Originally Published April 2021
By Dave Wells
Dave Wells enjoys a beer at Greasewood Flat. Photo courtesy of Dave Wells.
In the early 1990s, I interviewed George “Doc” Cavalliere at Greasewood Flat. Presented below are my notes from that interview.
During the 1940’s, Pinnacle Peak was a rural area inhabited by a few ranchers. According to “Doc”, who began coming to the Pinnacle Peak area in 1945, the development of the area did not begin until after World War II.
The big attraction bringing people to Pinnacle Peak was not the peak and the surrounding area, but a trip on to the Verde River for recreational activities. Since the Salt River had dried up, most folks living in “Old Scottsdale” were looking to cool off. The Verde River was the most popular water playground.
There were two ways to get to the Verde River. One was through Ft. McDowell, which was a farming community prior to being designated as Indian reservation. Many of the travelers passing through Ft. McDowell continued on to Prescott, a former capitol of Arizona and the county seat.
Dave Wells (left), Doc Cavellier (right) at Greasewood.
The other way to the Verde River followed a route north of the Pinnacle Peak area and then eastward to the river. Transportation from “Old Scottsdale,” for the most part, was by automobile. Some attempted the trip by wagon, which took considerably longer than the two-hour-plus auto journey, from “Old Scottsdale.”
In the 1940s, the trip took a northern route on Scottsdale Road to Indian Bend Road where Scottsdale Road ended, then east to a dirt trail, now known as Pima Road. At that point, you were on your own as the dirt road that was neither surveyed nor graded.
During this adventurous trip, cattle and sheep were plentiful. In fact, sheepherders had many trails running right through the middle of the Pinnacle Peak area. These trails were used heavily in the spring as the sheep were herded north to the high country fors ummer grazing.
This northward route to the Verde River actually took you 4 1/2 miles past Pinnacle Peak Mountain to Desert Company Northern Ranch, commonly referred to in those days as D. C. Ranch, which was a homestead ranch. After reaching the D.C. Ranch (north of Pinnacle Peak, ed. Brown’s Ranch), the journey turned east to the Verde River.
Once at the Verde people could enjoy camping, swimming, and relaxation. Because of the length of the trip from “Old Scottsdale,” many travelers stayed overnight. Several families lived on the Verde River including the Weldy’s, Moore’s, and Remery’s. Frank Asher had a large ranch in Rio Verde.
On the return trip to “Old Scottsdale,” many people would venture back on the south side of Pinnacle Peak Mountain past Reata Pass and Greasewood Flat, neither of which had been developed at the time. In 1945, Greasewood Flat was part of a cow ranch, and a man named Phillips had a ranch at Reata Pass.
When he died, his widow married a cowboy, and they opened a general store and service station in 1950. Their place was located at Reata Pass and was called the Pinnacle Peak General Store. The store burned, and the couple eventually moved to the Pinnacle Peak Patio Steak vicinity.
In 1956, George “Doc” Cavalliere purchased the Reata Pass store and the Greasewood Flat acreage. Reata Pass was now operated as a restaurant. The house special was a two pound steak, served with a salad and beans, for $3.50.
Greasewood Flat opened its’ doors for business in 1976. It was a bar with sandwiches and hot dogs. Ultimately, Greasewood became the friendly local gathering spot and watering hole.
Troon Mountain in those days was referred to as Window Mountain due to the numerous rock formations. In the Desert Highland area(south of Pinnacle Peak Mountain) was the Ocho Ranch and a strategic passage with boulders on each side, appropriately called Boulder Pass.
Even though Indians were not evident at that time in the Pinnacle Peak area, there was a recent discovery of Indian ruins south of Happy Valley Road between Alma School and Pima Roads. Ed. In 1988, Pinnacle Peak Village, a Hohokam settlement within two miles of Pinnacle Peak, was excavated and photographed.
The dominant occupation of the Pinnacle Peak settlers was ranching, and the most difficult obstacle to overcome was reliable transportation due to poor roads and flooding. On a trip to the Verde River, it was very important to stay aware of the weather conditions. In fact, when rainstorms were predicted, everyone would start back down the dirt trail to “Old Scottsdale”‘ or risk being marooned for days.
Other points of interest in the Pinnacle Peak area were “Old Pablo’s” home on the northeast corner of Scottsdale Road and Pinnacle Peak Road. A grocery store on the southeast corner of the same intersection was owned by a Mr. Curry, who became more friendly once he got to know you. Ed. “Old Pablo’s” was Don Pablo’s House of Relics. “Mr. Curry” was John B. Curry, one of the early homesteaders in the Pinnacle Peak area. Curry was one of four homesteaders, who in the 1930s and using hand tools, cleared a dirt track from the Pinnacle Peak area to Cave Creek Road. In time, this track became Pinnacle Peak Road.
Many thanks to “Doc” Cavalliere for sharing his memories of the early history of the Pinnacle Peak area with me.
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July 28, 2016
I just came across and enjoyed reading this article by Dave Wells. My family, the Moores, operated the X2 Ranch (“Moore’s Well”) [now being redeveloped as The Reata Ranch dude ranch] and the Box Bar Ranch on the Verde. I’m fortunate to have spent a lot of time up in the area before the X2 was sold in rhe early ’70s.