Look briefly at the unusual letters and numbers on the sound walls on North Oracle Road in Oro Valley, and they may appear to be some type of ancient alphabet.
They actually represent cattle brands.
When the Arizona Department of Transportation widened North Oracle Road, or Arizona 77, from West Calle Concordia to East Pusch View Lane, anti-noise walls and artwork were part of the 2008 project, said Linda Ritter, ADOT public information officer.
Replicas of cattle brands are featured on walls on both sides of Oracle, near the Hilton Tucson El Conquistador Golf & Tennis Resort, and they reflect an important aspect of Oro Valley's history.
The brands represent ranchers who did business with George Pusch in the early 1900s, said Pat Spoerl, president of the Oro Valley Historical Society.
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Sometime in the 1870s, Pusch, a German immigrant, and Swiss immigrant John Zellweger bought land in what would become Oro Valley and started a cattle ranch, Spoerl said.
Part their ranch is now owned by the town of Oro Valley.
It's known as Steam Pump Ranch, and it's along North Oracle Road between North First Avenue and East Tangerine Road.
Spoerl, who also sits on Oro Valley's Town Council, researched the brands by studying a ledger that Pusch's grandson, Henry Zipf, donated to the Historical Society.
Spoerl wrote an essay on the cattle brands to educate the community on their significance.
In it, she explains how to read the brands: "Brands are read from left to right, top to bottom, and outside to inside. Capital letters, numbers and characters are among the combinations. Letters can be vertical, sideways, reversed or hanging."
One of the brands depicted on the wall is the "7-6" brand, which was owned by W.O. Ramsey from Tombstone, Spoerl wrote.
Contact reporter Andrea Rivera at arivera@azstarnet.com or 807-8430.
