Oracle State Park

Oracle State Park
Location of Oracle State Park in Arizona
Location	Pinal, Arizona, United States
Coordinates	32°36′28″N 110°43′59″W
Area	3,948 acres (15.98 km2)
Established	1976
Visitors	7,883 (in 2022)
Governing body	Arizona State Parks

Kannally Ranch
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
The Kannally Ranch house
Location	Mt. Lemmon Hwy, E of Oracle
Nearest city	Oracle, Arizona
Coordinates	32°36′35″N 110°44′1″W
Area	Less than one acre
Built	1929
Architectural style	Spanish Colonial Revival
NRHP reference No.	96000307
Added to NRHP	March 28, 1996

Oracle State Park is a state park of Arizona, US, preserving 3,948 acres (1,598 ha) in the northeastern foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains. The park is named after the nearby town of Oracle. Oracle State Park serves as a wildlife refuge, and is open during the winter from 9 am – 5 pm, and during the summer from 8 am - 4 pm. In October 2011 Arizona State Parks agreed to reopen Oracle on a limited basis with a $40,000 budget if the park's Friends group can raise $21,000 in additional funds. The park has more than 15 miles (24 km) of hiking trails, including 7 miles (11 km) of the Arizona Trail.

History

Starting in 1902, the area that is now the park was owned and operated as a cattle ranch by Neal Kannally and his family. At its largest, the ranch encompassed 50,000 acres, most of which was eventually sold off to mining companies. The remaining property was occupied until Neal's last remaining sibling, Lucile, bequeathed it to the Defenders of Wildlife organization in 1976, and ten years later, the land was donated to the state of Arizona to create a wildlife refuge.

In 2014, the International Dark-Sky Association designated Oracle State Park as a Dark Sky Park.

Flora and fauna

Plants

The most common plants in Oracle State Park are prickly pear and cholla cactus, scrub oak, mesquite, many wildflowers, and the occasional piñon and juniper. A solitary saguaro cactus is located in the park. The original ranch house, which was converted to be the park headquarters, has some cypress trees nearby.

Wildlife

Bird species include red-tailed hawks, golden eagles, prairie falcons, black-throated sparrows, Gambel's quail, cactus wrens, pyrrhuloxia, northern mockingbirds, northern flickers, common poorwills, northern cardinals, and great horned owls. Many mammals inhabit the park, such as ringtails, javalinas, cougars, rock squirrels, desert cottontails, black-tailed jackrabbits, mule deer, and white-tailed deer. Reptiles and amphibians found in the area include the western box turtles, Arizona alligator lizards, Colorado River toads, bull snakes, and western diamondback rattlesnakes.

Kannally Ranch House

The Kannally Ranch House is a historic house museum with original art and historic photos. The four-level adobe home was constructed between 1929 and 1933, features Mediterranean and Moorish architectural influences and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The ranch house is open for self guided tours during park hours.

Center for Environmental Education

The purpose of the park is to "protect the designated wildlife refuge and act as an environmental learning center." Before closure the park offered natural history and environmental education programs for school and adult groups, including trail walks, workshops, presentations and special events.

External links

• Oracle State Park
• Friends of Oracle State Park
• An entry by the International Dark-Sky Association