Tucked within the breathtaking scenery of the White Mountains, Pinetop-Lakeside has become one of Arizona's top vacation destinations for a plethora of reasons. That being said, it's always interesting to look back at the little things that lead to the establishment of a city such as Pinetop-Lakeside.
Back in the 1800's as the western frontier began to expand and flourish, settlers made their way to Pinetop, not only because of the functionality of the landscape, but for it's beauty as well. In 1869 an outpost camp was established by the Mongollian rim, it would later be known as Camp Apache, and then Fort Apache, which is what it's known as today.
Around 1885 William Penrod moved his wife and 14 children to the campsite where a local man named Johnny Phipps owned a saloon store. Shortly after that the campsite became an official settlement.
A few years later Johnny Phipps died and was replaced in the store by a man named Walt Rigney. Rigney encouraged a lot of business from the Fort Apache soldiers, who gave him the nickname "Old Pinetop". The name resonated with the townspeople, and they soon adopted the name for the town, sans the old of course. Since that time Pinetop has stayed a relatively small town, however, it's still managed to become one of Arizona's must frequented vacation spots.
For more info on visiting Pinetop go HERE.
