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Oral History

Jo Baeza

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Winslow

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Jo Baeza Oral History, Part 2/2

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IntervieweeJo BaezaInterviewerJoyce McBrideSubjectOral historiesArizona HistoryArizona History 20th CenturyNavajo County (Ariz.)BiographyArizona Culture KeeperNewspapers--ArizonaPinetop, (Ariz.)U.S. Forest ServiceDescriptionPart 2: In 1965, Jo moved to Pinetop, bought the only house for sale from Pearl Penrod, a house built by Ethel Stephens, the cook at the McNary Guest House. She also got the only job in town working for Bob Fernandez Realty. There were about 600 people living in Pinetop then. Born a historian and newspaper reporter, she immediately began to gather local history about the area, and shares what she's learned about Johnny Phipps and the William and Pollyanna Young Penrod family. Jo had lived in Pinetop a couple years when she reconnected with an old love. Joe Brown came courting with his two children and they were married for ten years. They spent a lot of time riding the Sierra Madres in Mexico, buying cattle for rodeos. They had a ranch west of Snowflake. Jo got sick with Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Joe split. In and out of the hospital, nearly dying, she came back to Pinetop with the two children, but her mother just couldn't care of them. One day after she'd just been released from the hospital, she was walking down the street in Snowflake and met a cowboy named Mario Baeza, an accomplished musician who had previously worked as a ranch hand on their ranch. When she told him she was dying, he moved to Pinetop, got a job and cared for her until her health returned. As soon as she could ride a horse again, she went back to working on lookouts for the U.S. Forest Service, he became a logger and they got married. They were married from 1975 to 1981 and still remain friends. At the end of that marriage, Jo joined the Catholic Church and decided to stay single. She then launched her journalism career with the Independent. In 1988 Reno Johnson, Chairman of the Apache tribe, wooed her away from the Independent with a job as editor of the Scout. She got to know and love the Apaches, and although she was understaffed, she had the respect of the community. Jo has written for several Arizona magazines such as the Arizona Highways, has written for the U.S. Forest Service, etc. She is now semi-retired from the Independent, but writing a history series for the paper. She loves cowboy poetry, and was instrumental in the establishment of the White Mountain Roundup in order to teach local history to tourists. She was made a Culture Keeper in 2003, and that got her interested in the Arizona Centennial. Once she's completed her history series up to Arizona's struggle for Statehood for the newspaper, she plans to write "a legitimate western play for the legitimate stage" based upon Frank Wattron, the first sheriff of Navajo County.Audio Length00:37:50Date Original2011-08-04Date Range1960s (1960-1969)1970s (1970-1979)1980s (1980-1989)1990s (1990-1999)2000s (2000-2009)2010s (2010-2019)TypeSound- NonmusicalOriginal FormatOral historiesLanguageEnglishContributing InstitutionPinetop-Lakeside Historical Society MuseumCollectionOral Histories of Pinetop, Lakeside, McNary and Whiteriver, ArizonaRights StatementThe opinions expressed in this interview are those of the interviewee only. They do not represent the views of the Pinetop-Lakeside Historical Society Museum. Please contact the Pinetop-Lakeside Historical Society Museum with questions about the use and reproduction of this resource.

Geographic

City or TownWinslowCountyNavajo CountyStateArizonaCountryUnited States

Oral HistoryJo Baeza PlaceWinslowTopicBusiness and IndustryCommunitiesEducationLaborLand UseNative Americans

Administrative

IdentifierBaeza, Jo History, Part 2.mp3Date Digitized2011-08-04Digital FormatMP3File Size36 MB

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Jo Baeza Oral History, Part 2/2