By Richard Gorby 

Those of us who love our Plaza - lunching under the trees, enjoying the beautiful Christmas lights, or just looking at it as we drive by - may be shocked to know how close it came to being lost to us.

On May 30, 1864, a meeting was held at the store of Don Manuel Yrissari on Granite Creek near the present Prescott Middle School (the store has since been moved to the grounds of Sharlot Hall Museum), for the purpose of adopting the best method of disposing of lots in the proposed town. 

By Norm Tessman 

Early in the morning of November 19, 1887, George Heisler arrived in Prescott to tell "in an excited manner" of horror on Lynx Creek. Wagons were sent out to William Zadoc "Zed" Wilson's sawmill to retrieve the bodies of Wilson and five other men. Sheriff Mulvenon hastily assembled a coroner's jury, and set out for the death site.

By Mona Lange McCroskey 

Frank Adolph Kuhne first came to Arizona in 1867. In the Prescott area, he worked as a teamster, driving a hay wagon between Fort Whipple and Big Chino Valley. In 1891, Kuhne returned to Germany for an arranged marriage to Marie Seidler. Kuhne brought his bride to Lynx Creek where they lived in a cabin in Howell, a small community along the creek. Kuhne then became a miner. He was away from home frequently for long periods of time and his whereabouts were unknown to his wife. All she knew was that he was mining and that he made enough to support his growing family. 

Edited by Nancy Kirkpatrick Wright with introduction by Anne Foster

Excerpts from "Sharlot Herself: Selected Writings of Sharlot Hall" 

After the glitter and excitement of the holidays, winter begins to seem dreary and unending. Gray skies, sloppy roads, and bitter temperatures wear monotonously upon the spirit. Little has changed in a hundred years. In Sharlot Herself, Selected Writings of Sharlot Hall (1992), edited by Nancy Kirkpatrick Wright, Sharlot describes the bleak winters of Lonesome Valley. Her ability to find beauty, humor, and activity in her stark surroundings could be a lesson to us all. 

By Anne Foster 

Faded photographs, yellowing newspaper clippings, stained letters, crumbling books - these images call to mind grandmother's attic. As a child, you probably cuddled close as grandma told you stories of long ago, illustrated by these decaying remnants of the past. Unfortunately, if these precious family mementos continue to be cared for in the same manner, you will not be able to share them with your own grandchildren.

By Mick Woodcock 

Rough characters or ordinary citizens? That assessment would probably depend on your point of view not only then, but now. It is safe to say that when this photograph was taken, about 1890, the corner of Granite and Goodwin Streets was in the "less reputable" part of town. 

By Michael Wurtz 

The Sharlot Hall Museum on Gurley Street is more than great exhibits and great programs. The Museum provides a wide range of museum services for the Central Arizona Mountain region. Among the services is an archive that can be classified as one of the finest in the Southwest. Most importantly, the archive stores your history. Whether your family's name is part of Prescott's history, can be found on street signs or businesses, or you moved here this year from one of the large cities on the West Coast, we have your story.