By Megan Yazzie
The old police rock houses were made out of sandstone. The houses were built in the early 1900's for the Navajo policemen who were hired to put a stop to a lot of gambling that went on in Leupp. Gambling made many families became poor and only a few got rich. That's how the name "Gambler" originated as in Elmer Gambler. Five stone houses were built in all. Two houses were in Leupp, two in Canyon Diablo, and one in Birdspring. But the one in Birdspring was torn down. Twenty (20) years ago, the Mormon elders lived in the police rock house in northeast Leupp just off the paved road across the Little Colorado River. We also found the other rock house in West Leupp that was built by Mrs. Ethel Piasano's father. Mrs. Piasano and her husband fixed up the rock house and they live in it today. These stone houses are still standing in the year of 2000. They are very strong buildings. I like this story because I never heard it before.

Mrs. Elva Nez of Birdspring recalls a story about her father, Earl Johnson and another Navajo boy named Casey Curley who ran away together from the brick building serving as the police station by taking out the sandstones. The policemen came on horseback looking for them. Apparently, the boys also used horses as a getaway. Earl Johnson tried to hide from the policemen by covering himself with dirt in a ditch, but he was apprehended and taken back to Old Leupp School.