Carl Chapman
Arizona Realtor
The Marana area has been prime farmland for centuries. Located where Brawley Wash joins the Santa Cruz River, Indians used the dependable water supply to grow corn, beans, squash and cotton. The Spanish came about 1700 and started the first cattle ranches. “Modern” Marana began in 1881 with the railroad. Back then the area was overgrown with dense mesquite thickets. Thus the name Marana is derived from the Spanish word maraña, meaning “impassable tangle” or “jungle.”
