Out in the woods, twenty miles southwest of Snowflake, is the village of
Pinedale, settled in January, 1879, by Niels Mortensen and sons and Niels
Peterson. The first location was at what now is called East Pinedale,
also known at different times as Mortensen and Percheron. In the
following winter, a small sawmill was brought in from Fort Apache and in
1882 came a larger mill, the original Mount Trumbull mill. In that year a
townsite had rough survey by James Huff and in 1885 a schoolhouse was
built. The brethren had much trouble with desperados, horse and cattle
thieves, but peace came after the Pleasant Valley war in Tonto Basin, in
which thirty of the range riders were killed.
Reidhead, also known at times as Woolf's Ranch, Lone Pine Crossing,
Beaver Branch and Reidhead Crossing, is one of the deserted points of
early settlement, historically important mainly in the fact that it was
the home of Nathan B. Robinson, killed nearby by Apaches June 1, 1882.
Fear of the Indians then drove away the other settlers and, though there
was later return, in 1893 was final abandonment. Reidhead lay on Showlow
Creek, ten miles above Taylor and ten miles from Cooley's ranch. It was
one of the places of first white settlement in northeastern Arizona,
a Mexican having had his ranch there even before Cooley came into the
country. Then came one Woolf, from whom squatter rights were bought in
April, 1878, by John Reidhead, then lately from Utah.
Pinetop, 35 miles south of Snowflake, dates back to March, 1888, when
settled by Wm. L. Penrod and sons, including four families, all from
Provo, Utah. Progress started with the transfer to Pinetop of the Mount
Trumbull mill in 1890. The name is said to have been given by soldiers,
the first designation having been Penrod. A notable event in local
history was a joint conference in Pinetop, July 4, 1892, with
representatives from all Arizona Stakes and attended by President
Woodruff's counselors, Geo. Q. Cannon and Jos. F. Smith. For this special
occasion was built a pavilion, the largest in Arizona, a notable
undertaking for a small community. The structure was destroyed by fire a
few years ago.