When we moved up to Christopher Creek from Phoenix (almost a quarter of a century ago, as hard as it is to believe!), Payson had no traffic lights. Main Street was still a dirt road. At the intersection of Highway 260 and the Beeline, there was a very small bank, but the rest was forest... no Basha's, no Safeway, no car dealer, no McDonald's... just lush green forest. It was cooler in Payson then, because there was very little blacktop or paved roads, and, therefore, very little traffic. There was a grocery store, a doctor, a dentist, a drug store and a hospital. Back then, that was all we really needed. Oh, and there were quite a few little Mom & Pop businesses, as well. It was a wonderful place, and we loved to "go in to town" once a week for supplies and to do the banking.

Here in Christopher Creek, we had no television, and the radio barely came in. Christopher Creek Lodge was on a party line. Telephone installation cost from $800 to $1000, depending on which side of the highway you lived on, so there weren't a lot of phones in Christopher Creek. Mail was delivered to those wonderful old boxes stuck on a wooden post. If you wanted the mail-lady to pick up mail, you put up a red flag. The boxes were plenty big, so if you wanted to leave a box of Christmas cookies for Mert, there was plenty of room.

The Creekside was a little beer bar, with a pool table in the back room. John was the bartender, and Olive was working as a waitress at Kohl's Ranch. There was a little deli, and later a Darsan Sandwich Machine was put in. But it was John's good humor and non-stop jokes that kept the customers coming, and by the time Olive was able to fulfill her dream of having her own restaurant, Creekside was becoming know all over the state.

Willene & Charles owned Grey Hackle Lodge back then, and the building that now houses ERA Realty was the neatest little Mexican Food restaurant, run by a fellow named Woody who just made you feel like you were part of his family. He made the absolute worst tacos we had ever tasted, and he joked about how people just kept coming back for more. The rest of his food was real good, though... well... good enough.

Next door at Christopher Creek Lodge (we had just started as managers there), were six cabins on the Creek, and six motel rooms. Our heat came from an old pot-bellied stove, I did the laundry in an old wringer washer, we played chess at night, and we just couldn't believe our good fortune... getting the job at the lodge!

Charles and Willene invited us over to Grey Hackle for a Sunday cook-out, and that was the beginning of our social life. They had invited everyone in Christopher Creek, and it was just one of many gatherings to be over the years that followed. They always had a campfire going at the Grey Hackle. I don't recall ever seeing the inside of any of the cabins, but I remember vividly the fun we had, and the uncommonly friendly people.

The "Big Bar" (now known as the Landmark) was then owned by Ma & Pa Strahan. There was a huge fireplace between the grocery store and the bar, and Pa was usually sitting in a rocking chair there in front of the fireplace. We heard over and over again from everyone how it was when Blanche and Heber owned the bar, just a few years prior to the Strahan's. Blanche & Heber had friends from all over the state, and from the stories told, Saturday nights at the "Raunchy Bar" was standing room only, and sometimes you couldn't get in at all!

Blanche played a pretty mean guitar, and everybody swears Heber sounded just like Hank Williams when he sang. Even though we missed those days, Blanche and Heber carried on with tradition and their unending hospitality by welcoming everyone to their home on Apple Lane. And like Grey Hackle, there was always a campfire going, a guitar playing, and a lot of singing.

I remember when Jack & Shirley Broadston owned the service station. Jack and friends had built the station, and later on, Shirley convinced Jack that Christopher Creek needed a grocery store convenient to the station, so they built what is now the Tall Pines Market.

Doris and Clipper had the Christopher Creek Trailer Park. The RV Park next door (Clayton & Ellie's) had not been built yet, and there was no fire station. Nor was there the church on the hill.

Winters back then were like real winters... snow on the ground most of the time, and if and when the snow plow ran, it would leave huge piles of snow on the side of the road that made it real difficult to walk, so we all had to walk up the middle of Highway 260 to get to Creekside, and we never would see a car.

There were power outages then, lots of them, and to be honest, we always looked forward to them. It was just another excuse to all get together, to get the candles and oil lamps going, count noses, and just enjoy being with each other. We would hear stories of "the big snow", and how Blanche and Heber collected icicles from the eaves to put in the mixed drinks for their customers.

Holidays were so very special. Olive closed Creekside on Christmas day back then, cooked up turkeys and hams and all the trimmings. All the locals would bring a dish, and she would throw a huge free dinner for everyone. I remember one year, we were all getting ready to sit down to eat and a bunch of people came rushing in and literally wiped everything out! To this day, we still wonder aloud, "Who were those people?"

We always looked forward to Easter because we got to get together at Creekside the night before and color the eggs for the hunt the next morning. Olive always went through all the finished eggs so she could find and remove the X-rated one that Willene decorated each year. The "Big Bar" used to have an annual deep pit barbecue for the locals. The meat was usually donated beef, elk and turkey, and, of course, all the essential trimmings. This meal, too, was free to all who came.

The first Thanksgiving dinner we were invited to was at a C-Canyon home. Lois and Willene and the girls were basting the turkey with brandy, I remember, and to this day I believe that was the most beautiful and best tasting turkey I've ever had. No fooling! I seem to remember we had to go outside to find the bathroom, but I can't remember if it was because the Forest Service had already turned off the water for the winter, or if there was just no indoor plumbing.

It didn't matter though, having no water and no inside bathroom wasn't a problem. It was just another one of the many things that made living here so wonderful. Life here was so far removed from the city we had all left, it was so "country", a truly pristine environment, as yet untouched by so many urban amenities. It was these same stark differences that made us fall in love with Christopher Creek, and everyone that lived here. Besides the fact that we all saw no necessity for TV or the other trappings of city life, we had another common bond: None of us had any money. As it turned out, we really didn't need it, because we each had each other. And those of us that are still left still have each other... and we still have no money!

To be fair, we also have these wonderful memories... memories that, from time to time, we have occasion to share again with each other, and now I share them with you. Those times now seem so far away, but not really... they're no further than a walk along the Creek on a summer afternoon, amid yellow butterflies, the billowing clouds, and the echoes of laughter and love.