General Information
Happy Jack Lodge & RV is a full service park located on 72 acres of the beautiful Mogollon Rim
in Arizona. We have spacious, full hook-up RV sites, cozy cabins, and roomy suites, as well as
tent sites to accommodate your every lodging need.
Use our RV dump or get some fresh water or propane. And to avoid the haul, store your RV or
trailer with us in our spacious and secure storage lot.
We are located 39 miles North of Payson, 49 miles South of Flagstaff, and 120 miles North of
Phoenix. There are 5 major fishing lakes within 20 to 40 miles of us, including Long Lake, Blue Ridge
Reservoir, and Lake Mary. Reservations are recommended, but drive-ups are always welcome. Book
us for your family reunion, family outing, anniversary, wedding, or just for fun. Reserve our roomy
banquet hall or even our chapel. We have showers, laundromat, a playground with volleyball and horse
shoes, a country store, and our famous restaurant.
During the early history of Arizona, this area was well known as Long Valley, it was the only way to get over the Mogollon Rim from Winslow to Strawberry, Pine, Payson and the Phoenix area. In the early 1900's the forest service established the Long Valley Ranger Station. There were not many people working at the ranger station and during the winter no one was there as the residents left the area with the exception of the Fuller family. Sometime later the Hoke family opened a small gas station and grocery store which was the main water supply for the people using the area and for those traveling through.
During the 1920's, 30's and 40's, Arizona's largest logging industry was centered around Williams, the Grand Canyon, and Flagstaff. When the demand for more lumber became evident, the logging operation moved to Barney Pasture, Mormon Lake, and Sheep Springs. The road conditions made it difficult for the men working as loggers to travel home each night, so camps were built along with portable housing. This enabled families to stay during the working months. An unused railroad was revitalized so that the logs could be moved from the camps to Flagstaff.
In the early 1940's the area known as Long Valley was a week-end gathering place for rodeo's and dances which were sponsored by the Fuller family at their ranch. This was a regular happening for about 30 years.
In 1947 Southwest Forest Industries was established as a permanent logging camp. Water was available from a natural spring enabling a deep well to be drilled. This new camp was called Happy Jack. It was never determined whether the name Happy Jack came from the "lumber jacks" or from a happy-go-lucky fellow who was one of the employees.
In the late of the 1940's and early 50's, the logging camp of Happy Jack was established and in as much as the forest service personnel dealt with the logging industry, a decision was made to move Long Valley to Happy Jack. Therefore the forest service station and logging camp were at the same site, but with a Happy Jack mailing address and it did not take long until the Long Valley Ranger Station became known as Happy Jack Ranger Station.
In 1994 the Mongini family of Cottonwood Arizona bought the property, which is known as Happy Jack Too. It was remodeled and is now a beautiful RV park with cabins for rent, a restaurant and steak house, a laundromat, small country store and many other amenities for your use and enjoyment.
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