By Kathy Krause

The July 14, 1900 fire in downtown Prescott burned all the books the Monday Club ladies had collected for three years for their little library in the Bashford building. It took over a year for the Library Board to get things rolling again for the planned library building. Book donations came in from the community and the insurance money from the fire loss was all held pending the construction of the Carnegie Library. The $4,000 collected locally and equal grant from the Carnegie Foundation were in the bank.

By Kathy Krause

In mid-1899, the Library Board of Directors of the Monday Club of Prescott requested a grant from the Andrew Carnegie Foundation in the sum of "$10,000 or even $8,000" in order to build a public library. The Foundation agreed to supply "the last half of the eight thousand dollars ($8,000) required to make the library free." In April 1900, the Carnegie Foundation sent the $4,000 they had promised after the town had collected the first $4,000 to fulfill the town’s obligation.

By Kathy Krause

In August of 1895, a group of women in frontier Prescott felt the need for a club where they could "meet for study, mutual counsel and united action pertaining to education and civic betterment." It was called, "The Women’s Club of Prescott," and met twice monthly on the least socially busy day of the week, Monday. They were not and did not wish to be considered a part of the usual women’s groups of the time, i.e. women suffragettes.

By Carol Powell

In May of 1897, three men escaped from the Prescott jail in the true manner of Western folklore. They left in a blaze of gunfire, leaving a young man dead in their haste. The news of the escape and the names of the men were sent by telegraph to neighboring towns and cities. The escapees were Cornelia Sarata, Louis Clair Miller and James Fleming Parker.

By Parker Anderson

One of Prescott's most enduring legends is the brief history of the Ku Klux Klan in Prescott. The famed white supremacist group had existed in various forms throughout the nation since Southern Reconstruction. By the 1920s, the Klan was the subject of public debate, with state legislatures conducting investigations into allegations of killings, vandalism, and general terror tactics attributed to the Klan.

By Stan Brown

 (This is the third and final installment of "A Day Trip..." We pick up for the final segment of the journey at the Walnut Creek Bridge at milepost 35.8.)

As you cross the bridge, look up and slightly to the left (northwest) and you will see the Juniper Mesa Wilderness area. You are in the Juniper Mountains that span many miles to the north and west from here. Soon after crossing the bridge, County Road 125 (Walnut Creek Road) branches to the west. Turn here to explore the area.
 

By Stan Brown

This day trip will take you from Prescott to Seligman on the Williamson Valley Road, and is being presented in three parts. We pick up this week, Part 2, on our day trip with historical spots along Williamson Valley Road beginning at milepost 20.6.
 

At milepost 20.6 is the Crossroads Ranch development on the right. This area was originally known as "the crossing" where stage, wagon trains and freight wagons crossed the wash on the route between Prescott and Hardyville (now Bullhead City). There are several things to note in this area. Dillon Wash (aka Williamson Valley Wash) was named for the John Dillon family who had a house in the settlement of Simmons. The large trees on your left, 100 yards or so in from the road, was the location of this small settlement and stage stop named for John A. Simmons, who settled here in 1880.
 

By Stan Brown

This is part 1 of a 3-part historical backroad trip adventure from Prescott to Seligman. Wait until you have all 3 parts to make the trip come alive. In the meantime, pick up a Prescott National Forest map at 344 S. Cortez or at Granite Mountain Outfitters.
 

One of Yavapai County's many beautiful drives, and a good one for entertaining guests, is the Williamson Valley Road out of Prescott northward to Seligman. Not only is this a scenic drive, but these 70 miles have many stories to tell from Arizona's Territorial days.
 

By Judy Stoycheff

John Stemmer had, by 1875, established a way station on what would later be known as the General Crook Trail at a location just east of Dewey along Ash Creek. He maintained a fully supplied inn, stables and corrals built of stone, a bar, store and dining room

In December of 1882, John paid the sum of $8 for Homestead Application #197 for the 160 acres where his station was located, made easier by dint of his being a military veteran. deed.

By Judy Stoycheff

A favorite summer hike and picnic area is on trail #64 to the Stone Corral north of State Highway 169 east of Dewey. This site, shaded by huge ancient Cottonwood trees, watered by Ash Creek and guarded in the past by long-horn cattle, consists of two large stone wall circular structures, obviously meant to be used as corrals. In the 1870s, General George Crook was stationed at Fort Whipple in Prescott and frequently traveled between there and Fort Verde, possibly using this portion of the trail that may have been an existing freight line. It has become part of what was later named the "General Crook Trail" between Prescott, Fort Verde and Fort Apache.