Riding through the Altar Valley, “the stark, quiet beauty of the valley becomes evident as does the heat, aridity, and peril the environment presents for humans. Long before the Altar desert corridor became one of the most tragic settings for the desperate movement of migrants into the U.S., the area stretching from Altar, Sonora, to Robles Junction, west of Tucson, Arizona, was home to numerous indigenous groups, Spanish missionaries and settlers, and then Mexican and Anglo American ranchers. In the Arizonan portion of the Altar Valley Corridor, all water flows north, mainly through the Altar Wash. On the Mexican side, all water flows south to the Gulf of California along the important Altar River which has its source in mountains along the U.S.-Mexican border near the Tres Bellotas Ranch west of Nogales.” [Nomadic Border]

Jesuit missionaries traveling from Spain built a mission outpost on the property in 1720. Today the building serves as the Cantina and is considered to be the oldest continuously occupied building in all of Arizona.

In the late 1800s, the land was purchased by a cattle ranching tycoon who transformed the acreage into a cattle ranch with over 80,000 cattle.

In the 1930s, Richard (“Dick”) Jenkins, the chairman of the Arizona Democratic Party, purchased the ranch and hosted many political dignitaries, including President Lyndon B. and Lady Bird Johnson, Vice President Hubert Humphrey, President Franklin D. and Eleanor Roosevelt. It is here that William Clayton drafted the Marshall Plan, an important American initiative that provided critical post-war financial aid to European countries.

Other notable guests include Hollywood celebrities Joan Crawford (one of Hollywoods most prominent movie starts in the 1920s), Margaret Mitchell (author of Gone With the Wind) and John Wayne (actor staring in Westerns).

“A walk through the only paved street in Sasabe demonstrates what is left over from earlier times in this border town. Many adobe homes here bear witness to the heritage of the ranching community that formerly existed in Sasabe. Many of these homes have been built with bricks formed at the brickyard in Sásabe, Sonora, Mexico. Before the demographic decline that affected the Altar Valley and Sasabe with the reduction of the local cattle industry, many of the cowboys from nearby ranches – such as the Aros, De la Osa, Buenos Aires, and Santa Margarita – lived in these homes.” For the complete history, read this piece by Nomadic Border.

“Baboquivari Peak is an important regional geographic landmark and one of the most sacred sites for the Tohono O’odham (“Desert People”) of Southern Arizona and Northern Sonora. According to the traditional religion of the O’odham, humanity emerged into the world through this holy mountain after a flood. I’itoi, the creator of the world, is believed to live in a cave within the mountain from which he watches over his people today. The image of I’itoi – depicted in Tohono O’odham art as a man in the middle of a circular maze – is popular throughout the Arizona-Sonora border region. The maze represents not only the path to reach I’itoi within his cave at Baboquivari but also the decisions a person makes throughout their life path.” [Nomadic Border]

This is a must do stop! Open seasonally; the Center has a series of exhibits showcasing the Refuge’s ranching history, flora and fauna, and conservation efforts.

Once a cattle ranch, the Refuge was purchased in 1985 under the authority of the Endangered Species Act to reintroduce the endangered Masked Bobwhite Quail back into the wild. Today it is managed by the Fish and Wildlife Service, who are working to reestablish a breeding population of the masked bobwhite quail while restoring the native grassland, and protecting the Refuge’s diverse habitats for native plants and wildlife as well as threatened or endangered species such as the Chiricahua leopard frog and Pima pineapple cactus. [US Fish & Wildlife Service]