The first ranchers who settled the Pinetop-Lakeside area included Will Amos, William Morgan, the Scott brothers, the West family, Jim Porter and a man named Warren. There were no boundaries, so ranchers ran their cattle and sheep on the open range on public land and the Fort Apache reservation.
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It is said that after he married his wife Allie, they started their life in Missouri and then migrated to Salinas, California and then to Roseburg, Oregon.During this time Milton was a Union soldior during the Civil War and is listed on census records as being a framer.
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Here is a picture of Alphidus "Allie" Fanny Willkinson who was born in Missouri on June 7,1841 and died in Arizona on March 20,1939.
Some time between 1860-1862 she married Milton Amos from Kentucky. They lived in Missouri, Oregon, and California before finally settling in Arizona.
They later had seven children: William "Will" Nathanial, Josephine "Josie", George Washington, Abraham "Abe" Lincoln, Charles DIckens "Dick", Della, and Leonard "Len" Earl.
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Abe and Belle met at a dance. Belle was dating a man named Colbath at the time, but quickly fell for the handsome young Abe Amos. When they were first married they lived at the old Welch place about where the Pinetop Country Club is now. From there they moved to Woodland. Their first two children were sons; Roy (born 1895) and Paul (born 1896) were small when they lived there.
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Abe was also one to delight the children of the area. He would use a pair of goats and a toy wagon to haul them through the streets. Abe went into the sheep ranching business and had a 160 acre ranch in Woodland (now part of Lakeside).
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When she was young she played the organ at the Cooley Ranch for the officers and dignitaries who would stay there. She was also a telegraph operator for the Cooley Ranch when it was an official way station for the Army at Fort Apache.
She lived most of her married life on a ranch. She was alone with her children much of the time, while her husband Abe herded sheep. She was a hard worker and was always sweeping and cleaning. She would wash for the whole family using a washboard. She loved to pick wildflowers and kept a big bowl of flowers on the table in the living room.
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Young Paulie and Jack Amos were driving their pickup truck down a forest road when they came upon their Grandpa Abe Amos riding a horse. After stopping to talk, it was decided that Abe would turn his horse loose and ride on with the boys.
After traveling a short distance they came upon a flock of wild turkeys crossing the road. As young boys will do, they sped up to scare the turkeys out of the way. The turkeys scattered and flew in all directions.
As one rather large bird flew by the passenger side of the truck, Abe quickly reached out and caught it in his hand. He then tossed it in the cab of the truck.Sixty-five years later, Paulie Amos still recalls with vivid clarity how that turkey nearly beat them all to death with its flapping wings.
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In 1914 Ezra purchased land in Lakeside from John L. Fish and started to build a large home with the intention of using it as a hotel. The home was far from completed when the family moved in. Everyone had to pitch in and help until it was gradually finished.
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Their daughter Dena was born in July of 1896. The family moved to Woodland (now part of Lakeside) when Dena was still a baby. They bought a 160-acre ranch from Abe Amos. Abe's daughter Elsie would one day marry Ezra's son Earl.
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Here is the first and last hotel to operate in Lakeside. However, the town has now been incorporated to Pinetop-Lakeside, and you can now find several hotels in the Pinetop area.
In 1914 Ezra West purchased land in Lakeside from John L. Fish and started to build a large home with the intention of using it as a hotel. The home was far from completed when the family moved in, however. Everyone had to pitch in until it was gradually finished. Karl West designed the 19-room floor plan (possibly based on his grandfather’s home in Snowflake).
It was a two-story building with nine bedrooms, one bath and a balcony upstairs; and four bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen, pantry, and two porches downstairs. There was also a large living room and dining room with a large fireplace. These rooms were used by the family and guests for evenings of singing and playing games. The family spent many happy years running this hotel for travelers.
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The youngest West son, Earl, was given a corner lot in Lakeside to build himself a home. The old Woodland ranch was sold to their other son, Lavern. Earl West's home was beside the hotel where Glenn West grew up.
Joe "E. J." West was the family entrepreneur. He became a builder and store owner in Lakeside, Show Low, Snowflake and Taylor. He also owned construction companies in San Diego and Phoenix. At different times he was also in the dairy business, a rental business, and served as an executive of an insurance firm. During the 1930s and 1940s his Blue Moon Dance Hall and Cafe in Show Low was the number one place for entertainment in the White Mountains.
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Early Lakeside settlers taking a break from their hard work.
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Shown here are Erwin, Rosabel holding Charles, Don, George, Junius, Irma, Ernestine, Anna, Marion, and Neils.
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Walsh Mack was born in Franklin Parish, Louisiana on July 11, 1891. He came to McNary in the 1924 and worked for the Southwest Lumber Company. In 1938 he brought property from Mable Bowles, Thelma Axeline's grandmother. Mable Bowles was the only landowner willing to sell to an African-American couple. Some of the local people were enraged by the sale.
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Thelma Glaydis, their baby, died during the flu epidemic of 1910. John Robin died while on summer vacation fighting a forest fire when a burning tree fell on him. Lloyd Edwin, born in 1904, drowned in a creek in 1948.
After John's wife Cynthia died on October 10,1951, it was only four short year later that the house burned down. John then moved in with his only child, Genevieve, who lived in Holbrook. John died in 1957.
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Pictured here are members of three pioneer families: The Cooley, Amos, and Pettis families.
A young Roy Corydon Amos is pictured here. Roy who was born April 23,1895 near Cooley's Ranch. He was one of three of Abe's children to die prior to marriage. His untimely death occurred while walking out for supplies in winter on February 3,1939.
Not pictured are the two other Amos children who perished during childhood: Earl Logan Amos drowned at the age of 19, and George Amos died on February 8, 1909 at the age of four months.
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William L. Penrod, one of David's sons, was born on January 27,1832 in Union County, Illinois. He moved to Utah in 1849 where he married Polly Ann Young. The couple had twelve children.
On October 26,1876 William and his wife were called by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to help colonize Northern Arizona.
They arrived in the White Mountains on December 31,1878 and camped in an old house belonging to a sheepherder.
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This is a picture from the late 1800s of a sheep dip structure owned by the Jacques Family. It was located on Timber Mesa, southwest of Porter Mountain.
The Spanish Conquistador Francisco de Coronado paved the way for the eventual colonization of the north. Colonist brought horses and livestock. Descendants of Spanish horses multiplied rapidly on the virgin grasslands of the West. In less than a century the Navajo and Apache became horse cultures. They dominated the Southwest and Northern Mexico during the 1700s and first half of the 1800s, taking captives and livestock to trade for more horses at the annual Taos trade fair. Spanish colonist along the Rio Grande called them Lords of the Land.
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John L. Fish bought out Billy Score's claim to Lakeside. He became Lakeside's first postmaster in October 1906. He also served as Justice of the Peace for Lakeside. He donated property now owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, presently serving as the Pinetop- Lakeside Stake Center. He also donated the property one block south of there for the school, which later became the Town Hall, and where the Pinetop-Lakeside Historical Museum stands today.
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Charlie Clark's Restaurant is still a popular spot in the White Mountains.
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Charlie Clark came from Michigan where he had worked for Henry Ford. His wife, Bell Wilson, came from Ireland. They were married and had two children: Dolly (Crosby) and Buddy (Wise).
In 1938 Charlie bought Charlie Clark's Restaurant from Jake Renfro. After the death of Bell in 1936, he married Thelma Rungee Wetzell in 1942.
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The Webb Sawmill Crew: Tom Frost, Karl Webb, Waldo Ray, Junius Webb, June Webb, Reece Webb, Fred McNeil, Jay Webb, and Ray Webb (kneeling) in the 1940s.
Two of the most noted families involved in sawmilling in the Lakeside area were the John L. Fish family, who moved to Lakeside in the early 1900s, and the J. H. Webb family, who settled in the area in the 1920s.
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The school and meeting house in Lakeside Arizona.
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Students from the 3rd and 4th grades in front of their school in 1954-1955. This building is still standing in Lakeside and is occupied by the Pinetop-Lakeside Historical Museum.
Students standing from left to right are: Viola Hansen, Patty Frost, Grace Jackson, Cheryl Penrod, Sheila Jackson, Mary Ann Creswell, Lerian Lee, Beverly Penrod, Tommy Rhoton, Janet Heldt, Wesley Burke, Ricky Johnson, Stephen Penrod, David Gillespie, Lanny Johnson, Lanny Witt, Vivian Lewis, Lucille Clarkson, Cliff (Hoopie) Frost
Sitting left to right are: Dosea Webb, Iden Webb, Inez Prather, Bertha Clarkson.
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From 1910 to 1913, before the church building was built, the early Latter-day Saints pioneers would meet outside under this shady area they had built. People from Taylor, Snowflake, and the surrounding areas would attend. This location today is on the corner of Fish and Church lane in Lakeside.
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In 1952 Mildred bought Elaine's Dress Shop in Pinetop from Phyllis "Elaine" Dowd. Later she had a new Elaine's built. She had fashion shows and local women would model the latest fashions. She could not keep enough clothes on the racks. Elaine's is now owned by Buddy Wise.
In 1971 Mildred started selling real estate for Pearl Penrod Reality. Later she obtained her broker's license. She owned D&H Realtors and a beauty shop that was in the same building. The "D" was for Dysterheft and the "H" was for Lyle Hanna.
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In November 1915 surveys and water rights were filed by Show Low Irrigation Company for Rainbow Lake and Scott Reservoir.
In July 1997 Show Low Irrigation Company merged with Pinetop and Woodland Irrigation Company.
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A pioneer home in the Pinetop-Lakeside area with the owner standing in front.
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Gus Hansen's house.
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The home of Riley Gardner.
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Children pose with an early automobile.
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Caldwell Tyner Augustus and his wife Eugenia Arthurdale Hasselblad by their store front.
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A GMC fire truck in 1956.
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Children pose in front of the first school bus in Lakeside, circa 1937.
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Ruby Potter was the first teacher in Lakeside. She dated John Elam Fish.
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Teacher Ruby Potter and beau Dale FIsh on horseback.
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Students pose with their teacher, Ruby Potter, who was the first teacher at the Lakeside school.
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This photo of Hans Hansen was taken in 1902.
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John Heber Hansen (1859-1945) and his wife Emily Hansen.
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John Heber Hansen in 1901.
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Gus Hansen's homestead.
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Louis Johnson's homestead.
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Theresa Flake Johnson in 1933.
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Julia Fish Russell and some of her siblings.
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Julia Tanner Fish, John Fish, and Hamilton Fish at their home in Lakeside.
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June Moon Stagecoach.
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The Lakeside Highway in November of 1949.
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An undated photograph of Lakeside's Main Street.
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Alof Pratt Larson and Margaret Smith on their wedding day: June 1st, 1904.
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W.H. Larson's log home.
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The Lisonbee Busy Bee.
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This 1945 photograph, shows where today, in the twentieth century, you can find the Show Low Historical Society Museum. You are facing as if ready to drive to Springerville Arizona.
Back when this photo was taken you would have to drive to Springerville, Globe, St. Johns, or Holbrook to purchase your new Ford or Chevrolet. Today there are many popular car dealers in Show Low.
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Here we see an aerial view of Show Low taken in the early 1950's.
The beautifully lush cattle lands in Show Low are similar to what you will find today. This is mainly due to many of the pioneer families descendants retaining ownership of their ancestral lands. You can still see well bred horses and cattle grazing in their pastures.
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Show Low had an agreement in place dating March of 1954 stating that upon Phelps Dodge abandonment of Show Low Lake, the water rights would transfer to the Show Low Irrigation Company and the City of Show Low. This event ultimately took place on June 29, 2005.
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Show Low Lake has 100 surface acres with an average depth of 33 feet and maximum depth of 50 feet. It’s situated at an elevation of 6,500 feet.
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Pictured here are the children of Edward Frank Adams and his wife Mettie Christina Adams.
Chester Frank Adams was born August 2,1923. He joined his father's family of 6 children: May, Jane, Alice, Gladys, John, and Rose. His parents had 7 more children: Leonard, Chester, Mettie, Georgia, Glen, Harvey,and Shirley.
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The settlement of Adair was founded by Wesley Adair and his brother Thomas Jefferson Adair Jr, along with Thomas' wife Mary Vance Adair. The tiny town of Adair no longer exists. It was covered by Fool Hollow Lake and remains underwater.
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The Adair family built a home about a quarter of a mile from Show Low Creek. Soon other families came and settled on the hills and in the valleys. It was beautiful country but had a limited supply of water. The settlers cleared the grounds and grew corn and sugar cane taller than a man. They also grew wheat, beans, and other vegetables.
Many of the Adairs and other families left the area and moved to Show Low and surrounding regions. Aaron Adair remained in the area for some years and was told "nobody but a fool would try to make a living there." The settlement was renamed "Fool Hollow", and is now the location of Fool Hollow Lake.
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Today all traces of the town of Adair are gone, except for this cemetery. The cemetery is located in Show Low, about one mile east of Fools Hollow Lake, at the end of 22nd Avenue and Old Linden Road. It is now private property and you must have permission to visit.
Etta Colvin, who died of Small Pox, was the first person to be buried at Adair Cemetery in February 1883. The cemetery was fenced by the Show Low Ward on March 13, 1923. John Lorenzo Willis was Bishop and leader of this project.
Today you can find a glass case with an alphabetical list of the names ,birth dates, and death dates of those buried there. This is thanks to the many descendants of the deceased.
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One of the first cafes in Show Low along the newly constructed Highway 60 was owned and operated by George and Lillie Woolford. They also sold a few groceries and other merchandise. There were two gas pumps to fill tanks of tourist and town automobiles, but not with the convenience of today. These pumps had to be refilled by pushing the lever back and forth until the gas could be seen through the glass at the top of the pump.
Lillie served generous meals to her customers. She always made sure there were no children left in cars while the parents sat at the table or counter, and if there were, she took them something to eat. She gave away more than she sold.
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Pictured here are Donico Baca, Henry Huning, and Corydon Cooley.
After Henry Huning purchased Corydon Cooley's Ranch in 1888, he attempted to extend his empire by fencing North and East of the Show Low Valley. In 1901 the railroad contested his rights.
Legend has it that Cooley was married to two of Apache Chief Pedro's daughters at one time.
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The settlement of Show Low was too small for its first two residents, Corydon Cooley and Marion Clark.
Legend says they played a card game to determine which of them would stay. The loser had to leave town and settle elsewhere. Towards the end of the game Cooley needed just one point to win. Clark turned his cards over and said,"If you can show low you win." Cooley threw down his hand of cards and said "show low it is.' And thus the name Show Low was born.
The Post Office of Show Low was established August 19, 1880.
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Pictured here is one of the sons of Corydon E. Cooley of Fort Apache. Corydon "C.E." Cooley sent his sons, Fredric and Charlie, to a boarding school in New Mexico. Cooley transported the boys as well as many other White Mountain Apache children to the boarding school himself.
A few weeks later Fredric contracted measles, which turned into pneumonia. He died before the family could be notified of his illness.
Lillie, Fredric's sister, said that their mother, Mollie, took Fredric's death really hard. For a long time she would go to where Fredric used to hang his coat at home and run her hands over it and cry. Lillie said that Mollie mourned him for a long time.
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Here is another article regarding Eb Lewis and his store the Cash & Carry. You can tell by looking at the photo that his store was overflowing with merchandise.
One of things Eb was most famous for was his soapbox car made from a Maytag washing machine. Imagine seeing him ride down the Deuce Of Clubs (the main street in Show Low) stopping every so often to pop his head out of the machine to say hello!
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This photo of the "Two Headed Goose" was one Eb Lewis' favorites, and illustrates his creativity and sense of humor. He waited until two geese were standing just right and snapped the picture, making it appear that the front goose had two heads.
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The 1940's and 1950's brought about major developments in Show Low. Many local business opened. A post office was opened on Old Linden, which was the old Tanner's Variety.
The town was very popular for many commercial truck lines. This was prior to Interstate 40 opening. Truck drivers enjoyed the comfort of having homecooked meals in a family environment with people who recognized and knew them by name. You can still feel that small town appeal when visiting the town today.
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Today there is a new church on the site. It was dedicated in 1953 and is known as the Downtown Chapel.
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The Board of Directors of the Navapache Hospital District responsible for the completion and for the hospital's operation were:
A. C. Hunt - Chairman - Pinetop
In 1970, Dr. Dysterheft of Show Low became the Chief of Staff at the hospital he had dreamed of and worked so hard to create.
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Chester "Chet" Frank Adams, born in 1923, grew up on the east side of Show Low Creek. When he was 10 he moved to where Show Low Lake is now. When Chet was old enough for high school, he rode the bus to Snowflake Union High School. It was here that he met his future wife, Clea Pearce. They were married in 1943
Chet built a home for them in Show Low, and this was where they had their four children. Charlotte who was born in 1946, Beverly in 1948, Chester Trent in 1953, and Farrell Edward in 1957. They also raised a foster child, a Navajo boy named Norman Bryant, for eight years. All of Chet's children graduated from Brigham Young University. Chet was a farmer, but also served in church and community organizations. Chet passed away in 2010.
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Corydon Eliphalet Cooley was born in 1836 in Virgina and at the age of 20 came out West to find gold and adventure. It is said that he failed to find gold; but, he certainly had plenty of tales of his journey and his wild adventures. During the Civil War he joined the Union Army and fought Confederate forces in New Mexico.
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Cattle grazing on a summer range (USFS Photo) in 1937. Monsoon rains bring lush growth of grass for grazing in the many broad meadows in the White Mountains.
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Turkeys, pigs and geese, where just a few of the animals in Dr. Dysterheft's life and heart. He loved to spend his days tending to the farm. He also had chickens, pheasants, peacocks, guineas, ducks, and cattle. He grew vegetables and planted an orchard with apples, pears, and peaches. The work was very relaxing for him and reminded him of his farm in Minnesota.
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Dr. Dysterheft had many Herefords which were given to him by a friend. You could see him moving his cattle from one pasture to another so they could graze. One of these pastures, located across the highway where the Maverick Center is now, was called Dr. D's Meadow.
Whenever there was a snowstorm or heavy rain, before Highway 260 was built, people would use the meadow as a landmark.
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The McNary sawmill in 1918. From this humble beginning the mill and the town grew to dominate the region until the 1950s.
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The McNary Sawmill quickly outgrew their original 1918 building. This building was added to house the new mill equipment.
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By the 1930s McNary was booming. It was the largest town in the region and had the biggest payroll.
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Main street McNary in 1949. The hospital is at the right with the Cady Lumber offices behind it and the movie theater at the far end of the street. In-between was "The Merchantile” store. For many years it was the largest and most fully stocked store in the region, and a shopping destination for everybody. Some of the old timers have fond memories of early days in the store.
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The logging industry came to the White Mountains in the early 1900s. Entrepreneurs took advantage of the massive stands of old growth pine and fir in the area.
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Pictured here are larege logs being transported from the cutting areas around Big Lake, where they were loaded onto the Apache Railway train for transport. It is likely that they were headed to the McNary Mill.
The Apache Railway (APA) was incorporated on September 5, 1917. Grading for the APA began on October 1 and by March 1918 the rails were being laid. One year later, on September 6, 1918, the track reached Snowflake. The railroad continued building south from Snowflake and reached McNary on April 5, 1919.
Construction of the entire 72-mile (116 km) line from Holbrook to McNary was completed on July 1, 1920, and the APA was listed as a class II railroad common carrier.
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The Apache Railway operated from Holbrook to the McNary Lumber Mill, with extensions to Standard and Maverick. During the early days there were also extensions to timber strands in the forest. Remains of the old rail beds are used today as hiking trails.
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Pratt Larson and Budge Elliott running an early shingle mill. Shingles were in constant demand for roofing and siding. The mill had a large horizontal circular saw blade. Large blocks of wood were passed over it to slice off shingles. The shingle mill was notorious for its ever-present danger of slicing off a finger.
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In the early days of logging limited equipment was available in the forest. Horses were often used to load logs onto trucks.
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Maverick was a tiny logging community nestled between two hills high in the White Mountains. It was built in 1947 and was 68 miles southeast of McNary in the White Mountain Apache Indian Reservation. The town had an altitude of 7800 feet. It was owned by Southwest Forest Industries, and provided nearly all the lumber used in Arizona.
The logging town became known as the "Ice Box" of Arizona. Residents could always count on the temperatures being below zero in the winter months. On December 18, 1954 the mercury dropped to 40 degrees below zero. The residents were so used to the sub zero temperatures that when the thermometers rose to 20 above they would joke and call it a "Hot Spell".
At one point Maverick had 500 residents, and like McNary, housing was segregated. The little community included a company store, a schoolhouse, a tiny post office, a church, and a maintenance shop for logging equipment.
In 1967 the high cost of shipping the logs by rail was given as the reason by Southwest Forestry Industries for abandoning Maverick. The 20 years of operations at Maverick came to a close. During its 20 years of operations, Maverick became a legend.
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