9. St. Anthony, McNary, 1931 McNary is a lumber town situated in the white Mountains of east-central Arizona on the Apache Reservation. The mill operations started in 1918 during World War I, when this district was known as Cooley. In 1924, the town was named McNary after the Southwest Lumber Mills president, James McNary. From the beginning, many of the workers have been Spanish Americans canvassed from communities throughout New Mexico. In 1921, when the Franciscan Province of St. Barbara established a mission for the Apaches at Whiteriver, the missionary there began to make the arduous trip to McNary to administer to the spiritual needs of Spanish Catholics. A rude cabin served for years as a chapel. In a letter dated April 21, 1931 from the agency superintendent at Whiteriver, a parcel of 21 acres on the Springerville highway was assigned for the exclusive use of the Catholic Church. On this land a church was soon built through a generous donation from the Catholic Extension Society. Voice of the Southwest | dioceseofgallup.org
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