Arizona

In the middle of the Tonto National Forest, situated in Arizona’s eastern mountains, just below the Mogollon Rim at an elevation of 5,200 feet is the town called Young, Arizona. This town was formerly known as Pleasant Valley. It is a very small, remote desert town and home to a variety of interesting people and old western history. It is about a 3 ½ hr drive from Phoenix, Arizona. You can also experience Arizona wilderness at it’s finest with hiking, horseback riding, camping and fishing in the Tonto Forest.

The town is known as the site of the Pleasant Valley War aka the Graham-Tewksbury Feud. This Old Western feud was between cattlemen and sheepmen and their struggle to control access to the valley grasslands. It is one of the most famous and violent feuds in the history of the Old West.

I first came to know of Young, Arizona by accident. I had purchased a picture of an old Union 76 service station/museum at the Flagstaff County Fair back in the 90s. On the back of the picture were the words “Young, Arizona”. Being a prior Union 76 owner and wanting to see this place, curiosity got the best of me so I decided to take a road trip to that area which is in the White Mountains. After driving about 24 miles down a winding dirt road, my adventure soon ended and to my disappointment it was now a “ghost” station and no longer operating. The scenery was well worth the drive and I still have the photograph of a little bit of history.

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