Newcomers to Payson sometimes ask how old the town is, and gasp
to learn it was not incorporated until 1973. In fact it was
December 6 of that year when Payson was able to have its own
government and was not simply “in the county.” Of course, from
the time settlers began to build houses in 1880 along the
American Gulch (Main Street) the settlement was simply “in the
forest,” squatting on Federal land. Not until 1930 was it
declared a town site, set aside from the National Forest and
placed under the jurisdiction of Gila County. During the latter
years of the last century, the descendants of pioneer families
had no local repository in which to place their historical
papers and photos. Consequently such valuable memorabilia were
handed over to the Arizona Historical Society and Arizona State
University. When I became a member of the Board of Directors for
the Northern Gila County Historical Society I found it grievous
to have to go to Tucson and Tempe in order to uncover the
history of the Rim country. A town a