Editing Heber-Overgaard, Arizona (section)

===20th century===
[[File:Mormon Church Heber.jpg|thumb|left|Heber's first LDS Church]]
Alva Porter was married to Charlotte Shelly, in 1899, and homesteaded just north of Heber in the Black Canyon. In 1901, Samuel Porter handed his farm over to his brother Alva, and departed from Heber. Porter's farm was located where today's Tenney trailer park, and the Mogollon ball fields stand.<ref name = Hanchett />

In 1904, severe drought caused hundreds of cattle belonging to the Aztec Land and Cattle Co. to die from thirst and hunger. During the spring, drinking water had to be hauled from 15 miles away. Many pioneers became disheartened and left the area. In late June, James Shelly and 2 sons desperately drove their cattle to "Blue Lake", found on the Apache [[Fort Apache Indian Reservation|reservation]]. They remained there until the rains came on July 20. Despite trespassing, the natives gave them no trouble.<ref name = Hanchett />

In 1912, after John Hoyle's death, Alva Porter purchased much of John Hoyle's merchandise and he and his brother-in-law Thomas Shelley started a new store close to John Hoyle's old one. Alva eventually sold his share to Thomas who ran the store with his wife, Eva Tanner, until 1957. The store would later become the "Heber Country Store" and later "IGA Supermarket".

In 1916, James, and Margaret Shelley returned to Joseph City, their final home. Three Shelley children: Sarah Ellen Shelley (husband Harvey Wimmer), Walter Shelley (wife Roxie Smith), and Eliza Marie Shelley (husband Loran Webb) joined them later. Two Shelley children: Amon Shelley (wife Elva Bigler), and John Edward Shelley (wife Fern Oliver), remained in Heber.<ref name = Hanchett />

Joseph Porter and Maude Shelley were granted a patent on John Hoyle's land in 1920. They homesteaded this land located in Buckskin Wash, just south of the Black Canyon. Thomas Shelly homesteaded south of Joseph Porter in Buckskin wash. Maude Shelley would later die in 1929.<ref name = Hanchett />

[[File:Heber loggers.jpg|thumb|right|Early day logging between Heber and Overgaard]]
By the 1930s, Heber had become a logging town. Horses were used to haul logs up until 1965. Logging and ranching were the predominant industries until the mid-90s, at which time the Mexican [[spotted owl]] injunction was put on the [[Sitgreaves National Forest]]. Bill Porter built the first [[sawmill]] in Heber just south of present-day HWY260 along the Black Canyon. This ran until 1935 when it burned down. In 1946 Lorin Donald (Donnie) Porter relocated his "Wagon Draw" sawmill to Heber. It ran until 1984 when a change of ownership was soon followed by bankruptcy.<ref name = Hunt />

In the year 1900, when Kristen Kristensen "Chris" Overgaard was 19 years old, he moved to the United States with the intention of earning his living in the lumber mill business. He was born March 23, 1881, the second son of a Danish family, in a little Danish town called Veddum, in Aalborg County, [[Denmark]]. After two or three years in Nebraska, he returned to Denmark where he became a carpenter. Before he left Denmark again in 1910, he owned a sawmill in Solbjerg, Aalborg County, Denmark. Before Chris Overgaard's time in Overgaard Camp (later Overgaard Village), Navajo County, Arizona, he lived in and owned a sawmill in Keystone, South Dakota. His first wife Jensine Kirstine Dehn died in october 1930. In 1931 he married Lilian Hansen, born in Lincoln Township, Johnson County, Nebraska January 17, 1904.<ref name="heberovergaardaz.com"/> In 1935 Chris Overgaard he broke up the sawmill in Keystone. From South Dakota, Chris Overgaard moved to Arizona in 1936, "lured by the lush stands of Ponderosa".<ref name="heberovergaardaz.com"/> Modular mill pieces were hauled by train to nearby Holbrook, and then transported by wagon to "Overgaard’s stop".<ref name=seniorcenter.us /> Originally called "Oklahoma Flats", the town later changed its name in honor of Mr. Overgaard.<ref name= wmonline.com>{{cite web | url = http://www.wmonline.com/cities/heber.htm | title = Heber-Overgaard | year = 2012 | author = wmonline.com | publisher = wmonline.com }}</ref> The sawmill was assembled across [[Arizona State Route 260|SR 260]] from the present day "Overgaard Food Center".<ref name="heberovergaardaz.com">{{cite web|title=Heber-Overgaard History|url=https://heberovergaardaz.com/about-heber-overgaard/history/|access-date=March 25, 2020}}</ref>  Mr. Overgaard ran the sawmill until financial reversals resulted in its sale.<ref name="heberovergaardaz.com"/>  He then moved with his wife, Lillian and there son Chris Lee born in april 1939, to Ripley [[Ohio]], and he lived to the age of 85.<ref name="heberovergaardaz.com"/> The sawmill was eventually replaced by a [[senior center]] that was later lost in the [[Rodeo–Chediski Fire]] in the summer of 2002.<ref name="heberovergaardaz.com"/>  The "Rim Country Senior/Community Center" has since been rebuilt.<ref name=seniorcenter.us>{{cite web|url=https://seniorcenter.us/sc/rim_country_senior_center_overgaard_az|title=Rim Country Senior/Community Center|year=2019 |author=Rim Country Senior/Community Center |publisher=Rim Country Senior/Community Center}}</ref> The post office in Overgaard was established on October 14, 1938.  William T. Shockley served as the first postmaster in 1938, followed by Christ Overgaard in 1939.<ref name=webpmt.usps.gov>{{cite web|url=http://webpmt.usps.gov/pmt003.cfm |title=Postmaster Finder |year=2013 |author=U.S.P.S. |publisher=U.S. Government }}{{dead link|date=March 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

On February 1, 1971, the local Sheriff's Posse formed a committee to promote the construction of a Fire Department for the Heber-Overgaard area. By March of the same year, land was secured for the location of the new Fire Department. In February 1972, the Sheriff Posse disbanded because some members had moved out of the area. In early 1973, the newly formed American Legion Post 86 took over the task of forming a Fire Department and Fire District for the area. They were able to obtain the signatures necessary to have an election called to form a Fire District. A petition was put together and used to propose the formation of a Fire District to the County Board of Supervisors. The American Legion put up the necessary funds to have an election. On June 4, 1973, by unanimous vote, the Heber-Overgaard Fire District was established. It had an area of 102 square miles. On June 14, Ivan Wilson was elected as the first Fire Chief of the new District and Larry Rhodes as the Secretary-Treasurer. Walt Downs and John Shaffery Sr. were the first two men to sign up as Firefighters.<ref name= hofdaz.com>{{cite web | url = http://www.hofdaz.com/history.html | title = The history of Heber-Overgaard Fire Department | year = 2013 | author = Heber-Overgaard Fire Department | publisher = hofdaz.com | access-date = August 27, 2013 | archive-date = November 1, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131101071206/http://www.hofdaz.com/history.html | url-status = dead }}</ref>

The first [[Fourth of July]] parade was held in 1976.<ref name = Hunt /> Since its inaugural year, the parade has become one of Heber's most popular ways to celebrate independence day, drawing crowds upwards of 20,000.<ref name= wmicentral.com>{{cite web | url = https://www.wmicentral.com/news/latest_news/parade-returns-to-heber-overgaard/article_db56a46c-a7f8-55aa-8c3f-f73bdf8c5ba4.html | title = Parade returns to Heber/Overgaard | year = 2018 | author = Mike Leiby | publisher = wmicentral.com }}</ref> In recent years, the parade and fireworks displays have been moved to the weekend nearest the 4th of July as a convenience to non-locals.<ref name= heberovergaard.org />

On July 4, 1980, Les Parham, of Heber-Overgaard, put on his first of 39 years worth of fireworks displays, his last being on July 6, 2019. Fundraising was spearheaded by the Heber-Overgaard Chamber of Commerce and was solely paid for by the contributions of viewers who enjoyed the show. The first show was held in what was once known as the Porter softball field, SW corner of Parkview and HW260, to an audience of several hundred. A country fried steak dinner fundraiser was held to cover expenses. Today, an audience in the thousands views the display at the Mogollon High School fields. This is primarily paid for by parking lot donations at the Tall Timbers County Park festivities and the Mogollon High School fireworks display.<ref name= heberovergaard.org>{{cite web | url = http://heberovergaard.org/community-events/ | title = Community-Events | year = 2013 | author = Heber-Overgaard Chamber of Commerce | publisher = heberovergaard.org | access-date = June 28, 2014 | archive-date = July 7, 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140707101051/http://heberovergaard.org/community-events/ | url-status = dead }}</ref>

In 1988, Heber-Overgaard celebrated its first Oktoberfest event at Tall Timbers County Park. Originally taking place in October, the festivities were eventually moved to September as a convenience to seasonal visitors. The event primarily consists of food, live music, a beer garden and arts and crafts booths.<ref name= heberovergaard.org />

On August 24, 1995, federal Judge Carl Muecke ordered the 11 national forests of Arizona and New Mexico to halt all logging until their forest plans adequately protect the Mexican spotted owl. The injunction was placed after a lawsuit was filed by Robin Silver, conservation chairman of the Southwest Center for Biological Diversity.<ref name= hcn.org>{{cite web | url = http://www.hcn.org/issues/42/1276 | title = Owl shuts down the Southwest | date =  September 4, 1995 | author = Shea Andersen | publisher = hcn.org }}</ref> The controversial shutdown affected 8 large mills, several small mills and hundreds of jobs.<ref name= DailyCourier>{{cite news |title=Spotted Owl Rule Likely Will Cost Hundreds of Jobs, Millions of Dollars |author= Luna I. Shyr |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=894&dat=19950828&id=y6BSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=lX0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=2853,3804576 |newspaper= The Daily Courier|date= August 28, 1995|access-date=September 10, 2013}}</ref> Many Heber-Overgaard residents were forced to relocate and find work elsewhere.<ref name="ncsu.edu">{{cite web | url = http://www.ncsu.edu/project/wildfire/Arizona/heber/h_promote.html | title = Precision Pine & Timber | date = June 2004 | author = NCSU | publisher = ncsu.edu }}</ref> Black ribbons were placed throughout town to raise awareness of the situation, and to show support for the loggers and their families.<ref name= PineGraphics2>{{cite news | title = Spotted Owl Controversy| author = Unknown Author | publisher = Pine Graphics }}</ref> Environmentalists argued that "jobs would vanish no matter what, for if cutting continued at its current rate, the old-growth forests would be gone within thirty years and the mills forced to close anyhow".<ref name= scu.edu>{{cite web | url = http://www.scu.edu/ethics/publications/iie/v4n1/ | title = Ethics and the Spotted Owl Controversy | date =Spring 1991 | author = Claire Andre and Manuel Velasquez | publisher = scu.edu }}</ref> The forests remained closed for over eight years. In 2002, the Parker Mill, in [[Clay Springs, Arizona|Clay Springs]] (16 miles away), and the Snowflake Mill (35 miles east) were two of the first mills to start up again.<ref name="ncsu.edu"/>