The Winslow Mail

TONTO BASIN AND LONG VALLEY.

The scenic grandeur of Long valley and Tonto basin, in the north-central section of the state, is known from coast to coast through the medium of the cinema.

They are Arizona's most picturesque communities, having retained down through the years much of the color and romance of the Old West.

Comparatively few Arizonians know the real Long Valley or Tonto basin. Their knowledge of the communities was gained through the unfolding of some drama on the screen of a motion picture theater.

It is in these two communities, however, that many of the novelist Zane Grey's works have been filmed. He has insisted that the producers film his books, or at least some of them, on the exact locale of the story. His reason, he said, was that nowhere else could the scenic background be obtained.

Much of the early history of Arizona also was written in Long valley and Tonto basin. The latter was the scene of a feud that continued through many years and claimed several lives. In Long valley, Indian raiding parties operated against the white settlers and claimed many casualties.

All that was a quarter of a century or more ago. Today, the two districts still cling to many of the ways of yesteryear. They are the biggest cattle communities of the state, a position they have held through the years.

Dry farming also is carried on extensively in both sections, and with considerable success. The rainfall in both districts is ample for the growing of almost any crop, or least crops adapted to the higher altitudes. Corn, wheat, barley, oats, with smaller grains and potatoes, are the principal soil products.

It is from a scenic standpoint, however, that the two districts hold out their greatest attractions.

Nestling between great peaks that lift their jagged heads thousands of feet into the air, they present a quaint picture that defies artistic treatment. A hundred shades of green cover the sodded fields or the towering pines. Tiny rivulets coursing down mountain sides and winding their way through the meadows invite the traveler or camper to partake of their cooling waters. Mile after mile the motorist travels through such surroundings with each new view seemingly offering greater splendor.

The Long valley country is best reached from Phoenix or valley points by way of Roosevelt lake and Payson. After leaving Payson, the motorist makes a long climb up Strawberry hill, a little more than seven miles in length, and then starts the descent into Long valley, which is more than a mile above sea level. To reach Tonto basin, a short cut of about twenty miles over the mountains may be taken.

From Phoenix, the best way is north on the Black Canyon road to Dewey, to the south and west of Prescott. At that point, the road leading to the right or east should be taken, proceeding by way of Cherry creek to Camp Verde, thence on past Montezuma castle and Wells to Stoneman's lakes and then Tonto basin, a few miles further on over the mountains. Either trip can be made easily in a day and a half of travel by motor.

The easiest access to both Tonto basin and Long valley is by the road south from Winslow.