Living history was the theme of the Oro Valley Historical Society's first annual meeting last Thursday at the Oro Valley Public Library.
"When a community doesn't respect its history, it doesn't go very far," said Dick Eggerding, historical society vice president. "Knowing the history of the community gives you a sense of place."
The society, formed in 2005, has several goals. They include promoting community interest and information about the town's history, helping the town in protecting historical sites, collecting and preserving historical items, and working with local schools in encouraging student interest in local history.
Members of the society and community listened to Dick Tully, great-grandson of Pinckney Randolph Tully, speak March 16 about his ancestor's contributions to Tucson and Oro Valley.
The elder Tully, along with his partner, Esteban Ochoa, owned the Tully-Ochoa Freight Co., whose wagon trains supplied the Tucson area with needed supplies. The duo carried freight from as far away as Kansas to New Mexico and Arizona, Dick Tully said.
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He recounted the company's success as a part of the emerging Tucson community at the turn of the century. He also said that the arrival of the railroad led to the company's demise in the late 1800s.
"This community has grown unbelievably," Dick Tully said of Oro Valley. "In the 1850s it must have been a long way from Downtown Tucson. I wonder what they would say about it."
One of the Tully and Ochoa freight wagon trains fell victim to an Apache Indian attack in 1869 as it traveled in what is now Oro Valley along the Cañada del Oro wash, Dick Tully said.
Recounting his family's contributions to Tucson, Dick Tully noted political and educational work his family completed. Among those accomplishments, Pinckney Randolph Tully and Ochoa each served for about a year as Tucson's mayor, Dick Tully said.
"They left something for us to build on," Tully said.
If you go
● The Oro Valley Historical Society meets at 6 p.m. the third Thursday of each month. Meetings are held at the Oro Valley Public Library, 1305 W. Naranja Drive.
Check out the society online at www.ovhistory.org
