The workers were building the dam by hand and needed a place to hold supplies. In 1903 the Apache Trail was developed- a 40+ mile long dirt round that twists and turns through the Superstition Mountains, connecting to where the Roosevelt Dam was being built. Thus, he came up with the name of Tortilla Flat! One pioneer by the name of John Cline was said to have camped at the site while traveling through.Īs the story goes, Cline and his fellow men had nothing left but flour with them one night, so they made tortillas.

used it as a campsite since the terrain was flat and had fresh water supply and grass for the horses. The trail they created was known as the Yavapai, or Tonto Trail, and is said to have been a difficult one to traverse.Įventually the Natives, along with prospectors, cattle ranchers, etc. Before its official establishment, the area is said to have been used by the early Natives traveling between the central Arizona mountains and Salt River Valley. The history of this resilient Western town is quite remarkable.

Apache trail open after tortilla flats