Heber-Overgaard, Arizona Heber-Overgaard, Arizona Location in Navajo County and the state of Arizona Location in Navajo County and the state of Arizona Heber-Overgaard, Arizona is positioned in the US Heber-Overgaard, Arizona - Heber-Overgaard, Arizona Location in the United States State Arizona Heber-Overgaard is a census-designated place (CDP) in Navajo County, Arizona, United States.
Situated up on the Mogollon Rim, the improve lies at an altitude of 6,627 feet (2,020 m). The town is positioned approximately 144 miles (231.74 km) north of Phoenix, at the junction of SR 260 and SR 277, between Payson and Show Low, Arizona.
Heber was settled in 1883, by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and the town is titled after either Heber J.
Grant or Heber C.
Kimball, both prominent members of the LDS church. Overgaard, adjoining Heber, was settled in the mid-late 1930s and was titled after the owner of the first sawmill, "Niels Kristian Overgaard". John Bushman never settled in the area, but he and his family contributed time and encouragement to the small-town settlers.
In 1889, Nathan, Alva, and Samuel Uriah Porter, appeared in Heber from St.
They interval crops of corn and potatoes between Heber and St.
Childless, Hans Nielson had been the first presiding elder for what became the Heber branch of the Joseph City Ward.
James Shelley homesteaded territory comprising the center of Heber and south down the Black Canyon.
Of the initial four pioneer families, starting out with four head of cattle, three daughters, and a several worldly possessions, James and Margaret Shelley were the only family to make Heber a long term commitment. In 1882, Heber J.
Early on in his service in the quorum he made many trips to Arizona earning the title "The Arizona Apostle". On one such trip, he passed through the settlement on his way to Phoenix, and stayed with the Shelleys in their cabin. The townspeople latter titled their settlement after Mr.
An alternative version of Heber's namesake history is that John W.
Scarlett titled the settlement after Heber C.
The postal service in Heber was established in 1890, and on September 11, 1890, James Shelley was appointed the first postmaster of Heber. Mail was brought by buckboard every Wednesday from Holbrook to Heber. It was then sorted and distributed.
Marion and Clarence Owens came to farm in Heber with their families in 1891.
In 1893, Joseph Porter appeared in Heber to help his brother, Samuel Porter, with his farm.
Also in 1893, John Nelson occupied a ranch in Brookbank Canyon, and the Baca family had settled near the head of Black Canyon.
Cornfields and large plant nurseries could be found where the present day High School ball fields and Tenney's Trailer Park are located. All available territory near town and in forests clearings was converted to farmland.
On August 28, 1895, Joseph Porter and Mary Maude Shelley were married.
Many present day Porters, of Heber-Overgaard, can trace their family roots to them.
In addition to farming, Samuel Porter was often called upon to administer to the inhabitants of Heber to alleviate pain and suffering by using prayer and petitions.
A drought affected the inhabitants of Heber that Summer, followed by crop destroying hail storms in August.
In January 1897, Wickliff Bushman, while bringing mail to Heber from Holbrook amid a snow storm, contracted the measles and died at 23 years old.
John Hoyle in front of first Heber store.
In 1891 John Hoyle, Johann Frederick Heil, an immigrant from Baden, Germany and former cook for the Hashknife Outfit, opened the first Heber store.
John Hoyle had relocated to Heber from the floundered Wilford, Arizona settlement, 7 miles south of Heber, where he had a store and ranch.
Heber wells still had enough for livestock.
Residents jubilated by firing guns, fire crackers, Pie Nie, and a dance that evening. Years later, The 4th of July would remain just as large a celebration in Heber.
Alva Porter's Farm eventually became the rodeo grounds, where present day Mogollon High School sits.
Heber's first LDS Church Alva Porter was married to Charlotte Shelly in 1899 and homesteaded just north of Heber in the Black Canyon.
In 1901, Samuel Porter handed his farm over to his brother Alva, and departed from Heber.
Porter's farm was positioned where today's Tenney trailer park, and the Mogollon ball fields stand. In 1912, after John Hoyle's death, Alva Porter purchased much of John Hoyle's merchandise and he and his brother-in-law Thomas Shelley started a new store close to John Hoyle's old one.
The store would later turn into the "Heber Country Store" and later "IGA Supermarket".
Three Shelley children: Sarah Ellen Shelley (husband Harvey Wimmer), Walter Shelley (wife Roxie Smith), and Eliza Marie Shelley (husband Loran Webb) joined them later.
Two Shelley children: Amon Shelley (wife Elva Bigler), and John Edward Shelley (wife Fern Oliver), remained in Heber. Joseph Porter and Maude Shelley were granted a patent on John Hoyle's territory in 1920.
They homesteaded this territory located in Buckskin Wash, just south of the Black Canyon.
The Heber school precinct was established in 1921.
The first year took place in Walter Shelley's home.
Porter (Dobby), grandson to Sanford Porter, donated 80% of the territory towards the new school home positioned where today's Capps Middle School now stands. Early day logging between Heber and Overgaard By the 1930s, Heber had turn into a logging town.
Bill Porter assembled the first sawmill in Heber just south of present-day HWY260 along the Black Canyon.
In 1946 Lorin Donald (Donnie) Porter relocated his "Wagon Draw" sawmill to Heber.
In 1969-70, the Heber and Overgaard schools merged . Mogollon High School was assembled in 1989.
On February 1, 1971, the small-town Sheriff's Posse formed a committee to promote the assembly of a Fire Department for the Heber-Overgaard area.
By March of the same year, territory was secured for the locale of the new Fire Department.
In early 1973, the newly formed American Legion Post 86 took over the task of forming a Fire Department and Fire District for the area.
On June 4, 1973, by unanimous vote, the Heber-Overgaard Fire District was established.
On July 4, 1980, Les Parham, of Heber-Overgaard, put on his first of over 33 years of fireworks displays.
Today, an audience in the thousands views the display at the Mogollon High School fields.
On August 24, 1995, federal Judge Carl Muecke ordered the 11 nationwide forests of Arizona and New Mexico to halt all logging until their forest plans adequately protect the Mexican spotted owl.
The injunction was placed after a lawsuit was filed by Robin Silver, conservation chairman of the Southwest Center for Biological Diversity. The controversial shutdown affected 8 large mills, a several small mills and hundreds of jobs. Many Heber-Overgaard inhabitants were forced to relocate and find work elsewhere. Black ribbons were placed throughout town to raise awareness of the situation, and to show support for the loggers and their families. Environmentalists argued that "jobs would vanish no matter what, for if cutting continued at its current rate, the old-growth forests would be gone inside thirty years and the mills forced to close anyhow". The forests remained closed for over eight years.
In 2002, the Parker Mill, in Clay Springs (16 miles away), and the Snowflake Mill (35 miles east) were two of the first mills to start up again. In 2002, the Rodeo-Chediski fire was a wildfire that burned in Heber-Overgaard beginning on June 18, 2002, and was not controlled until July 7.
It was the second worst forest fire in Arizona to date, destroying 268 structures in Heber-Overgaard, (mainly in Overgaard) and consuming 467,066 acres (1,890.15 km2).
With a four-seasons climate, the town is a haven for those wishing to escape the heat of Phoenix. Land ownership in the Heber-Overgaard region is private, but surrounded by federally owned lands. As of 2010, nearly 66% of the homes are second homes.
Heber-Overgaard is positioned at 34 24 47 N 110 33 52 W (34.413157, -110.564393). According to the United States Enumeration Bureau, the CDP has a total region of 6.9 square miles (18 km2), all of it land.
Climate data for Heber-Overgaard, Arizona (1971-2000 normals) Average snowy days ( 0.1 inch) 2.0 1.8 1.7 0.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.7 1.9 8.8 In the CDP, the populace was spread out with 5.8% under the age of 5, 5.5% from 5 to 9, 4.7% from 10 to 14, 5.4% from 15 to 19, 3.0% from 20 to 24, 3.9% from 25 to 29, 3.3% from 30 to 34, 3.6% from 35 to 39, 3.8% from 40 to 44, 6.1% from 45 to 49, 7.9% from 50 to 54, 8.1% from 55 to 59, 10.7% from 60 to 64, 11.3% from 65 to 69, 7.8% from 70 to 74, 4.1% from 75 to 79, 3.1% from 80 to 84, and 1.9% who were 85 years of age or older.
About 24.7% of families and 25.1% of the populace were below the poverty line, including 36.2% of those under age 18, 21.7% age 18 - 64, and 0% of those age 65 or over. Woods Canyon Lake, Arizona Immediately south of Heber-Overgaard is the Mogollon Rim, a steep escarpment ranging from 1,000 to 2,000 feet from the base to the highest plateau.
Other scenic attractions in the region include Black Canyon Lake, Willow Springs Lake, Woods Canyon Lake, Chevelon Canyon Lake, the Canyon Creek Fish Hatchery, Chevelon Butte, and the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. Heber-Overgaard is unincorporated, and governed by the Navajo County Board of Supervisors.
Heber-Overgaard Unified School District serves Heber-Overgaard.
Mountain Meadows Primary School, Capps Middle School, Mogollon Junior High School, and Mogollon High School serve the community.
What was once "a good way for a several high school buddies to impress the girls and to combat the boredom of a small town" soon turned into "one of the Premier Country Rock Entertainment groups in the West." Mogollon has performed at Heber-Overgaard's annual Independence Day fireworks festivities every year since 2012. He was found five days later at a Heber gas station. He was not naked, as is popularly believed.
The Heber region is mentioned in the book, Weird Arizona, as being a prominent site for supposed Mogollon Monster (bigfoot) encounters. Crandell - Former Arizona State senator "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - State -- Place, 2010 Enumeration Summary File 1".
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"The history of Heber-Overgaard Fire Department".
D Heber-Overgaard Chamber of Commerce (2013).
D NCSU (June 2004).
"Heber-Overgaard Arizona Case Study," (PDF).
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Mogollon Band (2014).
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Heber-Overgaard, Arizona.
Heber-Overgaard Fire Department Community profile from Arizona Department of Commerce Municipalities and communities of Navajo County, Arizona, United States Census-designated places in Navajo County, Arizona - Populated places established in 1876 - Populated places of the Mogollon Rim - Census-designated places in Arizona
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