The Northern Gila County Historical Society sponsored a tour of the Payson Pioneer Cemetery one Saturday this month. I am now on the Board of the Historical Society.....a great bunch of volunteers who maintain the Rim Country Museum and the Zane Grey Cabin.
Jinx Pyle, local historian, led the tour. Jinx has so many stories about the folks that are buried in the cemetery. The Payson's Women's Club maintains the cemetery. You have to be an important person in Payson in order to be buried there.
John Meadows moved his family to AZ from CA in 1877 to homestead an area called Diamond Valley Ranch. In 1882 a band of renegade Apaches raided the Meadows ranch, killing John and his brother, Henry. John was the first person to be buried in what would become the Payson Pioneer Cemetery. The raid ended at the Battle of Big Dry Wash, where the Apaches were defeated by General Crook and his troops. John's son, Charlie, better known as Arizona Charlie, was the co-founder of the Payson Rodeo. Charlie also spend some time with Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show and met folks like Annie Oakley, Zane Grey, and Will Rogers.
Our photography class was searching for fall color this past week. We ended up in See Canyon in the "town" of Christopher Creek. (About 25 minutes east of Payson.)
Christopher Creek is a beautiful spot. There is a creek running through town which includes a general store, restaurants and campgrounds.
There are maple, aspen and oak growing along the creek which is lined with mint, ferns and grasses.
Our fall color has not been great this year but we are managing to find a bit. We will probably be headed to Sedona next week.
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