INVITATION TO SNOWFLAKE ARIZONA:

Invitation to ... SNOWFLAKE

And Fray Marcos de Niza and his friend, Father Onorato, away back in 1539, been hunting a home, rather than the Seven Cities of Cibola, they would never have passed up the fertile little valley of the Arroya de La Plata Silver Creek as it is known today. What they wanted was the fabulous wealth of those famed cities, not the sunshine, the beauty of azure skies, the glories of the most gorgeous sunsets, the fertile sod, the low, rolling hills, carpeted in verdant green, the view of distant mountains perpetually snow-capped, an atmosphere so clear that the eye can see for a distance of hundreds of miles, and a moon so bright that the headlines of a newspaper can be read by its mellow light. A climate so salubrious that pulmonary diseases are unknown, where Spring with her budding trees and carpet of yellow dandelions, makes way for Summer's roses, dahlias, pansies and various varieties of multi-colored flowers that greet the eye and gladden the heart and merges so gently into Autumn that before one is aware, "King Winter" in his ermine robes is here for a short stay. An entirely cloudy day is so rare as to be almost phenomenal.

The first legible record of habitation of this chosen land is that of a few cattle ranches scattered along the Show Low to the Box Canyon of the Silver Creek. The one that is of most importance was owned early in the year, 1873, by Stinson and Evans. Many ruins, arrow-heads, shards, human bones, and petroglyphs mutely proclaim a former civilization.

Whether it was the call of a sweetheart, the lure of bright lights, or just plain homesickness, Evans sold his portion of the cattle and his interest in the ranch to his partner, James Stinson, who with his Mexican vaqueros and their families were in possession of it when along about the latter part of June, 1878, Wm. J. Flake, accompanied by Alma Z. Palmer, rode in to the ranch.

Mr. Flake had come to Arizona first in 1873 with an exploring party and then in 1877 had brought his family and settled down on the Little Colorado at a place five miles southwest of Joseph City, then Allen's Camp, which they called Taylor. Seeing the futility of trying to

Pioneer Festival July 24

build homes on those alkaline flats and the herculean task of putting in a permanent dam in the shifting sands of that treacherous stream, he had started out to find a better location.

He first went to Savoia, New Mexico, around to Round Valley, to the headwaters of the Show Low, but found nothing that suited him until he rode up to where he obtained a view of this pleasant little valley with its few adobe buildings, clustered in the center of a valley of waving grain, patches of corn and beans and its surrounding grass-covered hills. It looked a veritable paradise to these dusty, weary travelers.

It was foolish to expect that a man with such a valuable cattle-ranch would think of selling it. Here he was, monarch of all he surveyed. No one to molest his valuable herd of cattle. His nearest neighbors, C. C. Collies, twenty miles south, Marion Clark, four miles beyond him, and a possible half-dozen families that had come into Woodruff a year before, the same distance to the north. Two or three families had tried to settle a few miles higher up the creek, but Mr. Stinson had told them the water was his. He had taken out a large ditch up at what was afterwards known as the Steward Place, a short distance above where the present dam is. From this ditch, he irrigated about three-hundred acres of barley, five of beans and fifteen of corn.

Mr. Flake thought it would do no harm to see if he would consider a sale, and was surprised when Mr. Stinson made him a proposition. For $12,000 Mr. Flake could have the ranch, which included all the land in the valley, about 2,000 acres of which could be cultivated and all the water together with a mower, reaper, threshing machine, plows, etc. He agreed to take cattle for pay. He said his corn crop alone was worth $1,000. "All right," said Mr. Flake, "I'll sell it back to you for that." There was nothing for Mr. Stinson to do but accept it as he himself had set the price.

As to the cattle, it was agreed that Mr. Flake should pay him as follows: 200 cows, 150 two-year-olds, and 200 yearlings, 80 head to be paid down, 235 in April 1879, and an equal amount the following April. After a few days spent in negotiating, the men returned to Old Taylor, Mr. Flake to consult his family, with the consequence that the deal was closed and on July 21, 1878, Wm. J. Flake, his son, James M., James Gale and their families moved into the valley. Of this event, Joseph Fish, Arizona's first and most authentic historian, himself a resident of Snowflake says: "Hardships and trials they had undergone since they left Utah, caused the women-folk to shed tears of joy when they came in sight of the valley covered with its mantle of green. They rejoiced that they were again to have a home and resting place. They had been nearly a year moving about in their wagons and had worked exceedingly hard at times at Old Taylor, trying to make a settlement and homes but had failed. Now that they had found a permanent abiding place they were overjoyed. In about three weeks, Wm. D. Kartchner, his sons, John and Mark E., son-in-law, Don C. Clayton, Alma Z. Palmer, Ninian Miller and their families came and from then on the little settlement was steadily augmented by home-seeking pioneers.

One of the first distinguished persons to visit this new community was Erastus Snow of the presiding authorities of the Mormon Church who, combining his name and that of the founder named the little town Snowflake.

Many were the privations and hardships endured by these early pioneers, but with courage, they subdued their enemies, built homes, church and schools, cultivated the soil and made this little oasis in the desert, which serves as a Mecca each year to hundreds of people from all parts of Arizona and the surrounding states who join in the two-day celebration commemorating annually the founding of this beautiful little town and also the advent of the Mormon pioneers in the valley of the Great Salt Lake July 24, 1847.

Every year since its beginning, Snowflake has celebrated the 24th of July with the result that each year is bigger and better. A series of pageants depicting Mormon Colonization in the west is being enacted during the forenoon of the first day's festivities. The first of these was the Sailing of the Emigrant Ship, Brooklyn, from New York and the founding of San Francisco then known as Yerba Buena. The second was the Modes of Travel and the Landing of the First Pioneers in Salt Lake Valley.Last year's pageant was the Call and Subsequent Movements of the Mormon Battalion. This is the 60th anniversary of the founding of Snowflake and the one this year promises to be the best yet.

Aside from the cultural and historical program, there is always plenty of fun and sport on these occasions. Still the abode of the dashing cowboy, the wild cattle and bucking bronc, plenty of thrills are furnished at the two day rodeo, and races to satisfy the most exacting.