FAQ's

Our third MMAP project

Tonto Rim Christian Camp

Project date: March 7 - 27, 2008

More than 200 miles (320 km) of the southern border of the Colorado Plateau is marked by a series of giant escarpments known collectively as the Mogollon (Pronounced "muggy on") Rim or Tonto Rim. The rim itself begins just east of the New Mexico border and stretches two thirds of the way across Arizona; the area referred to as the Rim includes Payson and its smaller neighbors, the communities of Pine, Strawberry and Christopher Creek. Tonto Rim Christian Camp is just a few miles west of Christopher Creek. The escarpment rises to approx. 7,000 feet above sea level whereas much of the land below is 4,000 to 5,000 feet above sea level.

Taken from Payson looking to Mogollon Rim

The Mogollon Rim is known for its stands of ponderosa pine, which comprise the largest ponderosa pine forest in the United States. Much of the gentle plateau country just north of the rim has been heavily logged. Timber production was a major part of the region's economy earlier this century, helping to establish a few towns in and near the vast pine forests of the area. Today, the United States Forest Service manages much of the region as part of four national forests: the Kaibab, Coconino, Sitgreaves, and Apache National Forests.

Famed western writer Zane Grey (1872-1939) lived below the Rim near the small village of Christopher Creek. Scholars agree that twenty-four books by Zane Grey were written with Arizona as a vital setting. Of the twenty-four, fourteen are set above or below the Mogollon Rim.

The oldest standing schoolhouse in Arizona, the Strawberry Schoolhouse was open from 1884 to 1916. After its closing, the log cabin served as a private residence; later abandoned, it was restored and declared a historical monument in 1981. We haven't seen this, picture from the internet.

Tonto Rim Christian Camp


Tonto Rim Christian Camp is located about 20 miles east of Payson, in the Tonto National Forrest. After turning off Hwy 260 one follows the Tonto Creek for about two miles. Sometimes when I went for a walk, I walked along the road and thus Tonto Creek.

In August 1950 a group of Baptist men and women stood in a meadow beneath the Mogollon Rim and looked out on a silent seven acres of pine and scrub brush and were told that this land was being set aside for a summer assembly grounds: Tonto Rim American Baptist Camp. In 1953, 800 people attended camps. In 1999 approximately 9000 guests experienced the camp.


Taken outside our trailer. On the right side, starting at the front: staff residence, shed, laundry room and and public washroom, office. At the back and center is the dining hall.	Dining Hall partly hidden by the evergreens.	Thayer Cabin

The Team

Tricia & Bert - Project Coordinator


Doug & Estella	John & Carol	Rick & Helen

There is work to be done


	George Cabin. MMAPers first project is to remodel the bathroom and prepare the floor for carpet.

March 12 - One of the two bathrooms in the cabin. This one needed concrete board glued and screwed to the walls after the plumbing to the shower valves and head was installed as well as the floor to the shower and the drain plumbing was fixed. After that the ceramic tile was set and grouted.	March 12 - Plywood has been laid. Rick and John cut and laid the plywood preparatory to putting down the carpet	March 12 - The other bathroom. Rick and John have been active with carpentry and plumbing in this one particularly, but also in the other one.


March 27 - Here is the above shower stall and toilet room tiled and drywalled. There is still a facing board to be attached to the edge of the shower stall wall, and of course painting and installation of the toilet to be done.	March 27 - carpet has been glued down. There is still another room this size to be carpeted. First all the bunks have to be moved into this room.	March 27 - This bathroom has been tiled too and awaits paint and toilet installation.

Mary Martin Cabin. Once the guys are finished with George Cabin they are to glue down carpet in this cabin.


Let's go see what John and Rick are doing up at Kmetro cabin.	The trail up to Kmetro cabin. You see the golf cart in the left corner.	John and Rick are in the process of constructing a new door frame.

Special Assignment for Rick

Larry, the executive director of the camp asked Rick to carve a cowboy holding a skunk by the tail as a "greeter" for the camp.
This meant that a hunt had to be mounted for a suitable log.


March 15 - This stump was left when a tree was cut down several years ago.	We thought that if it was sound that it could be used for the carving. Rick cut a couple of slices off the top first to see what the wood was like.	It showed possibilities, so the log was cut down. Here the log is being chained to the Bobcat so that its direction of fall can be controlled.

The recently acquired Bobcat was very useful as you can see, in this whole process.	Here the Bobcat pulls the log in the correct direction (not in the creek!) after Rick has cut it off. Trish (one of the MMAPers), takes photos.	Here its off to the carving area. Sadly, this log has proved to be unsound, and only good for firewood. Later Rick found a dead but still standing tree that seems to be a lot better.


March 17, 9 A.M. The center tree is dead and is marked for removal. Rick chose it for his carving.	Rick removing some of the bark lower down while waiting for Jerry to arrive.	It was cold out and they were taking so long to start falling that Helen gave up and was headed home when the chain saw started up. Thus she was some ways away. Rick making the under cut.

Timber! It fell exactly where he wanted it.	12:00 the desired section for carving is delivered to the carving area, just outside the dining hall.	The stump cut on Saturday, the 15th was good enough to use at platforms. Here Rick is sharpening the chain saw.

March 18, 2:30	March 19, 4:00	March 20, 4:00

March 21-23 were days off but on Saturday Rick worked on the hat and eyes.	March 24 - the hat reshaped and clothes added	March 25 - Boots finished and started on the skunk.

March 26 - Skunk finished and sign made. We're calling the cowboy "Zane" and the skunk is officially "Stinky" (some of the staff insist that it should be called "Hillary").	March 27 - FINISHED! The sign is designed so that staff can staple a computer generated message to it, which can be changed to suit the occasion or the season etc.	The artist and his project

	Why a skunk? Well, this area is home to lots of them. One staff member, who is in charge of skunk relocation, has taken 26 of them away in one year. One was removed while we were here.	For a gag, Rick burned in "Hillary" on the skunk's underside.

Special Assignment for Doug

March 24 to 27 Doug welded a tray to support the lava rocks for the barbecue. The old one had burned out. He finished just before quitting time and Rick helped him install it. This is quite a gas barbeque. The rack about even with Helen's head is where the food is placed. Turning the wheel lowers or raises the rack so that is can be adjusted to exactly the right height above the hot lava rocks and the flames

A Job for the Ladies


March 24 - Rake the mud volley ball court.


March 25 - Clean up the flowers bed around the office.

Break Time


Rick and John arriving for break. The guys have been given the use of this golf cart with a kind of a pickup box to haul themselves and their tools around. This picture was taken before Rick started work on the big carving, and while he was working with the other guys in the cabin.	March 13 - A break from work. Most days we have break outside.	Off to work we go.

Spare Time


March 8 - That's the corner of our trailer. The walkway takes one past two staff residences to the workshop.	Rick in the workshop, roughing out walking sticks and then burning his shavings in the stove.	View from the workshop, back up the walkway to the four MMAP trailers. The trailer on the far right is staff housing. It isn't very noticeable, but the dirt is red.

March 8 - This isn't the first time Rick has carved in the trailer. He is up to monkey business; doing a trial carving of a monkey holding a banana as if a telephone receiver. He is to carve two walking sticks with said monkey.

March 9 - Took a drive up to the Tonto Fish Hatchery, which is near the camp


March 9 - Mogollon Rim as seen from the Tonto Fish Hatchery

March 13 - Rick "relaxing" after a day of work. (Finishing the carving on another wolf stick that has been ordered.)


March 13 - second carving class. with 4 MMAPers and	Two camp staffers. This is a very enthusiastic group! They are really enjoying learning to carve.	March 18 - During third carving class. Jeremy is still working on his (far right). The others have moved on to another project.

March 17 - Potluck dinner and birthday cake.

March 19 - Ladies Day Out - The ladies left camp about 10:25. First stop was at the Payson Candle Factory where we watched this candle being carved. Then to pick up chain oil and bathroom sinks for the camp and stop at the post office. After a nice lunch at Chili's we checked out the Christian Book Store and a small thrift shop. Any trip to town isn't complete without a trip to Wal Mart. Following shopping at another another small shopping center we headed for home and arrived just as the guys were coming in from work.


March 22 - Rick and I went for a walk along the Tonto Creek in search of the falls; and found it.


March 23, Easter Sunday - We went for a short drive to see the sun rise over the Mogollon Rim.

When Estella had been at the camp a few years ago she had found a rock with printing on it and thought it was a tombstone. I located the rock but think it was just people carving their name on it.

There are lots of rocks in the area but the one in question is to the right of the twin tree trunk.	8-25-67 The RUSSELL'S MJP	SCOTTY PILKINGTON ALA

In Appreciation


March 26 - Supper was provided for the camp staff and MMAPers at the Pizza Factory in Payson.	The MMAPers were presented with a thank you card, daily planer and camp sweat shirt.

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