchanan was abandoned by the army in 1861. (In case you are interested, Tucsonians eventually got their own Camp Lowell which became Fort Lowell in 1873.)

Following the establishment of Fort Buchanan in 1857, the Sonoita Creek Valley was soon inhabited by farmers, merchants and miners making the area eligible to participate in the 1860 Census.  In summary, the total population for Fort Buchanan and the Sonoita Creek Valley area was listed at 201. The 2 companies of dragoons at Fort Buchanan accounted for 92 soldiers, 26 of whom were born in Ireland. There were 43 civilians living at Fort Buchanan and 66 civilians along Sonoita Creek for a total of 109. Of the civilians, 57 were adult males, 26 adult females and 26 children. Of the civilian population, 47 were born in New Mexico or Mexico.

Thanks to the Arizona Historical Society in Tucson for maintaining copies of the “Census-Territories of New Mexico and Arizona” (US Govt Print Office 1965, 312.979 U58). You can click on the links below to view the individual census records.  In general, the civilian residents are listed in alphabetical order as opposed to by location or household which is the order of the typical census document.

Click the links below to view the census data:

Military Census –  First U.S. Dragoons, Companies D & G

Civilian Census

Sonoita Creek Settlement Census

The board of trustees sends a heartfelt thank you to Arizona Humanities for the grant recently awarded to the Patagonia Museum. Funding for this grant was provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

The monies will be used to offset our operating expenses that would normally be covered by our fundraising efforts.

In case you are unfamiliar with their work, Arizona Humanities is a statewide 501C3 that has supported public programs that promote understanding of the human experience with cultural, educational, and nonprofit organizations across Arizona since 1973. You can find more about them on their website.

A group of volunteers from the Museum, led by Murphy Musick, will once again be replacing flags on the veteran’s graves in the Patagonia Cemetery in anticipation of Memorial Day, Monday, May 25th.

There are 93 veterans that are buried in the cemetery and we’re pleased to announce that for the first time, we are in a position to replace ALL the flags on their graves. The new flags we have purchased will stay up all year round as a symbol of our appreciation for their service to our country.

If you would like to help, Murphy will meet you at the cemetery flagpole at 8:00 AM on Sunday, the 24th. If you can’t make the event but would like to donate to the flag replacement fund, we thank you.

A field trip to the local museum may not sound like fun to every kid but in this case, we’re pleased to report a good time was had by the Lobos from Mr. CW’s 5th grade class.

FRONT ROW: Mr. CW, Kannon, Alex, Losiram and Tristan   BACK ROW: Erika, Vivi, Amaya and Isela

The good times began when we learned Mr. CW had taught in the facility towards the end of its 100-year run as the elementary school in Patagonia. Several of the students also shared fond memories of the classrooms from their kindergarten days.

The hosts (our curators Tom & Linda Shore) are both former teachers so they devised a way to work a bit of learning into the trip. The kids teamed up to complete a crossword puzzle based on the clues they discovered in a scavenger hunt in the displays in the former classrooms.  Entertainment included a rendition of “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” on the player piano. Yes, there was dancing.

It was only fitting that the field trip ended with a few minutes spent on the jungle gym….for old time’s sake. Kids only, just like it was back in the day.