Along the Way

Telephones arrived in 1969; electricity, in 1970. But nobody cheered too much, says 70-year-old ranch woman Anna Mae Peace.

"In 1967, when we had two feet of snow, and Payson had four feet, we were fine because we had diesel fuel and a butane cook stove and a wood heater. We were self-sufficient; in Payson, they couldn't do anything because they were counting on electricity."

Anna Mae was born and raised in Gisela (pronounced GuySEE-la by the locals) and hasn't ventured far from the Tonto Basin ranch she still helps maintain.

"I go into Payson and look at those houses not more than six feet apart, and I just know I couldn't stand to live like that," she remarks.

Gisela is five miles east of State Route 87, immediately south of Rye, and 13 miles south of Payson. A green marker at roadside says simply "GISELA 5 miles." At the end of the pavement, a dusty speck of a town tries to maintain a pioneer spirit and survive.

Jim and Suzie Hawes "bought the town" in 1990, including the Gisela Steakhouse and Saloon, a trading post, a four-unit motel, and some horse corrals. It was love at first sight, says 43-year-old Suzie, a former bank accountant from California. "We were looking for a place where we could make a living and enjoy our horses. We want to keep it just the way it is; no street lights, no sirens. You can go out and touch the stars at night here."

A burly man of 57, Jim Hawes echoes what Suzie said earlier. "We offer good food, clean rooms, and a good place to board a horse. No telephones, clocks, or television sets in the motel rooms." Gisela is a quiet little town, he adds, except on Saturday nights, when there's a dance at the steakhouse. A hand-painted sign behind the bar conveys that when the music starts, the price of drinks increases 25 cents. My imagination runs free while I sit at the bar this warm afternoon and wonder at the hundreds of hats hanging from the rafters. Suzie Hawes says she wonders, too, about all those people who have come and gone.

"I think about them a lot," she admits. "You know, nobody reads a newspaper much here or keeps up with the outside. The whole world could get blown away, but if we're okay down here, well, we're okay." Ten years ago, Anna Mae's daughter Jayne wrote a history of Gisela, noting that the town was named by an early-day schoolteacher who happened to be reading a novel titled Countess Gisela.

The history also tells of the earliest settlers who arrived in wagons from the north in 1881. They crossed the Colorado River at Pierce's Ferry. Jayne's history also recalls the arrival of Ted Tatum in 1968. He bought one of the old ranches in the area and within a month changed it into a summer camp for boys. Later, in 1969, he created the Gisela Ranches subdivision and built the restaurant and bar. Another subdivision appeared in 1970.

When the group of about 50 people reached the area in March, one young woman lamented: "There were only three times in my life I saw my mother shed tears. When we landed in Gisela was one of them. She had been through a lot of pioneering, but she wilted when she first looked out over the wilderness. She didn't think there could be a more forsaken place to bring up a family."

By Connie Long AT TINY GISELA, YOU CAN GET GOOD FOOD, A PLACE FOR YOUR HORSE AND A 100-MILE VISTA

Jayne's history also recalls the arrival of Ted Tatum in 1968. He bought one of the old ranches in the area and within a month changed it into a summer camp for boys. Later, in 1969, he created the Gisela Ranches subdivision and built the restaurant and bar. Another subdivision appeared in 1970.

Despite that, there remains an emphasis on the past in Gisela. You can still find a "Vote for Barry Goldwater for Senator" poster behind the bar at the steakhouse and here and there pick up memories of the time in 1976 when George Wallace arrived on a campaign visit.

You'll also hear talk about the mud-bog races that were a major event here several years ago. Contestants drove their vehicles through deep mud, and the winner was the guy who urged his machine the farthest.

Today, Anna Mae has an electric stove but still prefers to cook the evening meal outside. She loves birds and keeps a yard full of chickens and a few peacocks. A small herd of horses grazes in the pasture.

And Suzie Hawes confesses to using produce from local gardeners for some of her meals at the restaurant where she spends a 12-hour day, seven days a week. She says she's happy even though she works too hard.

As for this writer, I suspect I've sated my pioneer yearnings for one more year. But I just might come back for the dancing some Saturday night.