SHOW LOW, AZ — In the late 1800s, Corydon Cooley and Marion Clark sat around their shared ranch, playing cards as they agreed to dissolve their partnership. Seven-Up was the game.
“They played all night long, playing and playing and finally Mr. Clark says to Mr. Cooley, ‘If you can show the low card, you take the ranch’,” said Clair Thomas, Executive Director of the Show Low Historical Society Museum. “And so Mr. Cooley turns over the deuce of clubs and states, ‘Show Low it is.’”
The area had its name, and over time began to forge its identity.
“It’s a beautiful area, we got wonderful lakes, the trails, there are so many trails,” said modern-day resident Dan Groenevele. “We love the small-town feel, it’s sort of laid back.”
This story is part of ABC15's Voice of the Voter series, where we're highlighting voter perspectives from communities all across Arizona. To see more Voice of the Voter coverage, click here.
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, many Latter Day Saint Pioneers found a home in early Show Low, though it was not always an easy place to live.
Jon Adams now serves on the Show Low City Council, but his ancestors were Mormon pioneer settlers here. His grandfather’s cabin is now preserved steps away from City Hall. A wagon his grandmother rode on sits steps away.
“We wanted to make sure future generations can enjoy this,” Adams told ABC15.
In those early days, it could be a tough place to live, with community members leaning on one another.
“That’s how they survived — they had to rely on each other,” Adams said.
Ranching and lumber harvesting became mainstay industries.
LeVan Webb logged these woods with his father for decades, watching Show Low’s population grow, becoming far more religiously diverse over time. Webb now looks around the land near where he grew up and can hardly recognize it as the same place.
“When I grew up all there was, was cows around here and I said, ‘Boy this looks a whole lot nicer than all those cows around,’” Webb said.
In the 21st Century, the town and the White Mountain on the whole put their resilience on display by surviving the Rodeo–Chediski fire.
“This event was a true testament to not just Show Low but the entire White Mountains,” Thomas said during a tour of the Show Low Historical Society Museum. “That’s just what we did. We helped everybody in any way we could.”
Today, the lumber and ranching industries have begun to fade, and tourism is now a big driver for Show Low. City leaders are concerned about an increasing number of younger people leaving Show Low and the White Mountains for the Valley or bigger cities.
“We need them,” Adams said. “We need them for the next generation to keep the community moving forward. So I hope they do come back.”
Adams and Thomas both grew up in Show Low and are key figures in the preservation of its long history. Both have seen the change over time but still know this place is home.
In an election year, folks have their political opinions but most people in Show Low would rather chat about other topics.
“Politics, we don’t talk a lot about because our neighbors feel differently and we don’t want to cause any problems,” one diner at Monica’s Cafe told ABC15.
It’s the small-town culture people like.
“You get to know your neighbors and we help each other,” another diner said. “I think that’s the way America should be."
So with a keen appreciation for their history, eyes are now turned towards Show Low’s future.
“We’re focused on our families. We’re focused on our youth and focused on our history,” Adams said. “It is important to us, but we know we’ve gotta go forward too.”
There are still plenty of opportunities in Show Low and leaders hope some of the people who visit will decide to stick around for a while.
“There’s not many places where you can wake up every morning and have fresh air and sunshine,” Thomas said. “Life is pretty good. It is pretty good."
