April April 2016
www.MoonValleyTattler.com
VOL 36 No. 4
Arizona’s Western Lifestyle still lives in Moon Valley B Y S U S A N M E R C E R H I N R I C H S , R E P O R T E R , T H E M O O N VA L L E Y TAT T L E R Part of Arizona’s Western lifestyle is alive, well and thriving on a five-acre parcel of land directly east of the North Mountain Visitor Center on North Seventh Street. And chewing-gum magnate William Wrigley of Chicago, who spent time in the Valley, had a hand in developing that legacy, too. Tucked alongside the thoroughfare, passersby notice a parking lot frequently filled with horse trailers. Beyond them, they’ll notice a fenced arena; and looking carefully, they’ll see a small log cabin shaded with tall trees, too. The scene represents the home of what formerly was called the Sheriff’s Mounted Posse of Maricopa County. Now, its members refer to the volunteer group as the posse or the club. It’s not to be confused with the Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s posse. Instead it’s a group of members, both longtime and newer, who enjoy riding their horses and giving back to the community. Generations of area Arizonans gather regularly to participate in roping or riding events in their arena, or to honor members, or simply to socialize with dear associates -- one’s who’ll “always have your back” as longtime members Doug Patterson and Joe Arnold say, referring to the “best friends” in their respective lives. Charlie Kendall, also a member, says, “We still have maintained our group and our mission, in some regard, and it’s probably the best men’s club in Phoenix.” Three generations of the Ryan family have been posse members, with a fourth possibly in the wings. Edward T. “Ted” Ryan, Jr. followed in his father’s footsteps, becoming a posse member in 1963. His son, Edward T. “Tom” Ryan, III, joined in 2008. Ted Ryan says he still rides with his grandchildren and says he’ll wait to see if they decide to join the group. “It worked for us,” he says of the camaraderie and riding skills enjoyed and honed over decades. “We’re hoping Tommy and the other age groups -- his generation and the one after -- if they will continue the friendships we’ve had. That’s one of the best things.” The group’s current vice president and presidentelect is Tom Ryan. He’s a horseman and a roper, too.
Breakfast for dinner is delightful.
“I grew up on the grounds here, going to posse events as a little kid and I just wanted to get involved, he says. “I love it, love it.” “One of the important things is that we’re a group that gives back to the community.” During a recent breakfast honoring longtime member Bill Brake, a past president, he recounted days when posse members volunteered with local law-enforcement officers to assist primarily in search-andrescue missions throughout Maricopa County. Then, Brake says, posse members actually could ride in officers’ cars and assist in their operations. “We did a lot of things,” Brake says. “When the sheriff’s department needed radio equipment and (it) didn’t have enough money to get it . . . we would sponsor an event to raise money for the sheriff’s department” so the radio equipment could be purchased. Posse members also were the original ones who rode horseback in area shopping malls during busy holiday-shopping seasons, he recalled; and they also assisted the Thunderbirds organization when that group sponsored the annual golf event formerly known as The Phoenix Open. However, as the Valley areas became more settled and law-enforcement activities became more officer-centric, sheriff’s-department officials decided that the still allvolunteer posse members would be required to participate in many hours of lawenforcement and gun training in order to continue with the activities in which they had participated. Former posse member Terry Horne, was active with the group and served twice as its president. “It was a great group of people, who did a lot of good work,” he said. “We never knew if we’d go to the Superstition Mountains or to the South Mountain range -- anywhere when a rescue was needed.” Horne recounted a humorous incident involving the rescue of one woman who had hiked in the South Mountains range and had become disoriented. After posse members rescued her, Horne said she became a bit angry over not being able to complete her rescue with a helicopter ride out of those mountains. Maxine Lakin, whose husband and father-in-law both were active posse members for decades, refers history buffs to a book Charles “Chuck” Lakin, her late husband, wrote about the posse. Entitled The Sheriff’s Mounted Posse of Maricopa County: A History, the tome came about as a result of the group’s members wanting to establish a record of their activities. It was drawn from meeting records and interviews with many of the initial members, according to the publication. Originally started in the
Breakfast for Dinner hosted by Scramble was a huge success for Lookout Mountain. Scramble stayed open late on April 6th to welcome the Lookout Mountain community. A portion of each person’s tab was donated directly to the school. The event raised over $500 for Lookout Mountain. Thank you to the team at Scramble for providing our community with great food for a great cause.
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T hank s Scramble!