Advertisement
Published: January 3rd 2013
PETE KITCHEN
From Hwy 82 in Nogales take the Tucson-Nogales Hwy northward about 5 miles to Nikos Rd. Turn right and proceed another .4 miles or so to the old ranch house on the east side of the road. There are some additional ruins nearby to the east that are designated National Historic Landmarks, but they are on private property. PETE KITCHEN
Pete, by some accounts, was born in Covington, Kentucky in 1822. He joined the Army in 1846 as a teamster and made his way across Texas to the Rio Grande where he became wagon master, and then on to Oregon where he was discharged at the end of the Mexican War in 1848. He drifted south through California arriving in Tucson in 1853. It was still Mexico then. After the Gadsden Purchase was ratified in 1854 the Santa Cruz Valley became part of New Mexico Territory. Pete started ranching along the Santa Cruz River near the southwest corner of La Canoa, a few miles north of Tubac. Soon after the Cochise War started in 1861 Pete decided to relocate his ranch to more defensible property on Potrero Creek. His pals, Manuel Ronquillo and Pancho Verdugo, helped build the new ranch. It was the first American-built spread in the purchase lands. Pancho was Opata and knew just where to locate men who could fight Apache raiders and knew farming and ranching. He went down to Sonora and brought back 30 more Opatas and his sister, Rosa. Pancho handled farming activities, Manuel handled ranching activities, and Rosa handled domestic activities. Before long Pete had his hands full with Rosa. They married and built a much larger adobe ranch house. It had 25 inch thick walls and a dirt roof with a four foot high parapet all around. The parapet had rifle ports on all sides. The roof had a protected staircase for quick access. The ranch house was a fortress. Bullets could not pierce the walls, it could not be set on fire, and it was never approached by surprise because lookouts manned the roof at all times. Many Apaches tried, and tried, and tried again to destroy the Kitchen Ranch but never succeeded. Sometimes one of them would be killed in a raid. When deceased Apaches were found nearby Dona Rosa would bury them with dignity outside the cemetery that Pete built for victims of depredations who survived long enough to reach his ranch before succumbing to their wounds. The cemetery also holds the remains of outlaws that Pete either shot or hung. He bore his adversaries no malice. As time wore on Pete, and Manuel, and Pancho all attained legendary status as Indian fighters, and enjoyed great respect for the gracious hospitality of the ranch to all visitors. As the ranch continued to thrive it supplied produce and beef to markets in Calabasas, Tubac, Tucson and the military posts. Cured hams and bacon from the Kitchen Ranch became very popular staples on tables throughout the area. When the railroads came to Arizona they brought cheaper produce than Pete could supply. He eventually sold his ranch and retired to Tucson where he passed away near the turn of the century. His funeral was the largest that Tucson had ever seen. The old ranch house still stands. It was a restaurant for many years until it finally caught on fire. It now houses Rancher’s Feed and Supply. The photo shows the rear of the building and what is left of the parapet.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.277s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 14; qc: 46; dbt: 0.1332s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Mike Ronquillo
non-member comment
Trails of Pete Kitchen Book
There is a store about the Son of Cochise. It is very good story and should be made into a motion picture. Manuel Ronquillo Pete Ktchen's froeman was my great grandfather.