THE RIM COUNTRY
"You're in Central Arizona's "RIM COUNTRY," a four -season vacation getaway that's well off the beaten path, yet so much closer that Prescott or Flagstaff from Phoenix Arizona. Before you is a spectacular geological formation known as The Mogollon Rim (pronounced Muggy'-own) Referred to by locals simply as "The Rim," this gargantuan 2000 foot escarpment divides the state from east to west for almost two hundred miles, and towers above the communities of Payson, Pine, Strawberry, Kohl's Ranch and Christopher Creek.
Completely surrounded by National Forest, these picturesque mountain towns and villages exist in a unique temperate zone, one in which the weather evolves through all four seasons, ranging from mediterranean to apline, and providing a climate hospitable to flora and is an enviornment found nowhere else in the entire Southwest.
The trip up Hwy 87 from metropolitan Phoenix, to the Beeline Highway as you enter Payson, the vibrant hub of the Rim Country Communities, is a scenic and gradual climb to just over 5000 feet. Highway 87 continues north to Pine, and eventually reaches 6000 feet when you reach Strawberry Village.
Traveling east from Payson, State Highway 260 winds through the pine-clad foothills along the base of the Rim for about 30 miles, through Kohl's Ranch, again reaching 6000' in Christopher Creek and Young. Then, climbing the face of the Rim itself, the highway tops out at 7800 feet near Forest Lakes, where even midsummer nights require a jacket. Here atop the Rim are seven separate lakes, each with its own unique atmosphere, and each worth a trip to explore.
Scattered throughout the Rim Country's countless forested acres are numerous lakes, streams, campgrounds, trails, cabins, homes, ranches, lodges, and myraid business opportunities. There is truly something here for everyone, whether that "something" is a remote cabin in the tall pines, a sprawling ranch, or a magnificent contemporary on a mountain top, the Rim Country has it all.
THE HEART OF ARIZONA - A LITTLE HISTORY
The first inhabitants of the Rim Country were the Mogollons, a prehistoric people that mysteriously disappeared. They were followed by the Tonto Apache tribe, and then by soldiers, pioneers, prospectors, and ranchers.
With arrival of the white man begining in the 1870's all the ingredients were present for a rough and tumble era of the cowboys and Indians.
In those early days, the small, dusty town of Payson was a little more than a collection of rowdy saloons where cowpokes could unwind after a long day on the range.
As the Rim Country grew in population, Apache raids were in increasing threat to white settlers. In 1878, a fort was built high on a hill just southeast of what is today Pioneer Cemetery, taking advantage of the red sandstone rocks left from an ancient pueblo. It was called Fort McDonald after a local resident instrumental in its construction.
Whenever the Apaches were sighted, an alarm sent residents scurrying up the hill to "fort up." They often stayed in the fore several days, with single men sent out on scouting missions to gauge the status of the threat. When the "all clear" was given, residents went back home and resumed their lives.
Official Payson historian Stan Brown provides this poscript: "In recent years, homes have been built on McDonald Hill, and the remaining rocks of the 'fort' have been integrated into the walls gardens and landscape of the homeowners. The need to 'fortup' has passed, but the view from McDonald Hill is one of Payson's best."
Today, of course, the ancestors of the Tonto Apaches and the early white settlers live and work together in peace and harmony, and this community that was once separated by the great stone walls of Fort FcDonald has become known for its friendliness and sense of community.
- NUMBER1EXPERT™ 
