CANOA RANCH Interpretive Approach Canoa Ranch Master Plan Ralph Appelbaum Associates November 2006 “La Canoa” : the natural spring that was known as a perennial source of water by Spanish explorers and later travelers. I N T RODUC T ION The following is an overview of an interpretive approach to Canoa Ranch. It consists of an initial palette of strategies, techniques, and experiences that could be developed for this site. These initial approaches are the result of valuable input from the Canoa Master Plan’s team of specialists and historians who provided their knowledge and expertise on the history and potential of the site. Canoa Ranch Master Plan • Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Inc. Canoa Ranch Master Plan • Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Inc. 2 Canoa Ranch is rich in history, learning experiences, and potential activities for a wide range of visitors. It is a place where one can look back in time and look forward to the future. It is resonant with many layers of history and is, in a sense, a viewpoint into southern Arizona history — but on a deeply personal level. Who lived here? Who stopped here en route to other places? What was this landscape like over time? What does this place tell us about our relationship to land, to cultures, and to history? These are profound and meaningful questions, and all of them can be touched upon and explored at this extraordinary place. Interpretive opportunities for Canoa are numerous and include the chance to delve into ranching traditions, environmental and conservation issues, the daily life of Canoa inhabitants over time, and historical timelines that cross cultures and periods of history. In addition, Canoa is a place that is well suited to living history, a site where visitors can interact and learn from docents and other specialists. 3 I N T E R PR E T I V E G OA L S To encourage a sense of discovery in all visitors To foster new ways of thinking about our relationship to the environment To provide experiences and learning opportunities for a wide range of visitors Canoa Ranch Master Plan • Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Inc. Canoa Ranch Master Plan • Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Inc. 4 To bring to life the unique and deep history of this place 5 View of snow-covered Santa Ritas Ranching and its role in the history of southern Arizona The changing landscape and the importance of water Family histories and cultural identities K E Y T H E M ES Continuity and change Canoa Ranch Master Plan • Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Inc. Canoa Ranch Master Plan • Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Inc. 6 7 Lake at Canoa Ranch Representative pottery from Santa Cruz Valley Herding cattle at Canoa Ranch The Manning children W HO W IL L COM E T O C A NOA? Local families and school children American tourists Mexican tourists People with interest in ranching People with interest in the environment Canoa offers visitors a wonderful array of activities and experiences, from viewing multilayered exhibits inside restored buildings to participating in living history demonstrations to wandering through trails. An interpretive approach to Canoa is characterized by a respect for the place — the buildings, the multiple stories and perspectives, the changing landscape. Accordingly, the strategies suggested here employ an array of techniques that reflect the significance and location of interpretation, whether it is inside the building or outside on the site. Focused views, multiple perspectives, in-depth storytelling, and exploration through trails and way-finding are some of the options that could be developed here. Canoa Ranch Master Plan • Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Inc. Canoa Ranch Master Plan • Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Inc. 8 A wide range of visitors will find Canoa of interest. Among these are: I N T E R PR E T I V E S T R AT EGI E S & T EC H N IQU E S 9 X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X OR I E N TAT ION S Y S T E M X X X X X X X X X X X X Future X X X X Spanish 1690 Mexican 1821 X X Maish Driscoll 1869 X X X X X X X X Manning 1908 Canoa Ranch Master Plan • Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Inc. Early American 1854 Native People X Canoa Ranch Master Plan • Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Inc. From the beginning of their visit, visitors will be oriented to the many things they can do and to the deep layers of history and storytelling they can access throughout the site. An Orientation System introduced in the Visitor Center and found on every entry ticket will be repeated graphically in the exhibits and interpretive structures throughout the site. This Layers of History guide is linked to locations on the site map that will cue visitors to the period of history they are encountering at the moment. It will also remind them how many layers they can explore on this visit and on repeated visits to Canoa. X 11 X 10 X X X X Corporate 1967 X X X X Conservation 1997 X X X X X Master bedroom fireplace Interior views of Deezie and Howell Manning, Jr. family house in 2006 and ca. 1950 I N T E R IOR R E S T OR AT ION AND EXHIBITS Living room fireplace Canoa Ranch Master Plan • Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Inc. Canoa Ranch Master Plan • Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Inc. Authenticity and the power of place are two key attributes of Canoa Ranch. The buildings are an important way for visitors to experience history by going back in time to see how people lived, whether they are members of the Manning family or people who worked on the ranch. Detailed restoration with furnishings can be accomplished in some of the rooms, while interpretive exhibits can be installed in others. Exhibit techniques can include treatments and structures that do not impact the architecture while providing different levels of information. These may include deeper content for those with a keener interest in a particular subject or a set of children’s panels to guide younger visitors through the interior exhibit spaces. 13 12 Indoor porch L I V I NG H IS T OR Y What does it feel like to ride a horse and to try to steer cattle? What do you have to know to find water? How do you raise livestock? Why does the blacksmith have one of the most important jobs on a ranch? Where would you go to school if you lived here? Canoa Ranch Master Plan • Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Inc. Canoa Ranch Master Plan • Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Inc. 14 The daily activities of those who lived and worked at Canoa can be brought to life by living history demonstrators and docents. Visitors will be able to learn about ranching firsthand and also participate in various aspects themselves to get a deeper understanding of the hard work and skills needed for life on a ranch. Seeing cattle at close range, and learning more about their habits, can be fun for younger visitors and a memorable way to engage them in the past and the future. 15 S T OR Y C E N T E R V I E W POI N T S & L E N SE S Besides the numerous stories that visitors will encounter throughout the site, there will be a dedicated place to record and access those of the many people still alive that have connections to Canoa. These oral and video histories will flesh out the details of the complex interplay of families, lives, and cultures, and document them for posterity. Here visitors can hear what life was really like as they get multiple perspectives on events, existence, and the land. Through them, perhaps, they can answer the question: What happened at Canoa? At various locations on the site, visitors will encounter a set of Viewpoints that provide interpretation in a variety of ways: creating “then and now” contrasts, providing multiple perspectives on a story, or focusing the visitor’s view on a particular feature of the landscape or building. For example, interpretation connected to Life on the Ranch stories can show visitors what buildings looked like at a certain time as well as highlight the way daily life might have been experienced by a member of the Manning family who owned the ranch or a member of the Salcido family who worked on the ranch. The collection of these oral histories could be linked to other efforts conducted by museums and historical sites both regionally and nationally. Further into the site, visitors can learn about the importance of water at Canoa and how the landscape has changed over time. In other areas, they can access information about Native American settlements. These Viewpoints could be located at many places throughout the site that act as signposts for stories and features of the landscape. They could become a way to accumulate information and also encourage visitors to return to Canoa to expand their journey. Canoa Ranch Master Plan • Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Inc. Canoa Ranch Master Plan • Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Inc. 16 Jesus Salcido in the documentary film Canoa 17 Canoa Ranch Master Plan • Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Inc. Canoa Ranch Master Plan • Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Inc. 18 19 Canoa Ranch Master Plan • Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Inc. Canoa Ranch Master Plan • Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Inc. 20 21 Canoa Ranch Master Plan • Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Inc. Canoa Ranch Master Plan • Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Inc. 22 23 �� ������������� �� �� ��������������� T R A IL S ����������� �� Portrait of Juan Bautista de Anza Canoa Ranch Master Plan • Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Inc. 24 Canoa can be experienced in more active ways while still providing opportunities for learning by way-finding systems that could include physical paths, maps, guidebooks, and signposts. Visitors can hike along part of the Anza Trail and learn of other historic routes and settlements found here. They will find that Canoa was established along the route of the Camino Real and that it was a fording place across the Santa Cruz River, as well as a place of refuge for travelers, long before it became a working ranch. Trails through various parts of the site are also a means for people to return to Canoa for a different kind of exploration. ������ The Anza Trail ������� T EC H NOL OG Y Canoa Ranch Master Plan • Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Inc. Canoa Ranch Master Plan • Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Inc. Opportunities exist for the site to be accessed through simple technologies: cell phone podcasts, audio tours, or special zones with audioscapes. Today’s technology allows us to customize the experience to the diverse needs of various visitors. It offers opportunities for self-directed learning, collaboration, and reflection. Interactive technology allows us to engage younger audiences in exciting ways that make abstract concepts accessible. And finally, technology provides a simple way for visitors to access information in their own language. Raphael Pumpelly 27 26 Maish Driscoll 1869 V ISI T OR E X PE R IE NC ES Canoa vaqueros at chuckwagon on roundup The Foreman’s House, 2005 Mexican Tourist Some visitors from Mexico may be interested in exploring the history of Mexican ranching traditions — from the story of the Ortiz brothers and the Canoa land grant to how the ranch developed during that time. The story of the land grant system, its impact in southern Arizona, and the establishment of Hispanic-American families can be extrapolated and expanded upon for a broader historical view. Ignacio and Tomas Ortiz Tomas and Ignacio Ortiz were sons of Augustin Ortiz, who in 1812 had settled on land west of Tubac. Tomas was born in Tubac in 1792. He died at the age of 85 shortly after completing the sale of Canoa to two Americans, Frederick Maish and Thomas Driscoll. His brother Ignacio was an enthusiastic prospector and miner, said to be knowledgeable about all the mines of Sonora. Ignacio was a member of an 1856 convention in Tucson held to promote territorial status for this new area of the United States. The following year he was killed by Papago Indians as he returned from a trip to California. Canoa Ranch Master Plan • Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Inc. Canoa Ranch Master Plan • Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Inc. 28 With its wide range of learning opportunities, Canoa is a place where visitors can choose to organize their time to access stories and events of particular interest. Here are three examples of different kinds of visits: 29 The Manning children Mrs. Ramón Ahumado at Canoa Ranch with three children Schoolchildren Local Tourist A busload of schoolchildren could be brought to Canoa to learn about the environment and conservation using Canoa as a case study. They can be taught how to “read the land” and to understand and identify the changes to the landscape over time. The ranch offers a perfect environment to raise awareness on what decisions and natural events created those changes. What happened to the water is the most basic question to pose to young visitors. What can we learn from this for the future? Local visitors who have a particular interest in what ranch life was like during the Manning era may relish historical tidbits such as the fact that the ranch was once known for its fine Arabian horses or that 40 to 45 ranch hands lived there year-round. There was a ranch school for the children at one time. And the Mannings and their crew spent their days on horseback and rose as early as three a.m. to herd, round up, brand, and load up cattle for market. Although the site of La Canoa was well known by Spanish explorers and later travelers as a natural spring that was a perennial source of water, today it is a ranch without water. In the past, however, the ranch used many remarkable methods of collecting water from various sources. Every drop was valued. A key story of Canoa is that of water scarcity and creative use. Young visitors could benefit from these lessons and examples of the past. Canoa Ranch Master Plan • Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Inc. Canoa Ranch Master Plan • Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Inc. 30 Howell Manning, Jr. with Deezie in corral at Canoa Ranch 31 THE FUTURE Canoa Ranch Master Plan • Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Inc. Canoa Ranch Master Plan • Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Inc. 32 Canoa will be a place that both explores the past and looks to the future, a place that can embrace collaboration with experts in new ways of farming, ranching, and restoring the environment. The possibilities for Canoa are limitless, and the opportunities for ongoing development of interpretation, programming, and education are deep and rich. 33 Canoa Ranch Master Plan • Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Inc. Canoa Ranch Master Plan • Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Inc. 34 35 An evolving landscape Canoa Ranch Master Plan • Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Inc. Canoa Ranch Master Plan • Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Inc. 36 37 Continuity and change Canoa Ranch Master Plan • Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Inc. Canoa Ranch Master Plan • Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Inc. To understand the story of Canoa is to understand the story of southern Arizona 39 38 pg. 5 Photograph by Howell Manning, Jr. Photograph by Jonathan Mabry Photograph by Howell Manning, Jr. Photograph by Howell Manning, Jr. pg. 12, 13 Photographs of interiors ca. 1950 by Howell Manning, Jr. pg. 16 Courtesy of Tomas Javier Castillo, 2003 pg. 29 Photograph by Howell Manning, Jr. pg. 30-32 Photographs by Howell Manning, Jr. Canoa Ranch Master Plan • Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Inc. Canoa Ranch Master Plan • Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Inc. 40 pg. 6 left to right Photograph by Howell Manning, Jr. The rendered images presented in this document represent potential concepts for proposed environmental and interpretive treatments for the Canoa Ranch Master Plan. The images were prepared for the exclusive use of Poster Frost Associates (PFA) as part of its Master Plan Report and may not be reproduced, retransmitted or otherwise used without the express permission of PFA and Ralph Appelbaum Associates. 41