Payson Roundup

Recent stories

The Story of Payson, Arizona

Chapter 38: The W.P.A. Comes To Town

By Stan Brown

March 10, 2010

As Payson’s population increased, the two aging frame structures on Main Street that had served as schoolhouses since 1901 and 1916 respectively were simply inadequate. The Great Depression was under way in the 1930s, and local families were in no position to finance a larger school. However, the Federal Government had established the Works Progress Administration (WPA), which provided the needed funds. It was up to the local school district to develop the plans and hire the work done, which gave some much needed relief for Rim Country families who joined the construction crews. Not only were local men employed for the work, but also many family members pitched in and invested their time and energy in the task. It was truly a community project, and the community joyfully took ownership, affectionately dubbing it “The Rock School.”

The Story of Payson, Arizona

Chapter 37: Access To The Outside

By Stan Brown

February 25, 2010

The isolation from the “outside world” that Payson had known from its beginnings was being overcome during the first half of the 20th century. Beginning with the construction of Roosevelt Dam in 1903, new ways to access the beautiful and secretive Rim Country were in demand. Throughout

Forest Rangers Protected Payson

The Story of Payson, Arizona -Chapter 36

By Stan Brown

February 10, 2010

A close relationship between forest rangers and the people of Payson existed from March of 1907 when the Tonto National Forest was established. The ranger’s station and house, along with a barn for horses and mules, were the center for the Payson Administrative District, and the first ranger assigned here was Fletcher Beard, a cowboy turned forest ranger.

THE AGE OF AIRPLANES

The Story of Payson, Arizona -Chapter 35

By Stan Brown

January 27, 2010

It was in the summer of 1935 that Payson began to be a destination for airplanes. It was Cliff “Tuffie” Edwards who launched the feverish hobby that soon gripped a number of local ranchers and town folk. He was from Texas, as were so many early residents of the Payson area, and in 1910, by the age of 12, Edwards was already a capable cowboy riding with the best of them.

the first church in town

The Story of Payson, Arizona -Chapter 34, The First Church In Town

By Stan Brown

January 20, 2010

Settlers in Payson and the Rim Country had a faith in God that was born of adventure and survival in the wilderness. However, it was not until 1935 that the town organized its first local church. After all, these families had little time to develop churches and rituals. They spent their lives in virtual isolation on far-flung ranches, having defied comfort and the malicious terrain to make their way into these valleys. The first record of a Christian mission outreach to Payson is in 1898.

Landmark hotel on Main

The Story of Payson, Arizona - Chapter 33: Landmark Hotel On Main Street

By Stan Brown

December 30, 2009

The rowdy and salty character of old Payson still lingers on Main Street in the façade of the Ox Bow Inn and Saloon. It was on these historic properties that the pageant of cow town living was enacted, including shoot-outs, horse races and rodeos performed between the rows of log and clapboard buildings.

The Story of Payson, Arizona

Chapter 32, The Long Road to a Townsite

By Stan Brown

December 16, 2009

It was not until the year 1930 that Payson residents ceased to be living in the Tonto National Forest and could call the community a town. The problem had its roots 46 years earlier.

The Story of Payson, Arizona

Chapter 31, Happy Days at the Winchester Saloon

By Stan Brown

December 2, 2009

When the Winchester Saloon burned down just before Halloween in 1997, it brought a rush of memories to old-timers. This spot, at the foot of the old Pine Road (today’s McLane Road), had been the social center of the community from the late 19th century. The saga began when Guy Barkdoll built a dance hall, a livery stable and an adobe house on the site. The hall was the only place in town large enough to accommodate community events, and it was used not only for Saturday night dances, but also for funerals, weddings, school plays and carnivals.

The story of Payson, Arizona

Chapter 30: The Class of 1927

By Stan Brown

November 11, 2009

In 1927, the Payson School graduated its first class from a new high school curriculum. There were two graduates. The high school classes were held in one of the two clapboard buildings near the corner of Oak and Main Streets, where today the Community Presbyterian Church has a parking lot.

The Story of Payson, Arizona

Chapter 29: Hollywood comes to Payson

By Stan Brown

October 21, 2009

Although Hollywood film crews had filmed Zane Grey stories on location around Payson in the early 1920s, the year 1927 brought a new rush of Hollywood excitement with the arrival of the MGM mascot, Leo the Lion.

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