Pearce Arizona any thoughts??????? (Benson, Willcox: schools, college, live)

[DesertZone]

That is good info, I don't think I would have ever heard the truth. Thanks

[Maineiacs]

We visited Pearce, twice over the last two years. On our last visit we purchased a home in Sunsites. As soon as the man of the house finds a job in manufacturing, we will be heading out. Does anyone have any leads on where he should apply? I don't care where I work will worry about that once we are there...which we both hope is soon.

[teed]

I am wondering what type of internet is available in Pearce?

[Guy M. Price]

Lacal, if your place is on Turkey Creek, chances are it is on part of my folks and grandfolks old ranch! Our ranch ran along both sides of Hwy 181 going east to the Wonderland of Rocks or, via dirt road, on up Turkey Creek in the
Chiricahua Mountains. Our ranch was north of pavement on Price Ranch Rd. and my grandad homesteaded there is early 1900's and his mother homesteaded earlier further up Turkey Creek. I just "bubble over" with history so if you ever need to know some history you can contact me at priceracing@cox.net. Yea, I am still just a kid at 67!

[lacal]

I'm just wondering if anyone is still looking at this site? I have been away from it for a few months and was curious.
Thanks,
lacal

[lacal]

Guy, I'm wondering if your family is mentioned in the book "We'll All Wear Silk Hats". A great book on the Pearce history.

My copy is packed away for moving day.
lacal
Larry Murray

[DesertZone]

Does anyone here have pics of Sunizona that they can post here?

[zoo]

That was a great read! Thanks so much for sharing. Hope you have all that great history written down someplace. ~Debbie

Originally Posted by Guy M. Price

Perhaps if my grandfather had retained those rocks he found on that hill and gave to Johnny Pearce to get assayed the name of Pearce might have been Price instead! My grandfather and his brothers told me that their dad, Jim Price, who worked for the Chiricahua Cattle Co. (CCC) in the Kansas Settlement all told me that their dad had given those rocks to Johnny Pearce to have them assayed in Tombstone and when Johnny found out they were almost pure gold, he staked his claim in his name and gave Jim a job hauling timbers to the mine out of the Chiricahua Mountains! He finally got tired of that and left the country leaving his wife Mary with 10 kids of her own and 1 other that she also raised. She homesteaded just west and south of the Sanders ranch at the base of the Chiricahua Mountains along Turkey Creek. When her children got older, she left the older one's to look over the younger one's and she would hook up her mules to a wagon and go to Douglas every Monday morning to the railroad station roundhouse where she would cook for the workers all week long and then make the trip back to Turkey Creek every Friday to be with her children over the weekend! That trip, as the "crow flies" was about 50 miles each way! When my grandfather, Ike, got old enough to be on his own he homesteaded further west on Turkey creek, down in the "flats" with the ranch headquarter located about 2 miles west of where Turkey Creek and Rock Creek come together just west of what is now Highway 181. On the Price Ranch headquarters were two homes built from gypsum block that was hauled from Gleeson, AZ and was originally used as the Gleeson Hospital in it's "heyday"! Ike and Von's only child was Gail Price (married to Lucille Latimer) who was my father. My dad and grandad had big rodeo's on that ranch from 1929 until about 1941 when cattle prices got to high to be roping! I and my brother and couple fo nephews have some of the old poster's from the rodeo's. The cost of admission owas $0.25 per person and there was a free barbecue and dance! Try and find a deal like that today! Our address was: Star Route, Pearce, Arizona! My dad, Gail, was the delivery man for the mail for several years up Turkey Creek. He and my grandad, Ike, used to supply Albert Rothe, owner of the Pearce Mercantile store, with beef for years as well as stores and hospitals in Bisbee and Douglas and points in between! The rodeo's and selling beef is what helped them to survive the "great depression"! My dad was born in the town of Light, Arizona which no longer exists but the Light Cemetary does where many native ranch
families including the Rathburns, Mattie Pressey and many other are still resting. My great, great grandafather, Michael McDonald is buried there. He was born on Sept. 15, 1826 in County Corke, Ireland and passed away in the arms of his daughter, Mary (Grandma) Price on March 23, 1928, living to be 101 years and 6 months of age. His occupation listed on his death certificate was: Pony Express rider! His brother was the first governor of the state of New Mexico.
I can remember (and I was born in 1941) when the highway to the Wonderland of Rocks (Hwy 181) was a dirt road and my dad and grandad worked for the State Highway Dept. during the paving of that highway in 1948-1950. We bought the Grantham grocery store along 181 about eight miles east of where 181 and what used to be 666 intersected. That old store has stood there for many years and is still being lived in. We used to have an old gas pump there which a friend has now that had the 10 gallon glass cylinder on top and I pumped many a gallons of gas up into that cylinder!
Mrs. McLeod was the postmaster in Pearce for many years and her and Albert Rothe were fixtures of that town! My dad graduated from High School in Pearce and unless they changed the records since I graduated from high school in 1958, the high school at Elfrida was still listed as the Pearce Union School District. Just wanted to get some factual information out for those who call Pearce, Sunsite or Sunizona their home and for those interested in area history!

[Guy M. Price]

Thanks "Zoo"! I was a farm magazine editor for about 15 years and have always enjoyed writing things down and have had a real interest in Southeastern Arizona history, especially as it relates to agriculture and the cattle business specifically, but I have never even thought of writing a book cause I didn't figure many folks would give a da*n about such a book! I would love to spend some time with some of the old timers still around down in Cochise County like Myron and Pat Ingle who are in their 80's now and close friends of my folks for many, many years as was Myron's folks! In fact, he has a home on part of our old ranch right near what we called the "Bean Tank"! I can recall when gophers burrowed in the backside of that tank and completely drained it when I was a kid! And water was a precious commodity on a cow-calf operation like we had! Lord Balfor, if you happen to read this, my brother recently moved down just off the J-6 road just south of I-10. He lives on Mustang Rd. It will be the place with a garden and a huge bird cage and he too like visiting with folks so if you are wandering around someday, stop in and say "howdy"!

[LordBalfor]

Originally Posted by Guy M. Price

Lord Balfor, if you happen to read this, my brother recently moved down just off the J-6 road just south of I-10. He lives on Mustang Rd. It will be the place with a garden and a huge bird cage and he too like visiting with folks so if you are wandering around someday, stop in and say "howdy"!

I'll try and remember to do that if the opportunity arrives. I have to say that it's killin' me looking at the weather down there on the local online weather station for J-6. So far this month 11 of the 21 days completed already have had highs in the low 70's (many more than normal) and the overnight low last night was only down to 56 so even the nights have been mild (for the most part).

Very nice indeed.

Ken