The Coconino sun., 1927-11-25
PRINGERVILLE, HUB CITY
OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS


regard as a northern Arizona town
actually is in almost the exact center
of the state, according to its distance
from the north and south boundaries
though it lies close to the eastern
boundary.
That's good way to start this story
off, because it is something most OF
you didn't know, though you coulc
easily have found it out by looking
at the state map.
We might have begun the story by
alluding to either Of three outstand-
ing features regarding Springerville
that it is the hub in lot of irnpor-
tant and good roads, that it is sur
rounded by mountain and forest seen
cry of surprising interest and beauty
that it is noted because it is the home
of the ivest and most wide-awake
boosters for good roads in the state.
But these things you all knew be-
fore.
Gustave Becker came from Germany
to Illinois and then, a boy of 20, to
Springerville in 1876, 81 years ago. He
has been there ever since.
His brother, julius Becker, arrived
there a year earlier, and induced him
to come. Together they established a
mercantile business and later branched
out, extending their operations and
becoming interested in live stock and
ranges, until now the Becker interests
are the largest and most varied in the
eastern part of the state. julius
Becker died in 1893. Gustave Becker
is still very much in harness, hale,
hearty, vigorous and keenly alive in
everything that has to do with the
development of Arizona and especial
ly of Springerville. in 1885 he mar
ried Miss Homrighausen, who came
west from Milwaukee, and there are
six sons and two daughters.
Of these, the daughters, unmarried,
live in Springerville.
Julius, the eldest son, has charge Of
the big mercantile business, employ
ing Is highly specialized assistants
and carrying a stock many times more
extensive in both variety and quantity
than usually found in a general mer-
chandise establishment IN a city sew
eral times the size of Springerville.
julius Becker knows every road
within a thousand miles of Springer
vile and is an ardent, consistent, year
round advocate of more and better
roads and has had much to do with
getting them and will have much to
do with getting more of them.
Edward has the Becker garage busi-
ness.
Paul is cashier, of the Becker bank.
Alvin is building a hydro-electric
plant at Springerville. After gaug-
ing the flow of the Little Colorado
river near there during the last seven
years, five successive ones of which
were very dry, it has been proven that
there always will be enough water.
Should the river fail for time, there
is an immensely deep 100 acre lake
affording much more than enough wa
ter TO make up for any temporary lack
in the river.
The lake used to be a dry hole.
Gusfave Becker filled it from the river.
The two other boys have RESPONSE
BILE positions in California with the
Westinghouse Electric company.
The first settler was w. K. Milligan,
who began ranching there in 1871,
later moving to New Mexico.
Springerville was SO named because
in rs a man named Springer set up
store in Round Valley, as that locality
is named.
Springer's neighbors were lot OF
newly arrived Texas ranchers and cat
tlemen who had drifted there to find
new. range. They were hard-rldlng,
hard drinking, gambling crew. They
bought supplies on tick from Springer,
agreeing to turn their barley over to
him in the fall.
But it was dry year. The barley
crop was about quarter normal Most
of the barley they had they sold to
the Beckers, and Springer, first with
out merchandise, then without barley,
blew up and blew out.
Hard lines in those days. Freight
was hauled in with OK teams from
noint on the Rio Grande river 30 miles
below Albuquerque, to which point 1t
was boated. These trips were made
once a month and that was as often
as they got mail. :,
The government pony mail route
then was from Albuquerque to r..
Whipple (Prescott) by way OF RI.
Wingate, crossing the river at Horse
head (Holbrook), crossing the Colo
rado at Sunset (Winslow), then by
way of Chavez Pass, Beaver Head.
Stoneman Lake, Cherry Creek and
old Camp Verde.
In those days there was no Hol-
brook. Winslow or Flagstaff.
There was no trouble with the
Apaches at Springerville. They ralded
Alpine. Nutrioso and Luna, not far
distant in the hills, in 1881. At the
two first-nameds places the Mormon
settlers raced out to fend them off, but
we're motioned back. They complied,
being far outnumbered, and the
Apaches contented themselves with
driving away the stock.
But at Luna the settlers put up
fight. and several were killed. !,
Then Apache, Navajo, Coconlno and
Yavapai counties were all one county,
Prescott the county seat. Later the
eastern part split off and became
Apache county, the western part OF
the latter later splitting off INTO
Navajo county Coconino split OH
from Yavapai.
Two miles from Springervllle IS an
other pretty, prosperous town, Eagar'
settled almost entirely by Mormons.
RI is the ambition of the BeckerS to