Pierre Charouleau 1840-1930

Bob Simpson has retired from the US Department of Foreign Affairs since 1998.
Resident of SaddleBrooke (Tucson suburb) since 2003, he discovers local history, studies and writes on local groundwater problems and organizes outdoor activities. He is a graduate of the University of California, Davis, and holds a Masters degree in Agricultural Economics from Oregon State University. It is from the discovery of the ruins of the ranches that belonged to Pierre Charouleau, around SaddleBrooke that he became interested in this pioneer.

In photo, Bob presenting the life of Pierre Charouleau at a conference at the Historical Society of Tucson

My nephew Pierre (photo opposite), son of my brother Sébastien, was born in Montardit in the hamlet of the Fort, on January 22, 1840. He will learn the job of cooper but also the work of the land. At the age of 29, in 1869, at my request, he left for Arica in Peru, to settle my affairs following the death of my first husband Michel Artigue.
On December 13, 1869, he obtained a visa from the Saint Girons authorities to embark on the ship the Magellan which was armed at the port of Bordeaux on 18 November 1869 to the port of New Caledonia by the port of Arica near Tacna in Peru.
 
The Swiss pioneer John Spring met my nephew shortly after his arrival in January 1874 in the Old Pueblo.
On October 22, 1903, in the Washington National Tribune, Jonhn Spring described Peter as "a good, easy-going, but very illiterate man. Most of his life he spent in South America and Central America he had accumulated a small fortune ... The wife of Pierre [Serafina Toutin], a beautiful Spanish woman (in fact a beautiful French native of the Deux Sevres) that he had brought with him from Guatamala, died shortly after their arrival ... "(CJiquez to see the article ...)
In fact, a daughter, Ana Serafina, was born on January 12, 1876 but both die shortly after childbirth. I was present at the baptism of Ana as a godmother on January 26, 1876. It was a great misfortune ... 

In February 1874, Pierre bought me ten lots in Tucson and five quarter sections along the river Gila to the west of Florence. That was about half of my assets. The other half was bought by my other nephew Jean, his brother of Peter.
In January 1878, Pierre married Angelina Pierson in Terrenate, a village in Sonora County, New Mexico. Angelina had come to Mexico, by Wisconsin, from Paris with her family when she was four years old, about 1864.
A year later, on January 26, 1879, he married Angelina again, during a joint ceremony of the marriage of his brother, John with Julia Rebeil in the Cathedral of San Agustín in Tucson.
A girl, Annie, was born shortly before the two ceremonies. She died prematurely on March 18, 1884.
A third, named Maria Louise Leonie, was born on 8 October 1881.
 
Anna Charouleau her 4th daughter was born in Tucson on December 12, 1884. The young Anna was baptized in the Cathedral of San Agustín on February 25, 1885 her godparents were Paul Abadie and Joaquina Vasques.

 

In the picture below, taken in July 1924, Pirrre stands on Left, alongside E.S Cruz, FM Shaw, Georges J. Roskruge and Joseph L. Wiley.

Climatic conditions are difficult in this region, and in particular the lack of water, Pierre created reservoirs for his plantations and his cattle. (here, dam remains and basins today dried out Bob Simpson photos)
In 1884, he built a dam over his ranch, in what is now Dodge Canyon. He also erected a larger dam on Canada del Oro Wash, about 2 miles (3 km) upstream of his ranch house
 
John Spring described these works in detail and with considerable enthusiasm: "We started with the nearest reservoir - about twenty minutes walk eastward we arrived in a picturesque gorge ... Masonry constructed here consists of two walls, the lowest of which is designed to bar the water at a depth of 11 feet (3.30 m) with a height of 34 feet (10.30 m). the surrounding rock arises all sorts of shrubs ... While the edges of the basin of water shine bright green enhanced by magnificent wild flowers ... birds of all kinds sing and know ... I I sat under a magnificent oak by smoking my pipe in a contemplative attitude ... while M. Charouleau examined the massive iron doors embedded in these colossal walls ... But my host is always in motion. We headed for the large reservoir is about two miles to the north. . . . The dam consists of a wall of 85 feet (26 m) in length from one side to the other of the shore, 19 feet (6 m) thick at the base, 10 feet (3 m) at the top and a height of 30 to 40 feet. (between 9 and 12 m). . the masonry is solid in stone, mortar and cement. . . The reservoir is intended for the immense herd of cattle and horses fed and raised on the ranch. . . . The surface of the water. . . when the pool is filled. . . will undoubtedly have an area of forty to fifty acres (about 20 ha). Mr. Charouleau thinks of extending the dam a further 12 feet, allowing him to cultivate. . . about 30 acres (12 ha) of cultivated land in addition ... For this, the outlet of the dam included a kind of pipe ten inches (25cm) in diameter. . . [which] for everybody evoked the mouth of a cannon in a fortification. . . "

Pierre retained his Ranch Canada del Oro until June 1, 1917, when he sold the three parcels to Alfredo Durazo of Tucson. The next day, Durazo sold the same plots to Frank 0. Sutherland, who had defeated the sheriff of Pima County the previous year.
Sutherland died eighteen days later, on June 20, suggesting that Durazo was used as a straw buyer. Sutherland's widow, Sophia, sold the three plots to the Tucson sheriff, John Nelson, on November 3, 1919, who incorporated them into his Ranch Rail N.
On July 5, 1937, Nelson sold the three parcels, along with other land, to Chicagoan Roberta Nicholas who, along with her husband Robert, built the house of the N Rail ranch, where Miraval is located (Hotel Settled on a 160 hectares, at the foot of the Santa Catalina mountains,)
The former ranch of Pierre was also included in the considerably enlarged size of Rail N sold by Nicholas to Lloyd and Helen Golder on November 30, 1959. In 1963, Golder stated that the Rail N site was over 6,000 acres km²). Golder's interests then turned to real estate development, which resulted in years of sales to develop the Brave Bull Ranch Complex (later Sierra Tucson and currently Miraval), the residential communities of Catalina Village and Saddlebrooke and the resort experimental study of the Biosphere of the University of Arizona. Thanks to the United States Forest Service, the "Charouleau Gap" road came into being in 1927, in memory of the Frenchman who settled in the Santa Catalinas Mountains.

During the summer of 1929, Pierre became ill. He then resided in Los Angeles. Back in San Francisco, his health continued to decline. He died on February 24, 1930. He was buried initially in the Holy Hope Cemetery in Colma, California. His deposition will be transferred by his daughter Anna to the Evergreen Memorial Park cemetery in Tucson. Today, he rests there with all the members of his family.

Angelina (pictured with her daughter Louise) was born in Saint Denis in 1860. Angelina was born in Mexico, by Wisconsin, from Paris with her family in 1864. She was four years old.

She was not an easy woman. She had a well-tempered character, the very opposite of Pierre. My nephew's wedding with Angelina became very stormy in the early 1890s. She reprimanded him in front of their two daughters, telling him that he was not their father, and physically attacked him by throwing a lamp at him oil on. Pierre filed for divorce on March 4, 1893, but withdrew her complaint on the 16. Angelina did not spend her summers in Tucson for a while, going every year to the beginning of July in Los Angeles, often taking their daughters Louise and Anna.
Finally, Angelina will make Pasadena her second home. Anna and Louise, as well as their mother, will make occasional appearances in the Los Angeles Herald.
During the period of World War I, in 1918, she wrongly denounced Miguel Latz, a German emigrant as an "enemy of the interior".

She died on March 8, 1940 at the age of 80, at her home at 703 S Stone in Tucson. (Certificate of Death) She was buried in Saint Hope Cemetery in Tucson.

In photo, the family of Pierre Charouleau visiting the ruins of Fort Lowell around 1900. We recognize in the buggy left Angélina, in the buggy on the right, Louise and Anna with their Father Peter.

Maria Louise Léonie, was born on October 8, 1881 in Tucson

The third daughter of Pierre and AngelinaAnna Charouleau was born in Tucson on December 12, 1884,

Louise, the 4th daughter was born

Louise and Anna lived with their mother in Pasadena.
Pasadena is a town located to the east of Los Angeles and at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains in the state of California. It has 137,122 inhabitants in 2010. It is the 8th largest city in the Los Angeles area and is well known for its scientific institutions, museums, the Rose Parade Tournament and the annual Rose Bowl Game .
They came to Tucson only intermittently. Both went on to high school in Pasadena University.
Louise obtained her baccalaureate in 1900.
Louise moves to Los Angeles to work in the fashion world. She will be a seamstress and then run a jewelery store. She will be independent and free, will not marry, will not have children. She will return to live in Tucson shortly before her death.
Louise died in Tucson on February 15, 1950. See Louise's death certificate After the funeral, Louise was buried with her family in Evergreen Cemetery in Tucson.

Anna Charouleau was born in Tucson on December 12, 1884. My little niece, was almost my "double" as her life was in the image of mine ... ..
 Anna was baptized at the Cathedral of San Agustín on 25 February, 1885 her patrons were Paul Abadie and Joaquina Vasques
Like Louise, she attended high school in Pasadena. She will continue the school's "science classes" in 1903. They lived together for a while in Pasadena until Anna graduated.
 Anna worked for the Los Angeles Public Library from 1904 to 1906, passing the Civil Service Examination.
She returned to Tucson in 1910 to live with her parents in the family home at 39 E. Broadway (formerly Camp St.). In 1913, Anna as testamentary executor of Thomas Gill, inherited four lots in Tucson.
In 1915 she bought a lot from Lorenzo Navoreti. In 1920 she lived with her father, now 80 years old, in a house at 200 S. Main Street. It seems his mother Angelina was in California for the summer.
In 1921, Pierre, Angelina, and Anna were living in San Francisco and regularly went to Tucson, with occasional jaunts in Los Angeles.
She appeared in the 1922 edition of "Who's Who Among the Women of California"
In 1928 and until 1931, Anna worked for the agency Parise-Moulton, a detective firm specializing in criminal, civil and investigations with offices in Reno, Nevada and Sacramento, California.
After Pierre's death in 1930, she settled down in Tucson to manage her valuable real estate assets. She worked with Henry O. Jaastad, architect Tucson during the 1930s and 40s to develop residential and business spaces.
Anna is also devoted to boxing by a 5-year contract with the heavyweights Jack Willis in early 1934 and operated the Broadway Arena, where the games were held.
With the advent of World War II, Anna was actively involved in the war effort. She served on the Defense Committee in 1942.
 In mid-July 1945, Anna began preparing for an architectural makeover of her main property Broadway. She had decided to carry out "a Mexican village", with shops in the authentic style.
She sold her Broadway property to Oliver and Alice Drachman in July 1948 to $ 450,000 or € 3,927,588, the largest amount ever paid for goods in Tucson. The lot included "18 companies and professional offices ... the industrial commission, a sewing service, a photography studio and a shorthand service as well as residences".

In August 1948, she was the first Tucsonanne to make a trip around the world. His itinerary included Hawaii, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Damascus, Istanbul, Rome, Geneva, Paris and London.
In July 1950, she redoed the world around the world, to see what changes could happen. She had visas for the United States, Colombia, and the French zones in Germany, Portugal, Australia, Singapore, Fiji, Pakistan, Cyrenaica and Tripolitania so that she could enter Egypt, France, Panama, Peru and New Zealand. She also had visas in 1951 to visit Pakistan, Australia, Singapore, Kenya, Tanganyika, Uganda and Indonesia.
In April 1952, the "Tucson Fire Fighters Association" named as honorary Anna member because of the financial assistance she gave to the Tucson firefighters over a period of several years. Soon after, she will make her third round of the world. She arrived in Honolulu in time to witness the eruption of the Kilauea volcano on June 27, 1952. She then went to Auckland, New Zealand; Sydney, Australia; Jakarta, Indonesia; Singapore; Calcutta; Karachi; London; a tour of Europe and the southern Mediterranean; parts of Africa; and the West Indies. She will make a film of this trip.
 In June 1954, Anna gave a Graflex camera and her equipment, including the books of her photographs, to the Tucson Fire Department, to be used in training firefighters.


In September 1959, Anna set up a committee to raise funds to buy a second emergency vehicle for firefighters. In October 1964, the local branch of the "Fraternal Order of the Police" honored Anna with a plaque for her "exceptional devotion".
Anna's health began to decline in the 1970s, which required significant nursing care. She lived in Casita Serena.
On 1 March 1973, Anna was declared incapable of managing her affairs and Lew McGinnis was appointed her tutor. Anna died on June 8, 1973. She was cremated and buried in the family grave at Evergreen Cemetery in Tucson.
Anna's will provided for the creation of a home for the elderly, which would be called "Charouleau Pioneer Memorial" if there were sufficient funds. She said the money should be used "for the benefit of the people living in Pima County." She suggested donating funds to the Comstock Infant Children's Hospital or the Orphanage of the " Arizona. The Tucson Fire Department was to receive $ 5,000 for its Compensation Fund. Anna Duranthon, living in Los Angeles, inherited $ 3,000. Anyone claiming to be an heir would receive $ 1.00.
Henry Jaastad was the executor, with the Arizona Bank and Trust South. The total value of Anna's property was valued at $ 155,211.10 ($ 747,756).
In the spring of 1976, the Supreme Court granted the "Nursing Villa Maria de Guadalupe" the sum of $ 12,480.48 (€ 60,149), all that remained of the estate of Anna.

Like Louise, Anna will not marry and will not have descendants.