Highland Pines

  At the turn of the century, George Young arrived in Arizona. Born in Indiana and trained as a lawyer, George made his way west where he was involved as a newspaperman in Williams, a partner with Buckey O'Neill in the ill-fated Grand Canyon Railway, a school teacher, and eventually a gold prospector. He took over 25 mining claims in the Sierra Prieta Mountains west of Prescott and formed the Derby Mining Company. 

The heyday of the Derby Mining Company was short-lived after one claim after another failed. The last claim that held promise was the Puritan, located on the west side of Skyline Drive, where there was a stamp mill, a 350' shaft, and several buildings located along what is now Skyline Drive. The mine closed down in 1909. The square house is still there and was the mining camp headquarters.

While George Young kept the property, he moved on to Phoenix where his interest turned to politics. He was appointed the Territorial Secretary and acted as Governor on one occasion. He was also elected to a two year term as mayor of Phoenix. George kept the Derby claims and eventually supported his wife in the cattle business. The "Summit Siding", located on the east side of Skyline Drive opposite the old railroad bed hiking trail, was used to move equipment for the mine and later for Mrs. Young's cattle operation. George Young died in November 1926 in his cabin at the old Derby Mine. He was 59 years old.

Mrs. Young kept the property, along with her three children George Young Jr, Helen, and Lucille. When Mrs. Young died in 1940, her daughter Helen inherited the property. Helen was married to Perry E. Brown, who at the time was a ranger at the Grand Canyon. They kept the property until April 1948 when it was sold to John P. Lichter. All the 25 claims had been patented by then and the property would remain private instead of being absorbed by the Prescott National Forest. In February 1955, John P. Lichter sold the property to J. Earl Wilson.

Earl Wilson and his partner Elmer Winternheimer created the present Highland Pines. They named their organization Highland Pine Properties and proceeded to survey and plat the various sections, prior to selling lots. Plat A was surveyed in 1955 and was located along upper Skyline Drive and Valley View. Plat J, the original location of the mine buildings, was platted in 1977, followed by Plat K on Alto Drive in 1979. That completed the neighborhood until a land swap with the Prescott National Forest in 1970 that squared off the properties within the forest around Highland Pines.

Initially, the area received water from springs and a few wells. In 1970, Highland Pine Properties negotiated a deal with the City of Prescott to bring water up the hill from the city. Roads were improved, mail service was at the door, electricity was a given, and the neighborhood became a haven for summer residents. After many years of negotiations, the Highland Pine Water Company was sold to a newly formed group Highland Pines Domestic Water Improvement District in 1991. As more people became full-time residents and more issues presented themselves, the Highland Pines Property Owners Association came into being in 1973 to deal with the development company Highland Pine Properties.

Today, Highland Pines includes all the areas surrounded by the Prescott National Forest, even though many of those properties do not have access to city water. Roads are paved and plowed, HPPOA board members act as sounding boards between Yavapai County and the residents, and more and more people move into the neighborhood as full-time residents.