Pinedale

History

In 1879, the first post-colonial permanent settlers, the Petersen and Mortensen families, settled along the "Mortensen Wash" located east of what was known as "Snowflake Camp," as residents of Snowflake camped out there to harvest timber. The large virgin pine forests in the area furnished lumber to build many homes in Taylor and Snowflake. The original settlement came to be known as "Mortensen". Most of the early settlers to come here were Mormon pioneers who came from Utah to help settle Arizona, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints became a central fixture in the community. Some of the early families to settle here were: Mortensen, Petersen, Brewer, Bryan, Dalton, Lewis, Crandell, Beebee, Burke, Owens, Cheney, Jackson, Webb, Thomas, McClever, Johnson and others. Many descendants of these early pioneers continue to live in Pinedale. In the fall of 1880, brothers James and Erastus Willard Mortensen (sons of Niels) secured a government contact to grade a railbed for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad between Joseph City, Arizona and Winslow; and later secured an additional contract to extend the rail bed to Canyon Diablo. They assembled several work teams from the Mortensen settlement as well as the communities of Snowflake and Taylor for the work. While they were away, an Apache uprising was launched in the area in September 1881; most of the families retreated to Snowflake and Taylor for safety until the US Cavalry overcame the Apaches and they returned to the area in October 1881, about the same time that the rail bed grading contracts were completed. An Indigenous uprising in 1881 sent most families to Taylor for safety. One band of Apaches destroyed the belongings of Lyman Hancock after he had fled with his family, but the Indian Wars were mostly…

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Linden Elementary School
  Elementary · SHOW LOW · 203 students · 14.5:1 ratio
• Sequoia Village School
  Elementary · SHOW LOW · 163 students
• Sequoia Village High School
  High · SHOW LOW · 57 students