By Bradley G. Courtney

Last week, John Henry “Doc” Holliday’s first tenure in Prescott—spanning the winter of 1879-80—was described. He spent that time with “Big Nose” Kate before she departed for Globe while Doc returned to Las Vegas, New Mexico, to tie up some loose ends and take advantage of the nearby Montezuma Springs.

Holliday was back in Prescott that spring. His name, written as “J. H. Holladay,” appeared in the 1880 Federal Census for Yavapai County. It’s sometimes difficult to remember that Doc was a young man at this time, being only 28-years old. His occupation was listed as dentist. The owner of the boarding house where Doc rented a room was Richard Elliott, a man who wore many hats.

The first mention of Elliott in Prescott came in the Miner on March 23, 1867, when he, along with several significant Prescott pioneers, signed a petition to remove squatters from the Plaza who were attempting to set up businesses there. Arriving in Yavapai County as a former school teacher, he, over time, became a successful miner, furniture maker, treasurer for the Masons, corn-sheller (using steam), picture-frame manufacturer, singer and singing teacher, windmill operator, match manufacturer, and temperance leader (an irony not lost on Wild West historians, knowing Doc drank heavily at times).

Where was Elliott’s house? Thanks to some determined digging by local researcher D. Sue Kissel, a clear answer has been provided. Elliott became a property owner in Prescott on June 25, 1867, when, on Montezuma Street just above Gurley Street, he bought lot 16 of Block 8. He added Lot 18 on October 4 of that year. By 1870 he had a lodging house in that area where Bashford Courts operates today. A busy parking lot is there now, but a historical marker has been installed there telling the story of Doc in Prescott. On November 19, 1875, Elliott, like so many other frontier people, experienced the tyranny of fire when his “fine frame building” burned down. At first, he thought he wouldn’t be able to rebuild, but rebuild he did. Doc moved in sometime in May 1880.

Also living in Elliott’s house in 1880 was the Secretary of Arizona Territory, John Gosper. In 1880 Arizona had its most famous but also most ineffective territorial governor, John C. Fremont, known to the world as the “Great Pathfinder.” Fremont’s ineptitude was primarily due to his being voluntarily absent much of the time, almost to the point of abandonment of post. Consequently, Gosper became the most active acting governor in Arizona’s history.

Did Gosper and Doc get along? Did they become friends? Conjectures and assumptions have been made, but virtually nothing is known about the nature of their relationship. When outlawry besieged Cochise County in 1881, however, it was primarily Gosper who tackled the problem.

While Doc sojourned in Prescott, his name never surfaced in the local newspaper; he apparently stayed out of trouble, and he wasn’t yet the celebrity he’d become after the legendary shootout near the OK Corral in Tombstone. However, he was remembered. In an 1884 Courier, when a report was published about Doc shooting a man in Leadville, Colorado, he was described as “formerly a well-known Prescott sporting man.” Undoubtedly, Holliday had made an impression on Whiskey Row. Pinpointing any saloon he may’ve patronized is impossible to do with certainty, but the Cabinet Saloon—“the chief faro and gambling place in the village” according to Lily Fremont—is a likely location. Today the Cabinet is the Palace Restaurant and Saloon.

Next week, Doc poses for a photograph that became prominent late in the 20^th century, and he departs for Tombstone.

“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.