Sunland Visitor Center took possession of the Old Toltec Primary School campus (just off Toltec Road) in June of 2003, after signing a long-term lease with the Toltec School Board. The old brick "Primary School" and the wooden "Colored School" will undergo extensive renovation.

Since a museum was planned to occupy most of the old Primary School, there was a need to organize a board to oversee its renovation and operation. An interested group of area residents met and formed the Santa Cruz Valley Historic Museum. Its Board of Directors incorporated the SCVH Museum as a non-profit 501(c)3 organization in December of 2003. Both buildings need extensive renovation—the plumbing and electrical systems need to be replaced and/or brought up to code, the roofs need to be replaced, the interior ceilings need to be replaced and the windows repaired. Federal regulations mandate that asbestos in the acoustical ceiling paint of the old primary school building be abated.

Accordingly, the Museum Board is hosting a variety of fund raisers, while also seeking donations of materials, labor or money to assist in the completion of this restoration project. The Board is also seeking any artifacts, pictures or other information which is pertinent to the school’s history.

Historic surveys done in the late 80’s and 90’s determined that the old brick mission-style building is eligible for the National Historic Registry. It is a landmark unlike any other in Pinal County. The wooden building is one of the very few remaining "colored schools" still standing on its original site.

For more information on the Museum project or to make a tax free donation, call Dick Myers at 520-421-0696 or e-mail: snlndvc@localnet.com. The museum address is : P.O. Box 280, Arizona City, AZ 85223.

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