In 1884, surveyor John Hise takes leadership in establishing a much-needed mail route to his Arizonia village. He succeeds, and the village prospers. But there is a problem: Hise neglected to register the town survey with the county and the village survey with territorial or federal governments ...

 

By Stan Brown

November 13, 2008

   

By the year 1884 the village of Union Park was growing along the crossroads that came from Ox Bow Hill on the south, the mines around Marysville to the west, Pine to the north, and settlers under the Rim to the east. Businesses and homes intermingled as residents claimed the tillable properties on the meadow by the springs. The wash came to be called The American Gulch, named after the American Mine at its mouth on the East Verde River.

 

This growing population received their some-time mail deliveries from whomever was riding this way from Globe or Fort Verde. A desire was expressed by the population for government contracts to establish a regular mail route between Camp Verde and Globe, with Union Park being a major connection point.

 

The merchant and surveyor John Hise took leadership in this movement, using his political connections back in Illinois.

 

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