In the Catalina Foothills

A few miles from Tucson, the Old Pueblo, is a neighborhood especially suited to those who like to stray from modern highways and city sidewalks.

It is a neighborhood for those who have always cherished a desire to escape being "fenced in." It is a land of stately saguaro, green-barked palo verde, erratic mesquite, flame-tipped ocotillo and in the background the ochre and lavender and purple of mountain peaks, standing silent sentinel.

It is a land undefiled, full of breath-taking hues, rich in youthfulness, holding close to its bosom the gift of cool morning, the siesta of warm noon-time, the languor of afternoon and the luxurious expanse of a starry night.

This is the Catalina Foothills, where you can't build a fence, erect a wall or plant a hedge closer than 50 feet to your property line, because hiking and horseback riding are year-around recreations and open to all.

There are no stores, hotels or apartment houses-no business structures of any kind in this 6,000 acre neighborhood which extends to the base of the picturesque Santa Catalina Mountains. But homes valued at $3,000,000 already have been built on 1,000 acres of the foothills.

The native flora of the desert land abounds, and always will. For the restrictions by which every resident must abide require that native growth in the foothills, including cacti and Palo Verde trees, shall not be destroyed or removed, except in those limited areas required for roads, driveways, residences, garages and private stables.

Only the walled patios may be improved by landscaping, and no wall-like enclosure may exceed six feet in height.

For this is the great outdoors.

It is a neighborhood for gracious, leisurely, comfortable living.

Take, for instance the typically-western ranch home of Walt Coburn, Western story writer, pictured among the foregoing Kodachromes. Standing atop a gently-sloping hill above Tucson, it is built of burnt brick, with walls eighteen to twenty-four inches thick.

A 66-foot long glassed-in sun room, extending across the front of the dwelling, overlooks the Old Pueblo to the south.

Flowers of the desert cacti bloom beside the front door. A string of Mexican chili peppers adds a dash of brilliant red to the entrance, contrasting with the dull red of the tile roof.

In this setting where the "wildest" of Western stories are born, you have only to lift your eyes and look through huge windows at the towering saguaro, the brilliant yellow of the palo verde blossoms, the crimson-tipped ocotillo, and the Catalinas towering 9,180 feet as a backdrop.

Leisurely, comfortable living. Even the breakfast room of the main ranch house has large glass doors at each side which may be opened to provide a complete east-west exposure, a feature copied after early Mexican homes.

Many individuals of prominence have found the magic of the foothills-Erskine Caldwell, author of Tobacco Road and other widely-known books; Mrs. Hattie D. Mayo, widow of Dr. Will Mayo of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester; Mrs. John J. Rascob, and Miss Louise N. Grace, daughter of the founder of the Grace Lines, who has the largest home in the foothills area.

Anthony J. Drexel of the Philadelphia Drexels, and his wife, Marjorie Gould Drexel, have a beautiful home in the desert setting, as also do Mr. and Mrs. Chester M. Grebbs. Mr. Crebbs is general manager of the Gulf Oil Company of Caracas, Venezuela.

Plans for the foothills homes are approved by Joseph Th. Joesler, who was designated as architect when the area was laid out fifteen years ago. Vice-president of the Arizona chapter, American Institute of Architects, he practiced architecture in Spain, Mexico and Cuba before establishing his home in Tucson, and thus has an excellent background for designing homes suited to the Southwest.

But none can improve upon the foothills' natural beauty. Snow blankets the Catalinas when winter sun warms the desert floor. A year-around temperate climate provides an ideal condition for recreation and relaxation.

Trails lead to adventure. Only a few miles distant is the Sabino Canyon recreation area. Cactus and greasewood give way to yuccas and scrub oaks, and then in the upper reaches of the Catalinas to forests of pines and junipers.

From the foothills homes, the view is unobstructed for countless miles. At night the lights of Tucson wink through the darkness. Governmental seat of Pima County, which has an area of 9,505 square miles-larger than Connecticut, Rhode Island and Delaware combined -the Old Pueblo for many years has been a popular retreat for America's citizens of renown.