Show Low Arizona History

Show Low Arizona History

NOTE: I made a file folder labeled ‘Show Low’. Over the years, as I came across any information on Show Low I would put it into the folder ‘Show Low’. Now this year, 2013 I decided it is time for me to clean out my file drawers. When I came to “Show Low” it was a bulging file folder. I had a lot of paper in it. A lot of it was duplicates. As I was looking over the papers, I realized I had made a big mistake. I did not keep a record of where I had received the information. I then tried to figure where did this information come from. A lot of it is from the two books the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Show Low Arizona Stake published, one in 1978 and the other one in 1993. Some of it came from the life stories of my ancestors, the rest of it I am not too sure where I received it. I am not the author, only a compiler. I have tried to compile all the information I have on the history of Show Low in chronological order in this story of Show Low.

I was born in Mesa Arizona, raised in Hayward California, but my heart calls Show Low my home. All my life I have always had a deep love for Show Low Arizona where my mother Lula Ellsworth White was raised.

Gary White

HISTORY OF SHOW LOW ARIZONA

Show Low's first inhabitants did not name the picturesque town of Show Low, it is not known what the early Indians called the area when they lived in primitive pueblos near our present-day post office. However, archeological diggings have disclosed that communal life existed here between 1174 and 1383 AD.

The first effective effort made to colonize and develop community life in the Rocky Mountain region was by the Mormon pioneers. It is true that others had passed over the country, a few isolated forts and trading posts had been established, but no one had come with the intention of making homes in this inhospitable part of the Great West.

When the first pioneers entered Arizona it was a wild and uninviting country. Northeastern Arizona, where the fierce Apaches roamed in marauding bands, was avoided long after other parts of the state were settled. Therefore an extremely interesting chapter in the history of Arizona is the one which covers the settlement of Show Low.

The principal character in the early history of Show Low was a Virginian, an ex officer in the New Mexico Union Volunteers in the Civil War. Also a guide and scout and Indian interpreter named Corydon Eliphalet Cooley, affectionately called "The Colonel" in later years. The Colonel emerged from the wilderness of Colorado and New Mexico, where he had been employed as a quartermaster at the Fort McLain army post. A few of the Colonel's descendants emphatically state that he traded a goodly portion of the present site of Denver for a team of horses and wagon and all the provisions the buckboards could hold.

It is known that the Colonel arrived in the white mountains in the year 1869 in search of the fabled "Doc Thorne" mine, reputed to be located in the white mountain-mogollon rim country. He was accompanied by A.F. Banta and Henry Wood Dodd. When Cooley saw the beautiful Show Low valley covered with flowers and lush grass, with a babbling brook flowing through it, he described it as being "the finest timbered and watered country that I have ever seen; as stock country it cannot be excelled."

Cooley soon came to respect the White Mountain Apache people, learn their language, and adopt many of their customs. Forsaking his earlier life-style, he became almost as much Indian as white.

In 1871 he married one of Chief Pedro's daughters and gave her the Anglicized name of Molly. As was the Apache custom, her sister joined the newlyweds, and not long thereafter Cooley also married Cora, as he renamed her. Cooley's wives were women of exceptional intelligence, beauty, excellent cooks and housekeepers. Molly was often called on by both white and Apache women to serve as a midwife, and she was credited with saving the lives of several patients in difficult deliveries.

During the years 1871 to 1875 the Colonel worked intermittently as an army scout at Fort Apache. Sometime during this interval he staked out his ranch. Within a short time he accepted Marion Clark as a partner, since Clark had also laid a personal claim to the valley. However, the two did not fare well as partners and disagreement about the ranch management became intense. Arizona's famed historian, Will Banes, perhaps gave the most accepted version of the famous card game, when he stated in his memoirs, "Cooley and Clark had made a settlement together". They decided later that there was room for but one location and agreed to play a card game of "seven-up" to decide which one would move. When the last hand was dealt, Clark ran his cards and said "show low and you win". Cooley threw down his hand containing the deuce of clubs and said "show low it is!" From this circumstance the place was named Show Low. Clark moved up the creek near present town of Pinetop and located a ranch where he lived for many years.

In 1876, Alfred Cluff and David Edward Adams, formerly members of Allen’s Camp on the Little Colorado River, being displeased with the location on that river, went to Show Low and hired out as ranch hands to Mr. Cooley. George Buckler, also of Joseph City, went to Show Low about the same time. These were the first Mormons engaged to work for Mr. Cooley.

In 1878 Moses Cluff and family, together with other settlers had come to Show Low Creek, where they found a small body of land on the stream about 1½ miles below Cooley’s ranch. They settled on it, notwithstanding Cooley claimed the premises. As Cooley’s place embraced the best land of the valley of Show Low, there was little room on either side of his ranch for new settlers. Notwithstanding this. Mr. Cluff commenced to build cabin, which has since became permanent. Cluff remained while most of the other settlers who came with him moved their location to Forestdale.

October 26, 1880 Edmund Ellsworth arrived at Show Low with his two families. Edmund had eight wagons and the loose cattle and horses numbered between forty and fifty. They camped on the property now used as Show Low Airport. Later they moved to Forstdale and then Mr. Ellsworth then purchased from Moses Cluff his ranch. The forty acre ranch is now known as the Ellsworth Ranch. Edmund began quickly to build a place for the two large families. Edmund and his sons cut pine trees and hewed them evenly to build the family log homes on the ranch. The measuring and cutting to make these logs fit took much patience, after they were laid up to form the walls, and the rafters and a roof put on, unbleached muslin was sewed together to make the ceiling. There was neither paint nor Kalsomine (calcimine paint) available, but these pioneers would go to some washes a mile or so from their home and dig a white clay--this they would place in water, stir occasionally until it was dissolved, and then add bluing. With large brushes they would then "white-wash" the ceilings and walls. It was beautiful job when finished---the home was white, clean and immaculate. Their first homes of logs had no glass in their windows. They were covered by unbleached muslin.

After a few years, Cooley formed a partnership with a wealthy German, Henry Huning. Mr. Huning came from Hanover Germany to Los Lunas New Mexico with his brothers Frans and Louis in 1860. After many years in New Mexico as a trader and merchant, he went to Arizona and purchased several ranches.

Cooley and Huning had ditches dug, and irrigated and farmed most of the valley. They installed a sawmill near the creek. Henry Mitchell operated it for them. They launched quite an extensive building program. Several large barns, a black smith shop, a bridge across the creek, and other small buildings were erected.

They constructed what would be called in that day, palatial homes. Cooley's home, located on the hill where the Mormon church building now stands, was a two story frame building. It came to be known as the White House.

Huning established residence on the east side of the creek. He operated the Post Office and store. A long lumber building, for the employees called the men's quarters, was constructed on a prominent hill south of and between the two partners' homes.

Their business increased to such proportions that they advertised in an eastern newspaper for a foreman. A Mr. Solette came to take the job. Then Cooley moved his family to Silver Creek and his house was turned into a hotel for the public, and a boarding house for the employees. Mrs. Solette was given the management of this enterprise. The Solettes stayed on the ranch about three years, then returned to the east.

In 1881 rumors reached the settlers living around Show Low area, that Geronimo and his renegades were coming to their area. Geronimo and some of his bored warriors had gotten themselves drunk on tiswin (an alcoholic corn mixture) and left the reservation to find out where all the action was. (They had no trouble finding it.)

At that time, Apache hysteria was rampant throughout all of Arizona Territory. Rumors flew fast. In the early 1880s, northeastern Arizona was a wild and isolated region. It wasn't unusual to see groups of fast-moving Apache or Navajo Indians moving through the area.

The men hastily erected a lumber inclosure around the Cooley home. This fort was built of sawed timbers about 8 feet high and included a space about 30 rods long from northeast to southwest and about 14 rods wide. The lumber used in the construction of the fort was obtained from a sawmill which had previously been erected in the valley and was the property of Cooley and Huning. A rock fort was also built nearby.

This fort was built a short time before the Indians attacked Fort Apache on September 1, 1881. The Indian attack on Fort Apache was a counter-attack in reprisal for the Battle of Cibecue Creek in which the notorious medicine man Nochaydelklinne was killed. Some Arizona historians would consider the attack on Fort Apache to be a continuation of the Cibecue Creek engagement; however, the two battles occurred about forty miles from each other on opposite sides of the Fort Apache Reservation and occurred two days apart. The Apache Indians repeatedly attacked the fort from a long range with their rifles. The U.S. cavalry fought back but the Apache remained at the end of their rifle range during the entire fight. The battle lasted until sunset after several Apache attacks had been repulsed by counter fire. Two days later, reinforcements from Fort Thomas on the San Carlos Indian Reservation arrived but by this time the Apaches had already retreated into hiding. Only three American soldiers were wounded and Apache casualties are unknown.

All the settlers who had located at Forestdale on the south slope of the mountains, as well as those on Show Low Creek, gathered together in the timber and rock forts mentioned earlier, including Mormons, Gentiles, and Mexicans. Even some of the sheepherders sought refuge in the fort. The Follett and the Ellsworths families brought their stoves and stayed in Mexican huts by the fence.

While the Show Low pioneers were building their fort, Geronimo and his warriors were enjoying a life of ease deep in Mexico's Sierra Madre. The Indians had raided a few isolated Mexican communities, but for the most part, were content to stay hidden in the Mexican mountains. Geronimo spent the next five years of his freedom conducting hit-and-run raids, and generally creating havoc all over the Southwest. Geronimo was finally captured in the fall of 1886 by soldiers commanded by General Nelson A. Miles in Skeleton Canyon in the southern part of Arizona. The Apache leader was then only 56 years old. Geronimo was sent to a federal prison.

The crafty old warrior never saw Arizona again. He spent the rest of his life as a prisoner of war and died in 1909 at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. So the Indians failed to appear at this particular time, and at no time did Show Low suffer an all out raid.

The Apache Indians are made up of many bands with a chief for each band. These bands were continually in a never-ending feud between each other. In August 1880, chief Diablo and some tribal members were killed in a band feud with Alchesay's and Petone's band, and also from Pedro's band. Six months later in February 1881 members of Diablo's band would avenge his death. In this battle, on a hill above Forestdale, Pedro was shot through both knees and Alchesay through the chest, Petone was killed. An Indian came running to a Mormon ranch and said “Mr. McNeil, Mr. Ellsworth, come to camp, bring Mormon medicine, Petone he dead, Alchesay maybe so die. Come quick.” They went to the camp and helped take care of the wounded. Ellsworth took the two wounded Indians into his home to nurse them back to life. Because of this and other acts of kindness, the Ellsworths and the Apaches were close friends. Alchesay was in Loretta Ellsworth’s home later. He saw a picture of her father Edmund Ellsworth on the mantle. He walked over, took off his hat and placed his hand over his heart and stood at attention as though he were in the presence of the great.

The Cooley stockade in Show Low was not dismantled until the end of the Indian wars. The rustic walls of the old fort gave a feeling of security to the uneasy Mormon settlers for a long time after the Geronimo scare of 1881.

The Cooley family came back to their home. On July 20, 1883, the United States government issued a deed to C. E. Cooley for the land on which his home stood. This homestead included the present townsite of Show Low.

On May 13, 1884 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known as the Mormons, held an historic meeting at the home of Edson Whipple in Adair (Fools Hollow). Stake President Jesse N. Smith called Hans Hansen to be Bishop of this new Show Low Ward. His Counselors were Abner Ellsworth and Willard Whipple. The new Bishop of the new Show Low Ward found his congregation scattered along the south side of the White Mountains, including five villages or neighborhoods: Pinetop, Fairview (Lakeside), Ellsworth, Adair (Fools Hollow), and Juniper (Linden). There were approximately 30 LDS families living in these communities.

The mode of transportation of the day, horseback or on foot, made it impossible for the members to have a close knit organization of any kind. Bishop Hansen owned a little bay mule which he had ridden from Utah, and riding his mule, he faithfully traveled to each of the villages as often as possible to encourage and teach his people. He was able to visit each group in their meetings about once a month.

Cooley and Huning dissolved their partnership on September 29, 1888. Cooley gave Huning the deed to his property and in a short time located on the Indian Reservation, where he spent the rest of his life, and died on the old Cooley ranch just south of what is now Indian Pine.

Joseph Holister, an early day school teacher, homesteaded the land in the lower part of Show Low valley He sold out to Huning.

At the close of the century, there was about 175 people or 35 Mormon families living around Show Low. It was a dark time for the Mormons when on August 2, 1901 Bishop Hansen died of a heart attack while in Mexico. He had traveled to Colonia Juarez with the Milo Webb family, on what may have been a trip to explore the possibilities of settling there. His death plunged the Show Low Mormons into uncertainty. It seemed there could be no permanent Latter-day Saint settlement in the White Mountains.

But the few Mormons hung on. By now some of the families had lived in the area for 20 years. The older generation was weary of moving, and this was home to the younger generation. Then, as often happens with the Mormon people, when the chance for a permanent settlement on the mountains appeared dim, an opportunity was offered them. They were quick to take advantage of it.

Mr. Huning continued to extend his holdings. He fenced a pasture ten miles square adjoining his home, east of the ranch. He raised blooded horses, and his cattle and sheep roamed the range in every direction. The ranch was now over 100,000 acres.

In due time the government requested him to abandon the pasture and move the fence which enclosed both government and railroad land. When the Forest Department put restrictions on range land he became discouraged and decided to sell out and leave the country. William J Flake heard rumors that Huning wanted to sell. He was a man of great foresight and good judgment. He saw the possibilities of a thriving community on the Huning ranch. While talking with Huning he intimated that fifty families could make homes on the place. Huning said that was impossible. He thought that it was not large enough for one man.

Acting as representative for a group of his friends, in April, 1903, Flake bargained with Huning for all his property. This included land, his established right to the waters of Show Low Creek and its tributaries, all improvements on the land, farm machinery, a number of horses, considerable hay, grain, and stock salt.

The price was $13,500. This amount was divided into four and one half shares, with $3,000 per share.

William. J. Flake took one share, James C. Owens took one share, John Henry Willis took one share, Abner and Frank Ellsworth took one share, and Neils Hansen took one half share.

W. D. Rencher was hired to survey the holdings. A townsite was laid out in symmetrical blocks and wide streets. The block on which the Cooley home stood was given to the Mormon church. The fields were divided into plots and classified and numbered according to their value. Each man drew a number from each class. After the drawing there began a series of trading so that each owner's land could be fenced in one inclosure. For several years the original 6 men who purchased this land, traded or sold land. Abner Ellsworth traded some of the bench land to Charles Savage for a $300.00 grocery debt. Abner always said he gave it to Charlie for a can of tomatoes he couldn’t pay for.

It was discovered that some of the improvements purchased from Huning were on railroad land. Therefore it was necessary to buy this land from the railroad to protect the equity. James Clark Owens and John H. Willis acted in behalf of the community and made the deal with the railroad officials for 18 sections of land in township 10. Anyone in possession of any portion of this land was given the first opportunity to buy at the purchase price of $1.50 per acre.

Mr. Huning retired to Santa Barbara, California. He died March 26, 1922 in Albuquerque New Mexico while on a short visit to his son. Mr. Huning was buried in Santa Barbara, California.

Soon the families began moving into their new homes. William J. Flake occupied the Huning home. James C. Owens established residence in the Cooley home, the White House. The Neils Hansen family located in a house near the old creek crossing above the Huning home. Charles H. Frost and John L. Willis moved buildings from the east side of the creek to their respective lots in town. The Willard Whipple family moved into the house called the men's quarters. His brother Edson's family located on an adjoining lot.

After Bishop Hansen died of a heart attack while in Mexico, his two counselors, Abner Ellsworth and Willard Whipple, carried on the leadership responsibilities. On August 18th 1903 a new bishopric was called. James Clark Owens was named Bishop with Frank Ellsworth and Willard Whipple as counselors. The first Mormon church building in Show Low was not originally planned as a church. The members had been using a barn, one of the original buildings of Cooley and Huning, which now belonged to Bishop James C. Owens. Bishop Owens had renovated a part of it, adding windows and a floor. The smell of new mown hay, or the sound of cackling hens were not objectionable to those who attended meetings or socials there. When the Owens family moved from the White House, (Originally Mr. Cooley’s Home.) the need for a meeting house was satisfied by using the White House on the hill.

During the summer of 1903 the Arizona Co-operative Mercantile Institution with headquarters in Holbrook, erected a store building and stocked it with groceries, dry goods and hardware. John L. Fish came from Holbrook and was a jovial, friendly and competent manager and clerk. He built a home on what is now Earl Stock's lot. When Fish moved to Lakeside, James H. Frost became manager of the store. Later it was owned and operated by Chas. T. Savage and W. E. Beck. Still later George Woolford operated a store there. The remodeled building is being used today by Smith-Heywood Freight Lines.

A Post Office was established in Show Low in January 1883 with Croyden Cooley as Post Master. Mr. Cooley was succeeded by Henry Huning. When Huning moved away, Mrs. Martha Adams was appointed postmistress. Succeeding appointments to this office up to the present are as follows: Mary E. Brady, John L. Willis, George Woolford, Jesse J. Brady, and Don C. Tanner.

On August 22, 1909 Bishop Owens spoke in a church meeting of finishing the amusement hall and made a motion that when finished it would be used for an all purpose house in the Mormon ward. It would be a ward house instead of holding it in cooperative shares. The congregation approved it. On June 16, 1910 fire destroyed the White House and all that was in it, including church records. Work on the building which would now be the new meeting house was accelerated. Bishop Owens was much distressed by the loss of the White House, many felt the fire was no accident. In sacrament meeting, Bishop Owens was moved to denounce the evil doers and in the course of his remarks, he said that the hands that did the deed would not prosper and the lives of the perpetrators would be short and unhappy. (Those that know of this incident say that this prophecy has been literally fulfilled.) Only struggling pioneers can fully appreciate what such a loss could mean to a frontier community.

Show Low continued to develop as a predominantly Mormon town during the second decade of the twentieth century. It opened the decade with a population of 201 residents, as indicated by the federal census of 1910.

The federal census of 1920, 258 residents and 1930 federal census a population of 315. Despite the hard work and successes of its residents, Show Low remained essentially an agricultural community that sometimes failed to impress visitors. For example, Dillon Wallace, a hunter who visited the community in the 1910s, labeled Show Low "a collection of miserable log and adobe cabins, very parched and poverty stricken in appearance."

Feb. 14, 1912, Arizona became the 48th state and LAST of the contiguous states to be admitted to the Union.

Progress made by the town was duly reported by the Snowflake Herald newspaper. In 1913, Show Low harvested unusually good fruit and grain crops (Snowflake Herald newspaper, dated 10/10/13.) Spring of 1914 saw a flurry of agricultural activity as many new fences were built, old ones were reconstructed, and new acreage was tilled, (Snowflake Herald newspaper, dated 2/21/14). The passage of the seasons was marked by spring and fall round-ups of horses and cattle, over 5,000 head of cattle was shipped last fall from Show Low area, (Snowflake Herald newspaper, dated 5/12/16). The year 1916 saw the establishment of a Farmers' Association, with William Nikolaus, Harry Ellsworth, J. J. Brady, Charles T Savage, and Joseph Stock elected as officers (Snowflake Herald newspaper, dated 3/10/16). One of their first orders of business was to rebuild the Show Low town ditch.

As some members of the community began to enjoy the fruits of their labors, their prosperity was translated into the architecture of the homes they built. Philemon Merrell operated a brick kiln on the Ellsworth Ranch from 1912 to 1915 His customers included four Show Lowans who had enjoyed unusual degrees of success: Charles Savage, Abner Ellworth, Charles Reidhead, and James C. Owens. Each gentleman built a fine brick home.

The local lumber industry became well established during this period. Sawmills, operated by the Ellsworths and the Webbs, provided at least seasonal employment for many Show Low residents. A boon to the regional lumber industry occurred in 1918 when the Apache Railway Company was constructed from the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad at Holbrook to the lumber mill at McNary, a distance of some 72 miles. Although this logging railroad missed Show Low, passing several miles east of it, many local residents found jobs in the McNary and Snowflake sawmills associated with the line.

The trans-continental federal highway 60 came through Show Low in the 1930's transforming the small quiet agriculture village into a town, with a drug store, three grocers, two general stores, four garages, six cafes, two bars, and six up-to-date auto courts (motels), lining both sides of the highway.

The federal government started building U.S. Route 60 in the 1920's. It was an east–west United States highway, running 2,670 miles from the highway's eastern terminus in Virginia Beach, Virginia on the east coast to its western terminus in Los Angeles, California. U.S. 60 navigated almost 400 miles across Arizona’s midline and functioned as one of the state’s most important east-west transportation routes. The LAST remaining segment of this trans-continental federal highway, was from Globe to Show Low Arizona. The construction through the Salt River Canyon was inherently dangerous. Even after the road was completed, travelers could usually look over the edge and see cars and trucks whose brakes had failed and had missed a curve.

The next big change for Show Low was on May 4, 1953, Show Low was incorporated. The first order of business was regulate milk cows off main street. The town started to be known as the “Gateway to the White Mountains.” Over the years, businesses serving the tourists and vacationers from the Phoenix area transformed the main street of Show Low into almost beyond any recognition of its past history.