Oro Valley Farmers Market: Farm Fresh History!
Not long ago, Oro Valley Farmers Market moved to historic Steam Pump Ranch on North Oracle Road. The ranch was started in 1874 by German immigrants George Pusch and Johann Zellweger. In order to make the ranch viable, they needed a lot of water. So the partners purchased a steam powered water pump to draw water from the aquifer.
With adequate water, Pusch and Zellweger created a much desired rest stop on the old Camp Grant Road (now Oracle Road), as well a successful farm that provided fresh produce, chickens and eggs to the residents of Tucson. Today, Steam Pump Ranch is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.