The Iconic Town of Young, By: Sherry E. Engler

Range wars, rowdy cowboys, gunfghts, and catle rustling once claimed the town of Pleasant Valley, known today as Young, Arizona. Father Time has progressed slowly in this small establishment of history, giving any adventurer a glimpse into the late 1800s. Young is truly a place to step back into Arizona’s past and experience spirits of a tme of confict and irony. Originally named Pleasant Valley in the 1870s, the founding setlers found the land to be good for habitaton. Peaceful breezes gently blowing among the Ponderosa Pines perhaps inspired the name. Or perhaps viewing the gentle valley sloping calmly into the promising blue sky gave the founders a sense of peace and serenity, thus elicitng the name of Pleasant Valley. In my imaginaton as I tme travel, I can hear the voices of yesteryear saying, “Hey, this is pleasant! Let us name it Pleasant Valley!” And so it was. However, the pleasantness of the valley turned out not to be so idyllic in the spanning the ten years between 1882 and 1892. The unpleasantness invaded nearby towns, such as Globe and Prescot, and wrote history as far as and countes, as this range war stretched beyond the confnes of Pleasant Valley. The infamous family names in this range war were the Grahams and the Tewksburys. However, as in many conficts, the instgaton of this murderous was abeted by others: James Stnson, hired gunfghters, ranch hands, the Hashknife Outit, the Daggs Outit, and of course, law enforcement. Irony plagues the very beginning of the relatonship between the Graham family and the Tewksbury family, perhaps startng in the year 1881. According to research, the Tewksbury family originated in and moved eastward to develop land in the primitve mountains of Arizona. The Graham family originated in Northern Ireland, migratng to Ohio in 1851. Thirty years later, the ofspring, John and Thomas Graham, moved to Pleasant Valley to stake adventures in catle ranching at the invitaton of the Tewksbury family, according to legend. Yes! That’s right! The Tewksbury family INVITED the Grahams to setle in the small growing town; the two families were friends in the beginning. Then enter a catle rancher by the name of James Stnson. Stnson needed the grasslands of Pleasant Valley for his very lucratve catle business. As per history notaton, he claimed both families were rustling his catle. Stnson made a deal with the Graham family: in exchange for their testmonies against the Tewksburys, he would give them catle and would not seek to prosecute the Grahams. A deal is a deal. Thus, the beginning of the feud known as the Pleasant Valley War, or Tonto Basin Feud, lastng ten years, spanning miles and miles in radius, and killing an estmated 35-50 individuals, all started in the peaceful setng of Pleasant Valley. To add to the confict, the Tewksburys started running sheep in the valley and partnered with the Daggs Outit; likewise, the Grahams partnered with the rowdy cowboys of the Hashknife Outit to run catle. Confrontatons with law enforcement, ranch hands, and members of these groups were numerous and deadly. were common. John Stnson lef in 1885; however, the feud lasted untl 1892 when Tom Graham was fatally shot. Before he died, he identfed Ed Tewksbury as one of the culprits who had shot him. However, Ed Tewksbury was acquited of murder in a second trial. For a great detailed historic account of Pleasant Valley history, see Pleasant Valley War in Wikipedia, and www.legendsofAmerica.com. The history of the Pleasant Valley War is massive. This artcle is a very, very condensed version of the enormity of informaton of historical events surrounding the Grahams and the Tewksburys; indeed, it was an extremely complicated relatonship flled with many twists and turns. And what a relatonship of irony! What began as a friendship between the Grahams and the Tewksburys ended in one of the deadliest over range land in Arizona history. Not surprisingly, in 1890, the good folks of Pleasant Valley renamed the town: Young, in honor of the frst postmistress, Olla Beth Young. In my imaginaton as I tme travel, I can hear the voices afer the long Tewksbury vs. Graham Feud in 1890 saying, “Hey, this has not NOT been PLEASANT! Shall we re-name Pleasant Valley afer our postmistress? Shall we re-name it Young?” And so it became Young, Arizona. The struggles and conficts of the feud in the late 1800s are hard to imagine as one stands in the placid valley of Young, Arizona in 2021. Traveling to Young, Arizona today is indeed a very lovely journey. From Payson, on Highway 260, travel approximately 32 miles east untl Forest Service Road 512 (FR 512), also known as the Tall Pines to the Desert Highway. Turn right onto FR 512. The paved street will turn into a dirt road which will lead you into the late 1800s, where Father Time has preserved remnants of the historic West, as evident in some of the unique structures stll standing, such as the Dead Broke Inn, the 1874 Pleasant Valley Museum, and other preserved dwellings which appear original to Pleasant Valley. (Due to COVID-19, there may be closures; for example, the Pleasant Valley Museum was closed at the tme of our visit.) Whether you are traveling to Young, AZ or other destnatons, we wish you and yours pleasant journeys in 2021. May your friendships be free of feuds and may you have peaceful lands on which to roam and dwell. Speaking of peaceful lands, before the snowfall, Rim Country had been in a deep, deep drought. Rainbows have always been symbolic to me of great treasures and hope whether of the heart or of the purse. Therefore, I share a photo of a rainbow afer our frst good rain in many, many months. Enjoy! And may great treasures of the heart shine in beautful pastels on you and yours. Blessings! ©Outdoorssw.com