From 1935-1939 the building of the Bartlett Lake Dam was in process by the Work Projects Administration, as well as the Horseshoe Dam from 1940-1943. Frontier Town was also once a WPA camp and provided living quarters for the very hard working men. The WPA stamp is etched in a concrete pad and can be found in front of the outdoor bar-b-que near the party pavilion. Word has it that this slab was where an outhouse used to sit. Have an interest in old outhouses? Just stroll down the boardwalk past a few of the shops to its new location. What now serves as the administrative office for the Satisfied Frog was once the WPA Project Foreman’s residence. The Leather Mill gift shop was also one of the original WPA cabins, as well as part of the old Black Mountain Brewery.

In the 1950’s and 1960’s rock collecting was a very popular hobby for many desert enthusiasts and hikers. Rock hounds needed a first class place to shop. Seeing the need for this, the Carpenter family, long time residents since the 1940’s, opened The Rock Shop in what is now the west parking lot of Frontier Town. News spread and rock hounds from all over Arizona and tourists as well, flocked to Cave Creek to the best rock shop around. The Carpenter Rock Shop remained open until 1968.

In 1946 came electricity and telephones and then in 1952 Cave Creek Road was paved all the way from Phoenix. Driving north was easier and Cave Creek now had modern utilities. Around this time Peewee Simons and her husband purchased what was left of the WPA camp, and turned it into Peewee’s Guest Ranch, a bed & breakfast operation. She and her husband took up residence in the very same cabin where the WPA Former once lived. Peewee, like her name, was a petite, honest, demure woman with a strong head for business, and despite her size made quite a bold impression when she entered a room. Rumor has it though that much more went on at her guest ranch then she or the town bargained for, and it wasn’t family "business as usual", if you know what I mean.

In 1969, Herman King purchased Peewees Guest Ranch and part of the deal was that Peewee, then a widow, could still live in her home on Frontier Town property. Peewee passed away one year later and was found dead in her home. A few years ago video security cameras were installed in what is now the Satisfied Frog administrative office and for three days quite an unusual discovery was found after playing back the recordings each morning. To their surprise a white translucent orb type entity was seen slowly moving about the original main room of the house. Could this have been the spirit of Peewee Simons trying to tell us something about her past life? We will never know.

When Herman passed on he left Frontier Town to his daughter Beverly and her husband Julian Peagler, today the current owners. Their son Marc manages the town and is also the current owner of the Satisfied Frog Restaurant. When Marc was growing up he spent a lot of time with his Mother, playing in the town while she was going about her business. Beverly enjoyed keeping all the customers and visitors at Frontier Town happy, and entertained quite a few celebrities in the process. Marc vividly remembers his Mom sitting on the knee of the famous gangster Joe Bonano, Sr.

One night at a late hour Beverly had to drive back to Frontier Town for some forgotten work detail, with Marc in tow. She was really surprised to find a cement truck backed up and a slab being quickly poured by lanterns and flashlights. It didn’t take her long to question the laborers, and quickly pack up and go home, because the job was a direct order from Joe Bonano, Sr himself. Some things are better left unknown.