From the archives
A brief history
Diamond Bell Ranch began taking shape in the late 1960s on land associated with the former O Bar J Ranch southwest of Tucson. Developer Mort Freedman acquired approximately 5,000 acres and obtained leases on additional adjoining land, then worked with Pima County on a plan for a rural residential community. The first community water well was drilled in 1968.
The development was divided into a series of units with homesites planned around the existing desert landscape. Water, electricity and natural gas were extended to the area, with utilities placed underground to preserve the open views. The roads were constructed as compacted dirt roads with drainage rather than being paved—an important part of the community’s rural character that remains visible today.
Diamond Bell Ranch was promoted nationally during the 1970s. A surviving brochure identifies Nationwide Land & Development Co. as a co-developer and features actor Forrest Tucker as a spokesman. Development slowed later in the decade amid high interest rates and changing housing demand, leaving Diamond Bell Ranch to grow gradually into the dispersed rural community it is today.
