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Tucson Audubon Society
Mrs. Mason and the History of Mason Audubon Center
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Mrs. Orpha Snyder Mason was born and raised in Illinois in 1893. She graduated from Northwestern University in library science. Because of poor health she was sent to Tucson in 1934, but the prognosis was not good—the doctors gave her six months to live. Her first lodging was at the YWCA—the same building that now houses Tucson Audubon. She outlived the six-month diagnosis and received her secondary teaching certificate and an M.A. degree at the U of A. At one time she was Deputy County School Superintendent and in later years she initiated a library system in a number of local school districts.
William Mason was born in Michigan in 1883. Following completion of his education, he sought his fortune in the West. He worked in lumber camps and railroad shops in Washington, Oregon, northern California and Colorado. Shortly after coming to Tucson in 1922, he was employed as operating engineer by Arizona Ice and Cold Storage, and later as a mechanical technician for TUSD.
Orpha and William married in 1939 and purchased this 20 acres way out in the desert—beyond any possibility of civilization spreading this far. They chose the site because of the presence of ironwoods, which indicated a frost tree zone, perfect for planting a small citrus grove. He also kept bees, and installed a water saving irrigation system.
In 1953 they built and moved into the garage where they lived for a year while they built the house—and there they lived for the rest of their lives. William died in 1976 at age 92. Prior to his death, Orpha promised the land and the ironwoods would be preserved.
They had no children. She searched for a way to preserve the ironwoods and the wildlife that depends upon them—thus Mrs. Mason and Tucson Audubon Society developed a strong relationship. In the late 1980’s, while Mrs. Mason still lived in the house, TAS began offering Audubon Family Adventures on the property. In 1998 Mrs. Mason transferred the 20 acres, including the home and garage, to Tucson Audubon Society. Her health was failing and she returned to family in Illinois where she died in 1999 just short of her 106th birthday.
In 2000, after months of renovations by a dedicated group of volunteers, the Mason Audubon Center opened its gates to the public with the first Ironwood Festival We invite you to share the wonders of the Sonoran Desert with us during one of our many programs for the public.
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This page was updated on 01/02/06