Editing Payson, Arizona (section)

==History==
<!-- This section is linked from [[Payson History]]. See [[WP:MOS#Section management]] -->
Prior to the arrival of European-American settlers, the area was known as '''Te-go-suk'''—or Place of the Yellow Water—by the Dilzhe'e [[Apache]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Tonto Apache Tribe|url=https://itcaonline.com/member-tribes/tonto-apache-tribe/ |website=[[itcaonline.com]] |publisher=Tonto Apache Tribe |access-date=February 27, 2024}}</ref> The area was also historically inhabited by the [[Yavapai]] and other [[Oasisamerica]]n peoples, including the [[Hohokam]], [[Mogollon culture|Mogollon]], [[Salado culture|Salado]], and [[Sinagua]] cultures.

[[File:Spanish Ruins Payson 2023.jpg|thumb|left|Oasisamerican archaeological site west of Payson.]]

In 1882, considered to be the founding year of Payson, area settlers established a logging, mining, and ranching hamlet called 'Green Valley."<ref>{{cite web |title=Community|url=https://www.paysonaz.gov/community |website=[[paysonaz.gov]] |publisher=Town of Payson |access-date=April 24, 2024}}</ref>

[[File:PaysonAZ 1890s.jpg|thumb|left|Payson as it appeared in the 1890s.]]

That same year, the [[Battle of Big Dry Wash]]—fought between troops of the United States Army's [[3rd Cavalry Regiment (United States)|3rd Cavalry Regiment]], [[6th Cavalry Regiment]], and members of the [[Fort Apache Indian Reservation|White Mountain Apache Tribe]]—took place just north of town on the [[Mogollon Rim]]. The battle occurred within the greater context of the [[Apache Wars]].

On March 3, 1884, a post office was built in Green Valley with the help of Illinois Representative Levi Joseph Payson. In honor of the representative's help, the town's name was changed to "Payson".

Payson held its first [[rodeo]] in 1884. The town declares the competition to be the world's oldest and continuous rodeo as it has been held every year since.

In 1918, author [[Zane Grey]] made his first trip to the area surrounding Payson. He would visit with regularity through 1929, and he purchased two plots of land near [[Tonto Creek]], including {{convert|120|acre|ha}} from Sampson Elam Boles under Myrtle Point. Grey wrote numerous books about the area, and he also filmed movies in the area, such as ''[[To the Last Man (1923 film)|To the Last Man]]''. His cabin is located in Green Valley park.

During [[Prohibition in the United States|Prohibition]], the manufacture, sale, and distribution of liquor was plentiful in Payson. These transactions took place on historic Bootleg Alley.<ref>Payson Roundup, December 4, 2002</ref> "Payson Dew", brewed across 30 to 40 stills in the Payson area, was coveted from as far away as Los Angeles. The drink helped to reinvigorate Payson’s economy.<ref>{{cite web |title=Northern Gila County Historical Society|url=https://www.rimcountrymuseum.org/prohibition-and-payson-dew#:~:text=%22The%20manufacture%2C%20sale%20or%20transportation,Payson%20Dew%22%20moonshine%20was%20born. |publisher=Rim Country Museum |access-date=April 25, 2024}}</ref>

During the 1930s, an effort was initiated to better connect Payson to the outside world through the construction of roads and highways. At that time, the town was very isolated—with a trip from [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]] to Payson taking eight to twelve hours. Throughout the 1950s, work progressed on a paved road from Phoenix to Payson, and the road was completed in 1958. The highway, [[Arizona State Route 87|State Route 87]] (also known as the "Beeline Highway"), was later expanded to four lanes.

Payson was officially incorporated in 1973.

=== Ellison Creek and East Verde River flooding ===
{{Main|2017 Payson flash floods}}
On July 15, 2017, heavy rains from upstream of the creek and river caused the waterways to swell, subsequently leading to downstream flooding. This flash flood crucially affected the popular Water Wheel swimming hole where 10 people were killed and 4 others were injured.<ref>{{cite web |title=Eyewitness who recorded dramatic video of deadly Arizona flash flood thought he was doomed |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/eyewitness-recorded-dramatic-video-deadly-arizona-flash-flood/story?id=48699845 |website=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |publisher=Michael Edison Hayden |access-date=June 30, 2022}}</ref>