Editor’s Note: In July 1948, Wayne Davis made his debut in Arizona Highways. In the decades since, we’ve published hundreds of his beautiful photographs. Although Mr. Davis wasn’t a full-time photographer — he had a day job with the U.S. Department of Agriculture — he was born with a gift and honed his skills while training under Ansel Adams in Yosemite. Over the summer, Jeff Kida, our photo editor, and I had the privilege of spending an afternoon in St. Johns, Arizona, with Esther Davis, Wayne’s widow, who allowed us a look at her late husband’s 4x5 transparencies. As we sifted through the many boxes, we set aside a handful of our favorite winter photographs, which are presented here. Thank you for sharing, Mrs. Davis. I wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy new year.
A heavy snowfall blankets a riparian area along an unidentified creek near St. Johns in Northeastern Arizona. On average, the St. Johns area receives more than 8 inches of snow per year.
Heavy snow surrounds ancient petrified logs in the Rainbow Forest at Petrified Forest National Park, near Holbrook. Known for its high concentration of petrified wood, the Rainbow Forest area features a visitors center and museum that receives about 20 percent of the park’s foot traffic.
Signs of winter recede from one of the White Mountains’ many expansive meadows. Because of the high elevations in this part of Eastern Arizona, snow often lingers until late spring and early summer in some areas.
Ponderosa pines and other evergreens surround the frozen surface of A-1 Lake, on White Mountain Apache Tribe land. This small reservoir, just off State Route 260 east of Pinetop-Lakeside, is named for William Alchesay, an Apache chief and U.S. Army scout whose name proved difficult for his Army contacts to pronounce.
In Petrified Forest National Park’s Long Logs section, layered buttes loom over an icy stream. This area is easily explored via the Long Logs Trail, a 1.6-mile loop hike that begins at the Rainbow Forest Museum parking area.
Cattle meander through snow on a farm near St. Johns. Today, ranching remains an important component of the economy in St. Johns and other Northeastern Arizona towns.