By Al Bates

In January 1737 Captain Juan Bautista de Anza reported from his outpost in Sonora to his superiors in central Mexico that there were vast deposits of silver near the “Arizona rancheria” owned by his deputy mayor, Bernardo de Urrea.  That discovery, known as the Planchas de Plata, had two results.  The first was a struggle over ownership of the silver.  The second was the adoption of the rancheria’s name to identify the surrounding area as well.

Originally written by Michael Wurtz and first appeared in the Courier's Days Past column on November 2, 1997.  This version is slightly different form from the original article.

Mollie Monroe has the unfortunate distinction of being the first woman in Arizona Territory to be declared insane.  Born in New Hampshire in 1846 to a fairly affluent family, she was christened Mary Elizabeth Sanger and was given a finishing school education to equip her for marriage to a successful businessman.

By Al Bates

Arizona pioneer Richard Gird is a tough man to pigeonhole.  Although his formal schooling ended at age 16, his considerable practical skills included: prospector, mining and mechanical engineer, surveyor, geologist, assayer of mineral wealth, and cartographer.  To top it off, he was a man of his word.

By Al Bates

Not only was Territorial Prescott home to the first Arizona historical society, it also was home to the second: First came the Arizona Historical Society incorporated by the first territorial legislature and organized in November 1864; second was theArizona Pioneer Society formed late in 1865.

By Mary Melcher, Ph.D.

Volunteers have always been the backbone of the Sharlot Hall Museum.  From the time that the museum was founded in 1928 to the present, volunteers have been needed to keep the Museum alive.

By Al Bates

The building known as the Governor's Mansion started as and remains the centerpiece of the Sharlot Hall Museum campus. It also is the subject of a classic piece of Prescott lore.It was long held that the request for proposals for the mansion's construction was published in the Arizona Miner in June 1864.

By David Stephen

Yavapai County Road 68 is a 46-mile unpaved back-country route that originates near Bagdad and comes to an end at Williamson Valley Road north of Prescott. Also known as Camp Wood Road, it carries a compelling legacy that interweaves Native American history and prehistory, forestry, homesteading, military campaigns, mining, ranching and tourism.

By Al Bates

Charles DeBrille Poston was not the only early Arizona pioneer to be pushed aside by newcomers and changing circumstances, but he certainly was the best known-shoved aside unceremoniously and unexpectedly by others who had arrived to fill appointed territorial offices.

By Brenda Taylor

“Bail out!” yelled the pilot to his flight crew.  “One engine is lost to fire and the others have conked out, bail out – NOW!”  At this order, the bomb bay doors dropped open and three of the crewmen jumped into the moonless night.  Surprisingly, before the co-pilot and radioman could jump, the pilot was able to bring the windmilling propellers to life and the bomber limped away to make an emergency landing at the Kingman Army Air Field.

By Mick Woodcock

What follows are excerpts from articles about Christmas in Prescott from selected years during the 1870s.  We hope this will give you an idea of what our predecessors thought of the holiday and how they observed it.