Founding In March 1873,
Mormon pioneers from
Utah were sent to the
Little Colorado River area under the direction of Horton D. Height. In 1876, a large group of these settlers established four settlements on the Little Colorado River, which they named
Brigham City,
Sunset,
Obed and Allen's Camp (
Joseph City). In Allen's Camp, a dam had been built on the Little Colorado River in April, but high waters in July washed it out. By August, many settlers had returned to Utah. Eight married couples and six single men were all that remained in Allen's Camp. By 1882, the Obed settlement had collapsed and both Brigham City and Sunset were near collapse due to several years of drought. At this time, John Bushman, of Allen's Camp, was sent by
Lot Smith, then president of the Little Colorado
Stake, to scout the forests to the south in anticipation of relocation.
Dry farming in the forested mountains was thought to be easier due to higher rainfall, lush grasses, and plentiful timber. On December 6, 1882, Bushman set out for the forest with five brethren: W.C. Allen; J.H. Richards; J.C. Hansen; H. Tanner; and J.E. Shelley. Upon arrival they began digging wells in search of water. These men were later joined by Hans Nielson, Lehi Heward and John Scarlet. By April 13, 1883, two cabins had been built and grain planted, but only four families remained (Lehi Heward, John Scarlet, Hans Nielson, and James Shelley). John Bushman never settled in the area, but he and his family contributed time and encouragement to the local settlers. The first summer, houses were built, land cleared, and corrals constructed. Crops were planted not only for food, but also to barter for goods that could not be made at home. The growing season was four months long. On one such trip, he passed through the settlement on his way to Phoenix, and stayed with the Shelleys in their cabin. The townspeople latter named their settlement after Mr. Grant. The post office in Heber was established in 1890, and on September 11, 1890, James Shelley was appointed the first
postmaster of Heber. The sawmill was assembled across
SR 260 from the present day "Overgaard Food Center". Mr. Overgaard ran the sawmill until financial reversals resulted in its sale. 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. 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. The first
Fourth of July parade was held in 1976. 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. 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. The controversial shutdown affected 8 large mills, several small mills and hundreds of jobs. Many Heber–Overgaard residents were forced to relocate and find work elsewhere. Black ribbons were placed throughout town to raise awareness of the situation, and to show support for the loggers and their families. 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". The forests remained closed for over eight years. In 2002, the Parker Mill, in
Clay Springs (16 miles away), and the Snowflake Mill (35 miles east) were two of the first mills to start up again. , nearly 66% of the houses are second homes. While the full-time resident population is 2,822, summertime population numbers climb to nearly 12,000. ==Geography==