Cancelled envelope mailed from Showlow (Show Low), Ariz., July 18, 1888. The cancellation spells the town name in one word. In 1875, Corydon B. Cooley settled on Show Low Creek with his wife who was the daughter of Chief Pedro of the White Mountain Apaches. The name of Show Low was given to the community when Cooley and his partner, Marion Clark, decided they could no longer do business together and agreed to settle the winner with a game of cards. Clark proposed that the low card in the hand should win. Cooley threw down his hand and replied, “Show Low it is.” The words became the name for the location. Clark, the loser, moved up the creek to establish a ranch near Pine Top. In 1890, Cooley and his partners sold out to W.J. Flake for a Mormon Settlement. A post office was established on August 19, 1880 with Cooley as postmaster.
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