Retaque

THE RETAQUE FENCE AT CANOA RANCH

BY SIMON HERBERT FOR PIMA COUNTY NATURAL RESOURCES, PARKS AND RECREATION (NRPR)

Located in Arizona, between Green Valley and Amado on the east side of Interstate 19, is the Raul M. Grijalva Canoa Ranch Conservation Park, more commonly known as the historic Canoa Ranch. The 4,800-acre property, conserved by Pima County, is a remnant of the original San Ignacio de la Canoa Spanish land grant that covered 17,000 acres and much of what is now Green Valley and Sahuarita. The conservation park is a microcosm of the history of southern Arizona and reflects the lives and works of indigenous people, along with men and women of Spanish, Mexican, European, African and Asian descent.

The retaque fence system at Canoa Ranch is one of its most unique features, and considered the finest example of such a system located in southern Arizona. Used since Spanish Colonial times, this style of fencing derives its name from the Spanish word retacar, meaning to “fill”.

Pairs of mesquite posts are set every 4 feet, 18 inches apart. Mesquite limbs are tightly laid horizontally to a height of 5 to 6 feet. At midpoint and at the top, posts are tied with heavy wire to prevent spreading. The result is an extremely solid fence that cattle cannot see through or over, helping them feel secure and reduce the urge to escape.

The retaque corrals were constructed in the 1930s and 1940s by the ranch hands. The corrals served to hold cattle while they received treatments, which included branding, dehorning, castration, inoculations and weighing. The corrals are accessed through heavily-built wooden gates, bolted together and reinforced with handmade hardware. Stout hinges are mounted to steel posts located at the ends of the retaque walls. A system of interconnected levers allow many of the gates to operate from both a standing position and while seated on a horse.

Today, the corrals and gates are being repaired by staff and volunteers using as much of the original material as possible. There are 52 gates in the corrals, and while a typical gate weighs around 800 pounds, they operate so easily – even a child has little difficulty moving the gate with one finger. Work on repairing the retaque corrals began in 2016 with staff and volunteers. Volunteers have been key to the successful rehabilitation of the retaque corrals, with staff taking more of a supporting role to keep volunteers supplied with materials, such as vast quantities of mesquite wood for posts and infill, wire, gravel and the varied tools that range from tractors and chainsaws to wiring pliers and crowbars. Replacement mesquite used for repairs comes from the same Canoa ranch land that supplied the original fence, harvested by staff, volunteer crews and special service groups on loan to the county.

Canoa volunteers (L to R): Frank Salcido, Tony Salcido, Ken Welsh and Jon Nelson.

The enthusiasm for what they are accomplishing is infectious, and work proceeds in a roughly choreographed dance of post replacement, unstacking old mesquite logs and replacing them as each section is repaired. The result is virtually indistinguishable from the original in both appearance and workmanship.

Tony Salcido (pictured above), now retired from his professional career, grew up on Canoa Ranch. As a boy, he remembers helping his father, who was one of the many ranch hands, repair the retaque corrals. Both he and his cousin, Frank Salcido, now spend most Thursday and Friday mornings working on the corrals, along with other dedicated volunteers (some of which are pictured above with the cousins).

There is no text book on building or repairing retaque corrals, so the techniques used by the original builders had to be re-learned. During the process, variations in techniques and quality of the original fence were indicative that some workers were more skilled than others.

Horses are regularly housed within the corrals during events. The corrals remain a highlight for visitors to the ranch.

PLANNING A VISIT? For information on guided walking tours, events,programs and volunteer opportunities at CanoaRanch, visit www.pima.gov/canoaranch, or call520-724-5220.

Ranch photos courtesy of Pima County, Pima County NRPR and Joe Jackson.

ROUND UP AT THE TORTUGA

A SHORT STORY BY MACFARLAND DONALDSON

It is always windy in the spring at the Tortuga Ranch, but this spring it seemed incessant. The hardest time of the year was fast approaching, and the combination of calving, relentless heat and drought put a burden on both man and beast.

The retaque corrals, built in the 1920s, seemed to only force the wind and dust into a circular inferno, where we could not see the cattle as we stripped the calves from their mothers. The calves that had been born in the fall and winter were to be branded, castrated and turned back with the herd. The fact that they were 50 percent Brahman only intensified the chaos that is always present when working the young.

Pete, Roman’s brother, was the cook as well as a cowboy. Roman was the corporal and ram-rodding the works. Pete was tending the branding irons and the fire when a monster calf was let up from being worked. The calf made a beeline right for Pete; down went Pete and the calf, his glasses flying off in the dust. As he staggered up and tried to find his glasses, Roman roughly called to him, “Pete, go start lunch.” With a hitch in his gait, off he went to prepare tinned Argentine beef with onions, chiles, tortillas and the best refried beans that I have ever eaten.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Macfarland (Mac) Donaldson is a 3 rd generation writer and native Arizonan. Mac oversees the daily operations at Open Cross Ranch, a year-round cow-calf operation in the Canelo Hills of Santa Cruz County, Arizona, where he resides with his wife Billie. Visit: www.opencrossranchaz.com for more info.