By Warren Miller

When the 30th Annual Sharlot Hall Museum Folk Arts Fair opens June 7, 2003, in addition to the usual delightful demonstrations and activities, it will include a new feature: two makers of fine custom furniture.

Furniture making has a long history in Prescott. One Wilson C. Collier was among the first immigrants to the area, by his account arriving in December 1863 over the Santa Fe Trail, a month before the first governor's arrival. Although he came seeking gold, the Census of 1864 gives his occupation as cabinet maker, "Age 37, born in Ohio, single. . . property valued at $1,000 . . . " 

Collier engaged in prospecting and mining, erecting a water wheel to drive arrastras in the Bradshaw Mining District in 1870, but came back to furniture making between forays into mining. In 1871, the Weekly Arizona Miner reported, "W. C. Collier has just finished a new front for his house on Cortes [sic] Street, and is now engaged in making furniture. Citizens who wish to build new houses or ornament old ones should not fail to visit his place and look at the beautiful designs upon which he has spent so many days." In 1873, the same paper offered this listing under furniture: "W. C. Collier is manufacturing superior articles of furniture at his shop, fronting the Court House. His chairs best any we have ever seen in this far-west country." 

Another early furniture maker was Charles Bell, whose furniture shop was located on Granite Street across from the Grey Eagle Stable. An ad in the Prescott Courier, May 17, 1884, offered: "Furniture Made and Repaired, Oiled, Varnished and Polished. . . House and Sign and Carriage Painting . . . Chairs caned . . . Bedroom and Parlor Suits a Specialty." Mr. Bell enjoyed some notoriety in town. Just two weeks before this ad appeared, the Courier reported that, filled with self disgust after an extended bout of drinking, Bell attempted suicide: "Charley Bell, who 'nicked his neck' so badly with a razor a few days ago, is able to be around again. He promises that if he ever attempts suicide again he will not disappoint newspaper men by surviving." 

The firm of Blair & Elliott in 1868 advertised that their shop on Montezuma Street would accept "Orders for all kinds of turned material, for chairs, tables, bedsteads, etc., promptly filled and sent to all parts of the Territory. Chairs, Tables and Bedsteads made to order. All kinds of Cabinet Work neatly executed. Our prices are reasonable." The Arizona Miner, Feb. 22, 1868, reported this competitive advantage for Blair & Elliott: "They have a two-horse-power engine, which turns their lathes, etc., and are thus enabled to manufacture and sell furniture, etc., cheaper than any other firm in Arizona." 

Two modern artist craftsmen, following this well-established tradition, will demonstrate their custom furniture work at the Folk Arts Fair here on the Sharlot Hall museum grounds. 

Keith Mion designs and builds furniture in the Spanish Colonial and Pueblo Deco styles. He works in Ponderosa Pine, seeking wood with unusual colors and incorporating the natural patterns of the wood into his one-of-a-kind pieces. Keith trained as a wooden boat builder in Maine and did custom architectural woodwork and furniture building for fifteen years before coming to Arizona in 1996. He came to do custom cabinetwork and recreate furniture for the restoration of the La Posada Hotel in Winslow. La Posada is one of the last of the Harvey Houses on the Santa Fe Railroad, designed by Mary Jane Colter and considered one of her finest works. Keith spent two years on the restoration, copying furniture from photographs and cabinetwork from early drawings. In 1999, Keith redesigned and refurnished the Hubble Trading Post in Ganado, Arizona. 

Now located in Prescott, Keith makes custom furniture using age-old techniques. The wood is hand planed and chiseled. The joinery is mortise and tenon, with no metal fastenings used. The furniture is finished in tung oil, which brings out the natural beauty of the wood. 

The work of Steve Rouette has a unique appearance. It is airy and whimsical, using the natural forms of small trees and branches. Steve uses Gambel Oak, which he cuts green in the Kaibab Forest, dries in his home-made kiln, strips the bark (or sometimes leaves it on), and carefully joins the pieces with hand-cut mortise and tenon joints to make unique bedsteads, chairs, tables, and cabinets. His furniture has great strength, which comes from never cutting across the grain. Steve also creates handcrafted architectural work, using Alligator Juniper branches to form deck and stair rails and structural elements. 

Steve was attracted to woodworking in high school, but enrolled in a business program at Arizona State University. When he was thirteen credit hours away from becoming a stockbroker, he broke out. He drew inspiration from photographs in Country Living Magazine of furniture made of tree limbs lashed together with jute. He liked the natural look of this furniture, but knew he could make much stronger pieces by incorporating sound joinery. He started experimenting in his garage. It took a few years before he could make a living at his custom craft. Now with almost twenty years experience, he is building solid furniture to the delight of a wide range of clients. 

Keith Mion and Steve Rouette will display their furniture and describe their work during the Folk Arts Fair at Sharlot Hall Museum. They will be located near the Transportation Building on the museum grounds. 

(Warren Miller is the Curator of Education at the Sharlot Hall Museum. The 30th Annual Sharlot Hall Museum Folk Arts Fair will be held next Saturday and Sunday, June 7 and 8, 2003, 10 am to 5 pm each day. Old-time skills, crafts and entertainments for the entire family. Lots of hands-on activities. Donations requested.) 


Sharlot Hall Museum Photograph Call Number:(photos supplied by the artists) Reuse only by permission.
A Gambel Oak bedstead by Steve Rouette has an unmatched natural strength. Inset is Keith Mion's massive convertible arm chair/game table which was recreated for the La Posada Hotel in Winslow, AZ. Furniture making in the Prescott area, 1863, predates the founding of the town in May of 1864.