The Rescue of Mrs. Drain
The year was 1947 and the place was Starr Valley. Mrs. Drain had simply walked away from her home one July evening. She was a
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Go Wild
Climb through the Pinal Mountains, look over the Mogollon Rim, enjoy Roosevelt Lake and experience our history through the lens of Discover Gila County’s Blog articles.
The Fall Roundup
As the first breezes of fall bring light rain to Payson, I know that they have been working longer and with more intensity on top
The Goswick Incident
My grandfather, Floyd Pyle, was a good friend of Giles Goswick. They were both government lion hunters in the early 1940s, and before, as I
Horse Tradin’
Near as I can remember, my uncle, Malcolm “Malc” Pyle took the job of livestock inspector for the Tonto Basin, which includes Payson, about the
Gila County Pioneer – David D. Gowan
Gowan was born in Kincardineshire, Scotland, in 1843, and he took to the seas at an early age. He sailed out of Scotland’s Bervie Harbor
The Babe Haught Trail
The Babe Haught Trail, also known as Tonto National Forest Trail #143, snakes up the Mogollon Rim near the Tonto Fish Hatchery. While this trail
“The Day Hell Let Out For Recess”
I remember June 17, 1955 as the day “Hell Let Out For Recess” in Payson. The day was just like any other hot day in
Causes of the Pleasant Valley War
The Pleasant Valley War is often referred to as the Graham-Tewksbury Feud, but this is misleading, as many others participated. It didn’t even start between
Gila County Settlers – Paul Vogel & Bill Craig
The names of Paul Vogel and Bill Craig have largely been skipped over in the writings of the history of Payson, mostly because the two
