By Bob Boze Bell
Like many 20th century settlers, I was attracted to Cave Creek because it was still a bit of a Wild West town. To my artistic eye, and this would be in the 1970s, the “Creek,” as we called it, was full of independent thinkers and unique individuals. Some folks in Carefree would translate that as cowboys, hippies, bikers and drug dealers. Even that made me happy.
(Current Cave Creek residents who were important members of the original Cave Creek Incorporation Committee – Cheri Hoeppner, John Hoeppner, and Jacky Davis (courtesy Town of Cave Creek)
So, when we heard the rumblings about incorporation, we fumed. We came out here to get away from all that messy government stuff. But, as it turns out, we were short sighted and a small, tenacious group of concerned Creekers stepped forward to save us from being swallowed whole by Phoenix—that hungry Beast from the south!
The successful election for incorporation on July 8, 1986 was the culmination of years of angst and a final fifteen months of aggressive action by doggedly-determined local preservationists.
Incorporation efforts had failed in 1974 and again in 1979, but by1986, volunteer members of the Cave Creek Incorporation Committee (CCIC), (led by first Town mayor), Ted Rothman turned the tide. Incorporation wasn’t easy. The effort also required that a new Town of Cave Creek (as with all incorporation efforts) required the approval of the adjacent existing jurisdictions.
As long-time resident Martha Arnold put it, “The residents as far south as Lone Mountain wanted to be part of Cave Creek. Hence, Phoenix literally established the southern border. No way would Phoenix approve Cave Creek going that far south!”
What finally turned me and most of my friends and neighbors was this bit of practical advice from John Hoeppner: “Either we incorporate now and drive one mile to City Hall and talk to people we know, or we drive twenty miles down to Phoenix and nobody will listen to us.”
Today, we admire their vision, foresight and tenacity.
As Studs Terkel put it so eloquently, “Heroes are not giant statues framed against a red sky. They are people who say this is my community and it’s my responsibility to make it better.”
This month is the 38th anniversary of Cave Creek’s incorporation. For all their determination and hard work, we thank incorporating pioneers John Hoeppner, Cheri Hoeppner, Jacky Davis, Don Radke, Jo Walker, Ed Walker, Jim Threadgill, Jim Hines, Ted Rothman (Chair) Betty Garrison, Carl Bixler, Paul Helms, Rupert Johnson, Susan Svitak, Bill Webster, and Bernice Webster, as well as the work and support of resident Martha Arnold.
Because of you we have our own community. Thank you all!
Go here for a 2021 Sonoran News article on Cave Creek’s 35th anniversary. : https://sonorannews.com/2021/07/06/happy-35th-anniversary-cave-creek/
(Editor’s note: article and photos reprinted with permission from Cave Creek Corner and Nina Spitzer, editor)
