b"Tonto continued from page 9to me, they all feared the worst for her. As it turned out she passed-on shortly thereafter. Granddad had promised to take her to the homestead and that is precisely what he intended to do. He wasnt going to leave her out here along the trail somewhere. The final leg of the trip took two more days. White Bird recalled to me that his grandmother had always said, Nothing happens we cant overcome. Billy, we all have to pay this debt one debt.The next obstacle for the small pilgrimage was to overcome Oxbow Hill going into Payson. In those days Payson was established on the north side of this very large meadow. (That meadow is now filled with all sorts of commerce and such). Come noon they continued their trek eastward to the rim.Granddad was pushing the team pretty hard by now wanting to get home. The worst of the hard climbing ended with the Oxbow. They hoped to reach the ranch by sundown or a little before. Finally, they reached Tonto Creek where Kohls Ranch is located today. There they headed directly east on part of General Crook's old trail. Then the trail turned north to the Haught ranch above where Tonto Creek and Horton Creek come togetherthis would be their last crossing.This last day had been a hard travel day, but they topped the last mesa to the ranch just as the sun was fading. The Tonto Rim was almost blood red reflecting the sunset. Were almost home Ellie, granddad said as the wagon made its last mile. The aroma of the pines became more and more of a comfort to them. Fresh crisp air in the high altitude gave them a true feeling of belonging. As granddad pulled the wagon up to the cabin, the rims red hue was slowly dimming. My, oh my, what a beautiful placeI can hardly wait til morning to see what it all looks like in the daylight, my grandmother said.10% OFFFrom under the ledge, Anderson LeeANY REGULAR PRICED ITEMHaught could seeExcludes Tools & Equipment.almost all of theMention Arizona Real Country Magazine.upper Tonto Rim. There were miles and miles of virgin yellow pines, oaks, and maples and the cattle feed was so high you could hardly get a horse through it. Tonto Creek was off to the east about a mile twisting and gleaming through the pines.Granddad helped grandmother and the baby down from the wagon and into the cabin. He then went out to take care of the much deserving team and then bring in a few things they would need for the night. The rest could wait til morning. This was the first real bed grandmother and the baby had slept in for over a month. The following morning Anderson Lee unloaded the wagon and hitched the team to take great grandmother over to what he called mesa field. It was west of the ranch a mile or so. He figured Ellie and the baby Edd had had quite enough and this task he would handle himself. Great grandmother was buried in the beautiful meadow. She was laid to rest under the Tonto Rim just as Babe had promised.The hardships on the trip and everything that went along with it in those days made the trip to Tonto Country even more pleasing. It was to be their home for a lifetime. Anderson Lee Haught and his young wife, Ella, were finally at their new home and the beginning of what was to be a truly grand, if not amazing, adventure. ArizonaRealCountry.com April 2021 11"