"Merchants were not slow to see the need for a store in the recently settled Mormon ward of Omer and Amity in Round Valley. Mexicans were potential customers, as were also the outlaws who made a profitable business of stealing horses in southern Arizona, re-branding them in Round Valley, and selling them to northern Arizona ranchers. The outlaws reversed their procedure when in the northern. To Round Valley in the fall of 1875 came Harry Springer, with merchandise from ALbuquerque, to establish his store two miles west of the site of Omer across the Little Colorado RIver. The place was known as Springer's Store. Springer made the sad mistake of trusting outlaws with feed and seed and as a result soon went broke. In the area less than a year, he departed from a joshing group which, when it came time to select a name for the post office, chose "Springerville". For two years (1880-1882) Springerville was the county seat. The town moved in 1885 when the Mormons moved from Omer to Eager, the name of Omer then changed to Springerville.
In this same area on August 20, 1876, Julius Becker set up his first store. The Becker Brothers, Gustav and Julius, brought their goods into Round Valley by way of Belen and AMerican Valley, New Mexico, taking sixty days for the round trip. The Beckers continued using ox trains until about 1890, when they changed to horses and mules. After 1895 the freight haul was shortened by the completion of a branch railroad spur to Magdalena, New Mexico. Trucks were first used in 1918.
Julius W. Becker (Gustav's son) was active in seeking to establish the transcontinental highway through Springerville. In 1910 A. L. Westgard drove through Springerville in the first automobile (a Pathfinder) to make the transcontinental journey. For many years Springerville lay on the only transcontinental automobile route.
The statue of the Madonna of the Trail in the center of Springerville was dedicated by the National Old Trails Association and the D.A.R. on September 29, 1928, to commemorate a pioneer trail across the United States. There are in the national total of twelve such statues commemorating National Old Trails. Cast by sculptor August Lienback, the statues are of algonitestone, a composite poured mass of great density and durability."
Post Office established October 29, 1879. Charles A. Franklin Post Master.
Barnes, Will C.; Granger, Byrd (ed.) Arizona
Place Names University of Arizona Press. 1960.
p. 12
Arizona Department of Commerce Community Profile- Springerville, Arizona
http://www.commerce.state.az.us/pdf/commasst/comm/sprgrvle.pdf
Springerville, Arizona Local Government Website
http://www.springerville.com/
Round Valley Public Library
P.O. Box 1066 Springerville, Arizona 85938-1066
367 North Main Street Eagar, Arizona 85925
928-333-4694
http://www.cybertrails.com/~rmaly47/rv.htm
Casa Malpais Museum
318 E MAIN ST SPRINGERVILLE AZ 85938
(520) 333-5375
http://www.wmonline.com/attract/casam.htm
Books/Manuscripts found in the ASU Library Catalog
The Challenge of growth and development in Round Valley, Arizona : a
research report / prepared by Center for Public Affairs, Morrison Institute
for Public Policy ; contributors, Christine Gibbs ... [et al.]
ASU
11.2:C 41
Springerville/Eager / prepared and published by Community Affairs,
Arizona Office of Economic Planning and Developmnent with the residents
of Springerville and Eager.
EPD
1.2:C 55 S 66/978
Items on the Arizona and Southwest Index
Where the God of Nature Smiles: White Mountain Country; Springerville,
Arizona, 1924
CE EPH D-43
Casa Malpais, a Fortified Pueblo Site at Springerville, Arizona.
CE EPH AA-11
CE EPH DTO Springerville.1-5
FE EPH DTO Springerville
Last Updated: July 26, 2002
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