Happy Jack, Arizona
Happy Jack, Arizona | |
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![]() ![]() Happy Jack | |
Coordinates: 34°44′36″N 111°24′27″W / 34.74333°N 111.40750°WCoordinates: 34°44′36″N 111°24′27″W / 34.74333°N 111.40750°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Arizona |
County | Coconino |
Elevation | 7,493 ft (2,284 m) |
Time zone | UTC-7 (Mountain (MST)) |
ZIP code | 86024 |
GNIS feature ID | 29736 |
Happy Jack is an unincorporated community and campground located in the Mogollon Rim Region of Coconino County, Arizona, United States. The Lowell Discovery Telescope is located there.
History[]
Happy Jack was founded in 1947 as a logging camp. The community also contained a ranger station and post office.[1] By 1948, 300 people lived in the town, and at its peak, housed around 500 people.[2] The town was built by the Saginaw and Manistee Lumber company.[2]
The community petitioned for a school in 1970.[3]
The first logging camp closed approximately 30 years after it opened. The logging company requested Happy Jack be moved 13 miles, closer to Clints Well, starting around 1974.[4] The Happy Jack post office moved 15 miles down the road to a place known locally as Long Valley in 1983 and is also known as Happy Jack Too.[5] However, Long Valley does not appear on any maps.[1]
Etymology[]
The town was founded at a place called Onion Flat, and was originally called "Yellowjacket." However, three other Yellowjacket place names already existed, so a new name had to be chosen for the new community.[6]
Happy Jack may have been named for a cheerful local lumberman.[7] However, another newspaper report says the Coconino National Forest Supervisor Ronald Rotty named Happy Jack, after an area of Wyoming where a bandit named Happy Jack committed crimes.[1]
Climate[]
According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Happy Jack has a Continental climate, abbreviated "Dsb" on climate maps.[8]
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Cook, James E. (July 14, 1988). "Long Valley disappears under Happy Jack".
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Cabins House 300 Dwellers". Arizona Republic. October 10, 1948. p. 1, Section 2.
- ^ "Happy Jack School Studied; Bus Changes Rejected". Arizona Daily Sun. September 2, 1970.
- ^ "Happy Jack plans move south". Arizona Daily Sun. September 25, 1974.
- ^ O'Connell, Maureen (March 28, 1991). "Deep in the forst, Happy Jack represents 'untouched solitude'". Arizona Daily Sun.
- ^ "'Happy Jack' formerly was 'Onion Flats'". Arizona Daily Sun. May 19, 1949. p. 6.
- ^ Blackwood, Alisa (April 15, 2001). "Whimsical names mark Arizona towns". Reading Eagle. pp. E11. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
- ^ Climate Summary for Happy Jack, Arizona
External links[]
- Populated places of the Mogollon Rim
- Unincorporated communities in Coconino County, Arizona
- Unincorporated communities in Arizona
- 1947 establishments in Arizona
- Populated places established in 1947