Columns

The pleasures of fly fishing for bass at Pena Blanca Lake make for a perfect mini-escape.

The weekly Santa Cruz Patagonian was published from December 1912 to July 1929. It had five owners during its 17 years of existence. J. B. Price and Wilfred Waddell, “two newspapermen from Douglas” established the newspaper to bring the news to the rapidly growing community of Patagonia. [The Oasis, 11/30/1912]. In September 1917 Howard Keener, […]

The PRT advises that nobody enter abandoned mines or caves without the proper training or equipment. But that’s never stopped our columnist.

What is that?

As temperatures head into the 90s, reptiles are on the rise in the Sky Islands. Here’s a few to look for.

At left, Charles and Carmen Mapes with eldest son John, circa 1911. At right, Charles and Grace Mapes. Photos courtesy of Ancestry.com The scrapbook titled “Pioneer Park Names of Pioneers and Donors of Trees” is dedicated to Charles J. Mapes. The unsigned dedication statement states, “He was the first person in Patagonia that was ecology-minded. He […]

Some of the Spanish language books available at the Patagonia Library. Photo by Kayla Miller Every so often, a group of middle schoolers and their teachers will come visit the library before our opening hours to have a full hour of undivided attention and assistance from the library staff. As hectic as these mornings can […]

Photo by German Quiroga The Santa Cruz County Seal and a few cowbells are from the George Proctor Collection at the museum. Proctor served as Santa Cruz County Supervisor from 1980 to 1984 after retiring from the U.S. Forest Service in 1976. The use of cowbells, which were tied around the livestock’s neck to keep […]