Pinedale, Arizona facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pinedale, Arizona
Unincorporated community
Location of Pinedale in Navajo County, Arizona.
Pinedale, Arizona Location in Arizona Show map of Arizona Pinedale, Arizona Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Arizona
County	Navajo
Area
• Total	9.68 sq mi (25.07 km2)
• Land	9.68 sq mi (25.07 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	6,464 ft (1,970 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	482
• Density	49.80/sq mi (19.23/km2)
Time zone	UTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
ZIP code	85901
Area code(s)	928
FIPS code	04-55840
GNIS feature ID	2582843

Pinedale is a small, unincorporated community in Navajo County, Arizona. This means it's a settlement that doesn't have its own local government, but it's still a recognized place. In 2010, about 487 people lived here. Pinedale is located high up, around 6,500 feet (about 1,980 meters) above sea level. It's part of the Mogollon Rim, which is a large cliff or mountain range.

Pinedale was first called Mortensen after Niels Petersen, who started a Mormon settlement here in 1879. It was also known as Percheron because of the strong Percheron stallion horses Mortensen brought. By 1888, the community officially became known as Pinedale.

Ancient Times: Pinedale's Pre-history

Millions of years ago, the land where Pinedale now sits was a swamp, part of a huge inland sea. Over time, big changes in the Earth's surface lifted this area to its current high elevation. Wind and water have worn away the land, showing clues from the past. You can find petrified wood (wood turned to stone) and rocks with ancient shells, plants, and animal fossils on the hillsides.

Long before European settlers arrived, many Native American groups lived here. You can still see ancient rock carvings (called petroglyphs) on canyon walls. The ruins of the mysterious Anasazi and Mogollon people, along with other ancient tribes, are found throughout these hills. In the 1800s, the Apache people lived in this area. During the 19th-century conflicts, they had some clashes with the new settlers before the US military brought peace to the region.

History of the town of Pinedale, AZ – posted in downtown Pinedale

Pinedale's Early History and Settlers

In 1879, the first permanent European settlers, the Petersen and Mortensen families, arrived. They settled near a place called "Mortensen Wash," east of "Snowflake Camp." People from Snowflake used to camp there to cut down trees. The large, untouched pine forests in the area provided wood to build many homes in nearby towns like Taylor and Snowflake. This first settlement was called "Mortensen." Most of the early settlers were Mormon pioneers who came from Utah to help settle Arizona. The local church became a very important part of the community.

Many families helped build Pinedale, including the Mortensen, Petersen, Brewer, Bryan, Dalton, Lewis, Crandell, Beebee, Burke, Owens, Cheney, Jackson, Webb, Thomas, McClever, and Johnson families. Many people living in Pinedale today are descendants of these early pioneers.

Building the Railroad and Community Challenges

In the fall of 1880, brothers James and Erastus Willard Mortensen (Niels's sons) got a government job to prepare the ground for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad. They worked on the railbed between Joseph City and Winslow, and later extended it to Canyon Diablo. They gathered work teams from Mortensen settlement, Snowflake, and Taylor for this big project.

While they were away, some Apache groups caused trouble in September 1881. Most families went to Snowflake and Taylor for safety. The US Cavalry helped calm the situation, and the families returned in October 1881, around the time the railroad work was finished.

In 1881, some Native American groups caused concern, and many families went to Taylor for safety. One group destroyed the belongings of Lyman Hancock after he and his family had left. However, the main conflicts were mostly over, and the Mormon settlers returned to Pinedale to stay.

In 1882, James and Willard Mortensen went to Illinois and bought two Percheron stallions and three mares. They planned to start a horse breeding farm. In June 1883, some horses were stolen from their ranch, including one of the Percheron mares. None of the stolen horses were ever found. Later that year, the Mortensens traded their remaining Percheron horses for other horses and cattle.

Conflicts and the Town's New Name

Cowboys sometimes didn't like the settlers who put fences around the open range lands. The Aztec Land & Cattle Company, which started in 1884-1885 to raise cattle, caused problems in what became known as the Pleasant Valley War. This company often bothered local settlers, driving away their animals, burning buildings, and even hurting people. Niels Petersen and others were badly beaten. These actions made the settlement feel unsafe, so settlers had to carry weapons to protect themselves until the conflicts ended in 1892.

The town's name was officially changed to "Pinedale" in 1887.

In 1889, Wilford Woodruff, the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, asked some of the Mortensen and Peterson families to move to Mexico. They helped start a Mormon community there called Colónia Dublán, about 60 miles south of the US border in Chihuahua State.

Pinedale's Economy and Growth

For a long time, the main ways people in Pinedale earned money were through sawmills (cutting wood), raising cattle and sheep, and dry-farming (growing crops without much irrigation). The U.S. Forest Service also has a presence here.

The Cady Lumber Company had a large sawmill south of Pinedale in the 1920s and 1930s, in a place called Standard. When the mill was running, the town grew to over 500 people. It even had its own stores and a hospital.

Community Projects and Historic Places

In 1976, for the United States' 200th birthday (the Bi-Centennial), the Pinedale community built a covered bridge over Pinedale Wash. A few years later, they built a bell tower in the middle of town. They put the original 1892 School Bell in the tower, which had been used in all the early Pinedale Schools.

Marreta B. Thomas Covered Bridge near Pinedale

The old Pinedale Elementary School building is now considered a historic site.

The Community Center in Pinedale was once a two-room schoolhouse with an auditorium. It is now listed on the National Register of Historic Buildings.

The Verde Trail, a military trail built by General Crook in the late 1800s, passed through this area. This trail connected Fort Apache to Camp Verde. You can find a mile marker for the trail just north of the Marreta B. Thomas covered bridge. This bridge is on the main road into Pinedale from Arizona State Route 260. The marker is a post with a "V" (chevron) shape attached to it.

Pinedale's Population Changes

According to the 2020 census, 482 people lived in Pinedale. There were 186 households and 135 families.

See also

In Spanish: Pinedale (Arizona) para niños