By Bob Cornett

Many thanks to Margaret Finnerty for a copy of her feature article in the Scottsdale Progress newspaper of January 26, 1985 when she was Curator of Education for the Central Arizona Museum in Phoenix. This is a condensation of her research, used by her permission.

A “moving saga” of our Arizona Territorial Capital began soon after Governor Goodwin and his party’s January 1864 arrival near Del Rio Springs in Chino Valley where they set up a temporary camp. It was determined that the location was unsuitable as a capital site. Without delay, Governor Goodwin spent months touring the territory to find a suitable site for the capital and ultimately chose the area that would be named ‘Prescott’ among miners and gold strikes. In May, the Governor moved to the banks of Granite Creek in Prescott and here was built the log structure which was home to the first two territorial governors…now the Governor’s Mansion at Sharlot Hall Museum.

Tucson was rightfully miffed about Governor Goodwin’s selection of Prescott as they had the population, missions and productive mines. Because they sided with the Confederacy for military protection, they became “ineligible” as a capital of the new territory since the Civil War was still in progress.

A census, districts established and an election for 27 territorial legislators followed, with only six residing in the Prescott area. The first territorial legislature, called the Assembly, met in Prescott in a log cabin and it wasn’t long before there was talk of moving the capital south. The cold winter and difficulty in travel prompted the discussions. Thus began the annual contentious north-south problem that persisted until 1889.

Each year the Assembly voted where to meet the following year. A choice between Prescott and Tucson was often decided by the slimmest margin. They met in Prescott for the first three years (1864-1866), then, with the Civil War over, Tucson for the next ten years (1867-1876) and back to Prescott for the following twelve years 1877-1889).

Meanwhile, Phoenix was busily progressing from a tiny ramshackle farm community to a growing city with an active “booster” element. Brick buildings were rising instead of adobe. They emphasized that the central location would be more convenient for the legislators. Furthermore, they would provide a permanent capitol building. Newspapers wrote about freely offered “boodle sacks” (bribery money) and serious arm twisting continued.

As the capital moved north or south, the distant representatives groused about the cold or hot weather, crossing rivers without bridges, tedious stage rides, possible highwaymen, poor roads and frequent accidents. It was so bad, they claimed, that many would ride the Santa Fe Rail to Los Angeles then Southern Pacific to Tucson (or the reverse route) rather than chance the road trip to and from Prescott.

The night before opening the January 1889 Prescott legislative session, there was much “creative lobbying” by Phoenix advocates. Next morning, bleary eyed legislators considered House Bill 1, an Act to Remove the Capitol of the Territory to Phoenix. The Assembly held all the required readings, voting and passing it easily and within one hour of the Council (Senate) readings and voting affirmatively, Governor Meyer Zulick signed the Act into law. Rather than have the move apply to the next year, as was the custom, they merely recessed that January day in 1889 and moved to Phoenix.

Phoenix lavished legislators with an $1800 welcome banquet. Fortunately, a bill to cover $1800 “moving expense” died in committee when legislators were reminded that Phoenix “boosters” already volunteered to pay moving expenses and to loan them furnishings as well as the use of the two-year-old Phoenix City Hall until a permanent capitol building could be built. A second floor was quickly added with crews working day and night and the stone addition to city hall was completed in time for a February reconvening of the legislators.

Finally, the north versus south issue was resolved. The original, permanent capitol building construction began in 1898 and was in operation by 1901. It was home to the legislature until 1960 when new legislative buildings were built. Since 1981, the old capitol building, on the National Register of Historic Places, is a museum dedicated to the history of Arizona.