b'THE OLD STORYTELLERMemories of Tonto RimSettling InBy Hank Sheffer, The Old Storyteller and Billy White Bird HaughtTHE TRIP UP THE APACHE TRAIL from Globe had been difficult for the whole family. On top of that Great Grandmother Mary had finally succumbed to her illnesses on the way. However, as promised, she was now at peace in the Haught Ranch Cemetery. Time waits for no one. It wasnt long before Grandma was pregnant with my Uncle George. Granddad finished the big cabin to make more room for the ever-growing family.G randmother caught on to the ways of ranch life veryrelated that Granddad was pleased to see the baby was aformed in 1903, and as bears and lions were plentiful, they quickly. Life was a little lonely at that time, but beforeboy . . . he could always use the helpeven if was to beraised havoc with the young cow critters. Turns out the long more members of the Haught family arriveddown the road a ways. Building a home in the wildernessassociation was willing to pay $150 for each lion killed. It from Texas. Henry and Sarah Bell Haught came out froma hundred miles from the railroad and civilization was nottook Granddad no time at all to start hunting for bounty. White Water, a small town outside of Dallas. They madefor the weak-of-heart. There were no trails to the northThat money put quite a bit of food on the table, not to their homestead down at the foot of "Red Hill" just aboveto Flagstaff. Babe Haught blazed out a trail over the rimmention that it gave him a good start in the cattle business.the Tonto Creek Falls. That was only a mile or so fromhimself. That trail was located above the Zane Grey cabin on granddads ranch. They began to raise their family as wellthe east face of the rim by a rock he called Chimney Rock.Now, White Birds grandparents wasted no time when it as a few cattle. This was a blessing. Now, at least, GrandmaIn this rock, there is a gap between the main sections of thecame to raising a family. Soon, Aunt Ollie was added to Ellie had someone to talk to once in a while. Rim wide enough to get a horsethe roster. Moreover, the ranch through. Once you got through,was shaping up. There were Everyone in those days worked all the time. There was thea log was pulled across the gapnow three cabins. The field next planting of gardens and then canning all the produce theyto make a gate. Later on, a fenceto the cabins (to the east) was could. The men folks were always busy building fences orwas built down the slope toplanted in corn and sugar cane.clearing fields. There wasnt all that much time to visit. Billywhere the Tonto Fish HatcheryThere was no spring to water had mentioned that he wondered why the families alwaysis now. This trail over the rim isthat field, but neither corn nor seemed to be a little distant. Hed chuckle and then said:the Tonto Trail and was the onlysugar cane required a lot of Heck, there was so much work to do all the time there justexit up over the rim. water. The main supply of food wasnt time to visit anyway! was raised in the garden near the Meanwhile, Grandma had herbig spring and more apple trees Samuel A., another Haught, was one of the very firsthands full with one baby inwere planted in that area. Edd to settle in the Tonto Rim Country. He and his wife,diapers and another one onlyand George also helped with the Isabella, homesteaded on Rye Creek quite some timethree years old. Never-the-less,bear and lion hunting and Edd before Granddad and his young family arrived in Arizonashe still managed to hold upTonto Fish Hatchery developed quite a gift for bee Territory. He became the territorys first cattle king withher end of the workload (as ifhunting, of all things! He would ten thousand head of longhorns. His rangeland extendedthe baby work wasnt enough). The garden was only a fewcatch wild bees and put a piece of cotton on them with from Rye Creek, south of Payson, all the way to Sunflower.hundred feet from the cabin and she took care of most of ithoney. Then he\'d watch to see which way they went to the And a little-known piece of trivia, he was the first manherself. Even as late as the 1930s, the rhubarb she plantedbee tree. The kid had eyes like a hawk. Ironically, Zane Grey from Arizona, while it was still a territory, to donate moneywas still growing. Granddad also planted several Goldenlater wrote a novel titled, The Bee Hunter, but the publisher to the Cowboy Hall of Fame. Ironically, no additionalDelicious apple trees. They were Grandmas favorite. Justchanged the title to Under the Tonto Rim. True to life, Under contributions were made for forty more years or so. before Christmas in 1983 we visited the old ranch . . . thosethe Tonto Rim was all about Anderson Lee Haught and his trees were still loaded with apples. After that, the orchardfamily. The name Denmeade was used in place of Haught, Work on the ranch continuedthere were still trees to bediminished in size due to a lack of care. On the other hand,but otherwise, all of their first names were used.cut and then clearing the stumps in the fields next to theit would be hard to expect much from trees that had lasted cabin. It always seemed like there was more work to benearly one hundred years. Well, October arrived pretty much as it always did. The done to the main cabin and now a stone addition was beingfinal preparations were being made for the typically long, constructed to be used as the kitchen. Time passed in a flash . . . the boys, Edd and George, werecold winter months ahead. Ole Jack Frost had already now big enough to lend a hand around the ranch. In thetouched the leaves making the Sumac turn red, gold, and On March 23, 1900, Uncle George was born. It was quitemeantime, Granddad got a few hounds to track and huntorange. The maple trees were a beautiful alizarin crimson. a day. Mammy Haught was there to help Grandma. Billybear and lion. A much-needed Cattlemens Association wasGranddad and the boys had put up most of the winter 8 May 2021'