Was “Arizona Charlie” Meadows real?
Barry Waldbaum
Centereach, New York
Yes, Charlie Meadows was a real person. I call him Arizona’s first superstar.
Born in Visalia, California, in 1859, during a rare snowstorm, he moved with his family to Arizona. In the summer of 1882, Apaches raided the Meadows ranch north of Payson, killing his father and brother, and wounding another brother. Meadows took over running the ranch.
In 1884, he helped organize Payson’s first rodeo, dubbed
Already Signed Up? Log in here.
Read this article now for Free!
Ready for a third free article? Create a free account by entering your email address and a password below.
— OR —
Sign Up Now for $29.95 a year and have immediate access to all of True West content, including the complete True West Archives dating back to 1953!
