Sazerac Saloon – The Gem of Gurley Street

By Lucas Shaw
Rivaling all the early Prescott drinking establishments for prominence and longevity was the Sazerac Saloon, which occupied prominent locations across from the plaza on Gurley Street from 1872 until the great fire of 1900 reduced the saloon to ashes.
 
Established by early Prescott pioneer Fred Williams in February 1872, it went under the unimaginative name of "Fred Williams' Saloon." Its original location was one door west of the single-story  Levi Bashford’s mercantile store on Gurley Street. Early reports describe it as “the handsomest saloon in Prescott” and an “orderly place.” By 1874 Williams’ saloon was known as the "Sazerac Saloon," distinguishing itself with “fine chaste pictures” and supplying “the ‘boys’ with that which cheers but does not intoxicate” — an appeal to soldiers and officers from Fort Whipple to visit often, but not raise hell while in town.
 
In August 1879, Williams sold his interest in the Sazerac to partners George W. Sines and James A. Guild. That same month, the saloon was moved two doors east, where it was bookended by the Levi Bashford & Co. mercantile on the west and the Dudley/Williams House on the east. 
 
Sines arrived in Prescott in 1872 as part of General George Crook’s attaché to the Arizona Territory during the Indian Wars. Following his discharge from the Army that same year, Sines remained in Prescott for the next five decades where he ran the Sazerac, constructed multiple buildings, invested in mines and played an important role in the town’s social fabric.
 
Sines and Guild immediately made improvements to the saloon and advertised more frequently and creatively to draw customers to the bar and club rooms. The Sazerac soon became a drinking and gambling mainstay for soldiers, miners and Republicans. 
 
In March 1880, Sines became the principal owner of the Sazerac, which began to reflect his own interests and priorities. A miner at heart, Sines displayed ore samples for his patrons to inspect and speculate about. As a booster and promoter, he attracted some of the best traveling talent to the Sazerac. Several popular female vocalists, including Carrie Maynard and Ada Melville, entertained Sazerac patrons.

The Sazerac hosted sporting entertainment, including boxing exhibitions and cock fights. The club rooms of the Sazerac featured gambling opportunities, where billiards and faro were the most popular games.
 
There were three documented shooting incidents at the Sazerac, the most tragic one occurring over a 25-cent faro bet. On the night of June 26, 1884, a professional gambler, Al Cook, shot and killed soldier Phil Riley and fatally injured Corporal James F. Jenkins and P.H. Trotter. A trial was held and the jury returned a verdict of not guilty which "[did] not meet with favor with a portion of the community” who thought, with two men dead and a third mortally wounded, someone should be "punished for their act."
  
Sines sold the Sazerac to his bartender, John S. Ross, in March 1894. Sines was now married with a growing family and a booming construction business. Despite Ross' experience and improvements to the building, the Sazerac shut its doors in May 1896. 
 
The final blow occurred on July 14, 1900, when the Great Fire reduced the Sazerac Saloon to ashes. It was the end of an era for a Prescott institution that grew up with the territory. The Sazerac was a place for politics, business, recreation and social life. In many respects it embodied the ideals and ironies of the fledgling Prescott community. It embodied both sophistication and vice, musical talent and whiskey-soaked miner’s tales. The Sazerac held its own on Gurley Street while Whiskey Row grew up around it. 

“Days Past” is a collaborative project of the Sharlot Hall Museum and the Prescott Corral of Westerners International (www.prescottcorral.org). This and other Days Past articles are also available at www.archives.sharlothallmuseum.org/articles/days-past-articles/1. The public is encouraged to submit proposed articles and inquiries to dayspast@sharlothallmuseum.org Please contact SHM Research Center reference desk at 928-277-2003, or via email at archivesrequest@sharlothallmuseum.org for information or assistance with photo requests.