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Lake Hawley is nestled in the Arizona white mountains, and is owned by the San Carlos Apache tribe, A spectacular treasure of magnificent pine , Aspen, and spruce trees that cascade against the bright blue sky. A gem of emerald green surrounds the Mirror lake.

It is at an elevation of 8,200 .

.I recently visited and noticed the cabins were now being used. CDC, means Community dev. Corp and the cabins can hold up 2-14 people. Back in the early 1980’s , there was 410 homes altogether, with 65 leases altogether. Some non- Indians came and lived around this lake since June of 1954, when the Apaches issued it’s first lease.Many people built regular and simple cabins, then they started turning them into Luxurious structures, some in the $150,000 to $200,000 that the owners had invested, because they said the Ft. Apache tribe had given oral or written assurance to renew the leases. The residents were told the leases would be renewed after 25 years had gone by! A tribal attorney said the tribe lost millions of dollars.

Now, it is July of 2019, and the man made lake is stunning and it was crowded with the great Apache people and non-Indians fishing for trout all around it. Yet, there still remains of the derelict cabins with broken windows, some falling down and some being used. Here I show you photos of the landscape and the cabins.

On this tablet it says “Every person who pauses here lives a better life because of the work Si Davis did. Every tree on this reservation stands taller and straighter, because he protected it. The world is a better place, Si Davis passed by”.

So, basically Lake Hawley is still a gem on Ft. Apache, and I believe will continue to strive for greatness. What happened in the past is gone and the cabins will either fall or be brought back to life, Lake Hawley will always be gorgeous and a gem in the Arizona White Mts. A great escape from the desert heat! You can always rent a cabin or just bring your boat, go fishing here!