Calabasas (Spanish for "

pumpkin A pumpkin is a vernacular term for mature winter squash of species and varieties in the genus ''Cucurbita'' that has culinary and cultural significance but no agreed upon botanical or scientific meaning. The term ''pumpkin'' is sometimes use ...

s") is a former

populated place Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

ghost town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * Ghost Town (1936 film), ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * Ghost Town (1956 film), ''Ghost Town'' ...

, within the

Census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

of Rio Rico, a suburb of Nogales in Santa Cruz County, Arizona.

History

18th century

Originally settled by the Spanish in 1756 as Mission San Cayetano de Calabazas with seventy-eight

O'odham The O'odham peoples, including the Tohono O'odham, the Pima people, Pima or Akimel O'odham, and the Hia C-ed O'odham, are indigenous people of the Americas, indigenous Uto-Aztecan peoples of the Sonoran desert in southern and central Arizona and ...

to the site from their village of ''Toacuquita'' nearer the Santa Cruz River to the new site on the bluffs above it to the east. A church report in 1772 described the mission as having a population 64: 21 men, 24 women and 19 children. It described the location as being on an open plain with good lands, but that the Indians do little or no farming, and that there was no church or house for the Missionary. However by 1773 the church was functional and in 1775, Father Pedro Font said mass there during the first

Juan Bautista de Anza Juan Bautista de Anza Bezerra Nieto (July 6 or 7, 1736 – December 19, 1788) was an expeditionary leader, military officer, and politician primarily in California and New Mexico under the Spanish Empire. He is credited as one of the founding fa ...

expedition to the upper part of

Las Californias The Californias (Spanish: ''Las Californias''), occasionally known as The Three Californias or Two Californias, are a region of North America spanning the United States and Mexico, consisting of the U.S. state of California and the Mexican stat ...

.San Cayetano de Calabazas
from nps.gov accessed July 19, 2019San Cayetano de Calabazas
from southwestmissions.org accessed July 20, 2019 In 1777, the mission church, houses and the granary filled with maize, were sacked and set afire during a raid by part of a band of

Apache The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño an ...

, apostate O’odham, and Seris that had similarly attacked Magdalena and other

Pimería Alta The ''Pimería Alta'' (translated to 'Upper Pima Land'/'Land of the Upper Pima' in English) was an area of the 18th century Sonora y Sinaloa Province in the Viceroyalty of New Spain, that encompassed parts of what are today southern Arizona in th ...

communities during 1776. The mission O’odham killed fourteen of the raiders but lost seven of their own. The Mission was abandoned in 1786 when the last of the O'odham left because of continuing hostilities by the Apaches.

19th century

Between 1807 and 1830 the settlement area was used as an ''

estancia An estancia is a large, private plot of land used for farming or raising cattle or sheep. Estancias in the southern South American grasslands, the ''pampas'', have historically been estates used to raise livestock, such as cattle or sheep. In Pu ...

'' (farm) for nearby Mission San José de Tumacácori. In 1808, Spanish settlers and Christian Indians moved into the Calabazas area and restored the chapel. In response, the Apaches again attacked in 1830, setting fire to the buildings and carrying off sacred vessels and vestments in the process. This discouraged anyone from living there for more than two decades, but

vaquero The ''vaquero'' (; pt, vaqueiro, , ) is a horse-mounted livestock herder of a tradition that has its roots in the Iberian Peninsula and extensively developed in Mexico from a methodology brought to Latin America from Spain. The vaquero became t ...

s from Tumacácori continued to run cattle in the vicinity. In 1837, the Mexican government built

Presidio de Calabasas The Presidio de Calabasas, also known as Fort Calabasas or Camp Calabasas, was a stone fortress built by Mexico in 1837 south of Tumacacori, Arizona. It was built on the land of the Grant of Manuel María Gándara, by Gándara to protect his land ...

to protect the area. In 1844, Mission Calabasas and its lands were sold at auction to the brother-in-law of

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is d ...

n governor

Manuel María Gándara The Presidio de Calabasas, also known as Fort Calabasas or Camp Calabasas, was a stone fortress built by Mexico in 1837 south of Tumacacori, Arizona. It was built on the land of the Grant of Manuel María Gándara, by Gándara to protect his lan ...

. Gandara established a rancho at the old mission stocked with 6,000 cattle and converted the church into a ranch house. The 1854

Gadsden Purchase The Gadsden Purchase ( es, region=MX, la Venta de La Mesilla "The Sale of La Mesilla") is a region of present-day southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico that the United States acquired from Mexico by the Treaty of Mesilla, which took effe ...

, of land by the U.S. from México, included this area in

New Mexico Territory The Territory of New Mexico was an organized incorporated territory of the United States from September 9, 1850, until January 6, 1912. It was created from the U.S. provisional government of New Mexico, as a result of ''Santa Fe de Nuevo México ...

. Mexican Army soldiers, in the Tucson garrison to protect the citizens from Apaches, withdrew from the Gadsden Purchase territory early in 1856. With their withdrawal the Gándara ranch came to an end and the land was leased to the U.S. Army by Gandara, now the ex-Governor of Sonora. Late in 1856, the Mission church, now ranch house, became the temporary home of Major

Enoch Steen Enoch Steen (February 22, 1800 – January 22, 1880) was a United States military officer and western explorer. He joined the United States Army in 1832, serving at posts throughout the United States, including many remote locations in the w ...

, commander of four companies of the First Regiment of United States Dragoons who established

Camp Moore Camp Moore, north of the Village of Tangipahoa near Kentwood, Louisiana, was a Confederate training base and principal base of operations in eastern Louisiana and southwestern Mississippi. The base was named for Louisiana Governor Thomas Overton ...

, at the former Presidio de Calabasas, as the first military post in the New Mexico Territory's Gadsden Purchase area.

Ignacio Pesqueira Ignacio Pesqueira García was a 19th-century Mexican general and politician. He was the Governor of Sonora over six times, with two of the six terms being an insurgent governor during the Second French intervention in Mexico. Childhood His par ...

, the new governor of Sonora, allowed quartermaster wagons to cross into Sonora for supplies. Now with the arrival of military protection, the Gandara ranch, and the surrounding area filled with American squatters. The following year, Steen received orders from Colonel

Benjamin Bonneville Benjamin Louis Eulalie de Bonneville (April 14, 1796 – June 12, 1878) was an American officer in the United States Army, fur trade, fur trapper, and explorer in the American West. He is noted for his expeditions to the Oregon Country and the Gre ...

, the departmental commander in Santa Fe, to move closer to Tucson. Regarding the vices of Tucson as a danger to the good order and discipline of his troops, Steen instead moved his camp 25 miles northeast to the headwaters of

Sonoita Creek Sonoita Creek is a tributary stream of the Santa Cruz River (Arizona), Santa Cruz River in Santa Cruz County, Arizona, Santa Cruz County, Arizona. It originates near and takes its name from the abandoned Pima people, Pima mission in the high val ...

. The new post was named Fort Buchanan in honor of the recently inaugurated President

James Buchanan James Buchanan Jr. ( ; April 23, 1791June 1, 1868) was an American lawyer, diplomat and politician who served as the 15th president of the United States from 1857 to 1861. He previously served as secretary of state from 1845 to 1849 and repr ...

.UNITED STATES MILITARY POSTS ON THE MEXICO BORDER (1856 TO PRESENT)
from archaeologysouthwest.org accessed July 21, 2019 Subsequently, the former mission buildings served a number of purposes, a customs house in 1857 and the ranch house was occupied by family of

Larcena Pennington Page Larcena Pennington Page (January 10, 1837 – March 31, 1913), born Larcena Ann Pennington, was an American pioneer known for surviving a kidnapping by Apache as a young married woman of 23 years old in present-day Arizona. Left for dead and u ...

before September 1859. In January 1861, Apaches attacked Johnny Ward's ranch on Sonoita Creek near Calabasas, stealing cattle and abducting Ward's stepson, Féliz Martínez. Ward traveled upstream to Fort Buchanan and asked the commander

Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

Pitcairn Morrison to send troops east to

Apache Pass Apache Pass, also known by its earlier Spanish name Puerto del Dado ("Pass of the Die"), is a historic mountain pass in the U.S. state of Arizona between the Dos Cabezas Mountains and Chiricahua Mountains at an elevation of . It is approximately ...

to retrieve the boy and the cattle. Morrison sent a company under the command of

Second Lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

George Nicholas Bascom, fresh from West Point. The ensuing Bascom Affair triggered the

Apache Wars The Apache Wars were a series of armed conflicts between the United States Army and various Apache tribal confederations fought in the southwest between 1849 and 1886, though minor hostilities continued until as late as 1924. After the Mexic ...

that would last for over two decades. To make things worse the Civil War began in April 1861 just as the Apache began their attacks. United States troops in the

Santa Cruz Valley Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnight ...

and every other post in

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

were ordered east. To prevent it from being used by Confederate soldiers, Fort Buchanan was burned. Camp Lowell, near Tucson, was abandoned. Thinking they had defeated the Americans, the Apaches scavenged the abandoned forts and increased raiding in the Santa Cruz Valley. Almost every mine, ranch, and town had to be abandoned. The only places holding out against the Apaches were Tucson;

Sylvester Mowry Sylvester Mowry (January 17, 1833 – October 17, 1871) was an American politician, miner, and land speculator. He is best remembered as an early advocate for the establishment of the Arizona Territory. He was also a West Point graduate and offi ...

's silver mine, the Mowry Mine in the Patagonia Mountains, and the Pete Kitchen Ranch on Potrero Creek upstream from Camp Moore. In September 1865 the

California Volunteers California State Volunteer Units 1861 – 1866 The following are California State Volunteer Units that were active between 1861 – 1866 serving in the Union Army, most west of the Rocky Mountains in place of Federal troops: California Brigade ...

garrison at

Tubac, Arizona Tubac is a census-designated place (CDP) in Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States. The population was 1,191 at the 2010 census. The place name "Tubac" is an English borrowing from a Hispanicized form of the O'odham name ''Cuwak'', which tr ...

was transferred to Old Camp Moore at Calabasas and it was first named Post at Calabasas then Fort Mason in honor of General John S. Mason, who was then the commander of the District of Arizona. The

1st Battalion of Native Cavalry, California Volunteers The 1st Battalion of Native Cavalry, California Volunteers was a cavalry battalion in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Recruits were largely drawn from the Californio population (colloquially known as "Native Californians"), though it ...

and 7th Regiment California Volunteer Infantry occupied the post until they were relieved by troops of the United States Army in May 1866. Due to persistent malaria, the Regulars abandoned Fort Mason (now renamed Camp M) in October 1866 and established

Camp Cameron Camp Cameron was an American Civil War training camp that existed in 1861-1862 in North Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was used for the initial organization of elements of the 38th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. It was probably named for Simon Came ...

. Mission Calabazas was completely abandoned to ruin by 1878, with only a roofless shell remaining.

The site today

There are two remaining sites with visible ruins or remains of this old settlement, the Mission site itself, which was subsequently at various times a farm, a rancho, a military fort Fort Mason, a custom house, post office and private residence before falling into ruin. It is now protected and part of the Tumacácori National Historical Park. There is the site of the 1837 – 1856 Mexican

which appears to be vacant land. There is also the Calabasas Cemetery established by the soldiers of Fort Mason during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

and subsequently used by locals. There are also sites of the old Calabasas village, Calabasas Store (both now built over by modern development in Rio Rico) and the Santa Rita Hotel (once a fine hotel along the railroad line to Mexico), now a vacant piece of land near the old rail line and south of Sonita Creek, east of its confluence with the Santa Cruz River. MS709 SANTA RITA HOTEL, CALABASAS (A.T.) PAPERS, 1881–1888, 1964
from arizonahistoricalsociety.org accessed July 19, 2019.

References

External links

Calabasas
from ghosttowns.com. Includes photo of the ruins in Calabasas in 1934.

from dhvhoa.org; photos of the site and surroundings. It notes San Cayetano de Calabazas was added to Tumacácori National Historic Park in 1990 and can be visited only via a National Park Service Guided Tour during the Winter months. An information booket is available at the Tumacácori Park Visitors Center. {{authority control 1878 disestablishments in Arizona Territory Spanish missions in Arizona

Fort Mason, Arizona Territory Following the Gadsden Purchase, the United States Army sent Major Enoch Steen and four companies of the 1st U. S. Dragoons (now the 1st U. S. Cavalry) to occupy the former site of the Mexican Presidio de Calabasas. Major Steen arrived on Novemb ...

Calabasas, Arizona Calabasas (Spanish for " pumpkins") is a former populated place or ghost town, within the Census-designated place of Rio Rico, a suburb of Nogales in Santa Cruz County, Arizona. History 18th century Originally settled by the Spanish in 17 ...

Tumacácori National Historical Park Populated places disestablished in 1878