History

Although the various communities of the Santa Cruz Valley have hosted residents through the ages starting with the Hohokam and their descendants, this area was not really explored and settled until the Spanish explorers came through on expeditions that originated in Mexico.

In fact, this area at one time was a legal part of Mexico.

The Gadsen Purchase brought the southern portion of the Arizona Territory into the United States.

Much of what we consider to be Green Valley today is situated on what was once the 17,000 acre San Ignacio de la Canoa land grant issued by the king of Spain in 1820. It was presented to brothers Tomas and Ignacio Ortiz.

In this century, portions of the Santa Cruz Valley were owned by Queen Wilhemina of the Netherlands, who was the principal shareholder in the Intercontinental Rubber Company, which purchased the northern half of the land grant from General Howell Manning in 1916. The same year, the Continental School District became the third school district officially established in Pima County.

During World War I, allied powers became concerned that sources of rubber for their war machines would not be available. So, alternative sources were sought, including the guayule that was grown by the Intercontinental Rubber Company. Eventually, the scheme proved to not be economically viable.

The company next tried to grow cotton with mixed results. In 1949, the land was sold to Farmers Investment Company (FICO), headed by Keith Walden. Walden decided to try growing pecans on the acreage, a decision that has paid off for FICO over the years.

Canoa Ranch was a working cattle ranch from 1820 to the 1970s. At its peak, the ranch controlled more than 100,000 acres. Remaining are historic ranch buildings and numerous archeological sites.