By Norman Delucchi

The Arizona Journal-Miner announced in 1905, that the opening of the Prescott and Mount Union Railway, Prescott's only streetcar line, and its expected effect upon the city of Prescott, "will do for this city proportionately what the electric system has done for Los Angeles."

The next major event for the Prescott & Mount Union Railway occurred in late January of 1906. The Journal-Miner reported the arrival of the second car for the railway line. The car, known as a single truck Brill car, was 30 feet in length and was heated for all-season operation in Prescott. "Traveling men who have inspected it pronounce it to be as up to date as anything of its kind to be found in operation on any metropolitan railroad, anywhere, and certainly superior to any hither to seen in Arizona." The Jan 23rd article reported that a contract for a temporary barn to house both cars was being let to Sines and Rockmark. "It will not be a very elaborate one as it proposed by the company later on to erect a more commodious and pretentious one." However, no new car barn was ever constructed in Prescott. 

The Morning Courier of September 17, 1906, reported that "Prescott's pioneer street car, which has been in the hands of street car beauty doctors for several months, with all the wrinkles taken out of its aspect and it flirted along the rails at 5 cents a flirt, looking as gay as a kalsomined singer of 99 summers." Again, expansion is in the news "as track laying on Montezuma street south will be started in the near future." 

The exact date of the final revenue run of the streetcar line is unknown. However, based on newspaper articles from 1911, the line probably stopped running in 1910. What could have been the last run, was made at the request of the Chamber of Commerce on May 27, 1911, for an excursion of a visiting group from Phoenix. However, a very short revival is made during June of 1912, to provide transportation to the mammoth tent where the Chautauqua was being held. After that, electrical current never again ran through the lines. 

The Editorial Comment Column of the July 6, 1911 issue of the Journal-Miner lamented "the absence of traction facilities" over the 4th of July holiday. The article also hinted that the area around the lakes being formed by the storage of Lynx, Willow, and Granite Creeks might provide the company traffic in the future. Though the streetcar was no longer running, thoughts of expansion were again in the news. By mid-July 1911, Frank Wright had retired from the Electric Company and the Prescott & Mount Union Railway. 

Throughout August 1911, numerous articles and editorials appeared in the local newspapers regarding the operation of the line. Comments are made that Prescott does not have to advertise itself with two streaks of rust running up the center of the streets. In order to get the line running again, several matters had to be considered. One matter of concern was how to deal with the stockholders of the railway. Suggestions from the August 3, 1911, Chamber of Commerce meeting included to "pay the interest on the bonds" and "organize a subsidy fund". Murphy, now back into the thick of things, suggested, "we attempt to buy the bonds at a reduced price. If the company refuses to run the cars, let their franchise be forfeited and we can start a new company, which will run the cars on a solid basis." (Journal-Miner August 4, 1911.) 

Murphy, in a letter to the editor of the Journal-Miner on August 6, 1911, expanded on his comments made at the Chamber of Commerce meeting three days before. He was vehemently opposed to any solution that only provided a temporary solution. His comments would lead you to believe that he still had some resentment regarding the franchise to Wright. Murphy said, "I believe that city council could well afford to grant someone a new franchise embodying all of the favorable conditions that attach to the existing franchise." He proposed two solutions: "The company to revive service with such help as the city council, Chamber of Commerce, citizens generally, the power company would give" and "If this cannot be done then the city council should proceed against the company to make some new plans." He concluded, "If car service cannot be established on some reasonably satisfactory basis, I would prefer to see the rails and poles removed and the money that the citizens would have to pay to secure temporary operation of the line, put into repairing the streets and make a first class macadam to the Post to be properly maintained." 

As reported in the Journal-Miner of August 11, 1911, the Chamber of Commerce at their August 10, 1911 meeting, appointed a ten-man committee "to thrash the matter out and report at the meeting next Thursday as to the most feasible plan." Even with a committee of prominent citizens, those offering to contribute to a subsidy fund, the power company and city council promising concessions, and the Bank of Arizona offering to forgo the rent on the car barn for an unlimited period, still no cars were running. 

The good folks of Prescott must have been feeling some frustrations at the lack of progress being made in getting the cars running again. The following is quoted from the Editorial Comment Column of the Journal-Miner of September, 2, 1911: "Quintus Fabius Maximus, Cunctator, better known as the greatest delayer in the history of the world, seems to control the activities of the committee on street cars." 

Finally, in February 1912, the city council ordered the forfeiture of the operator's franchise; however, in its March meeting, the council turned a somersault, revoking its previous order on the forfeiture. The reason given in the article in the Journal-Miner from March 5, 1912, was "reorganization would fail if the franchise were forfeited and that no one else would apply for a franchise because the carline runs outside of the city limits." The article noted that Wright lost $26,000 in the operation of the line. By this time, the uncertainty regarding the fate of Fort Whipple, more and more automobiles on the roads and a demand for removal of rusty rails and power poles, led the reasons for the line's inability make a comeback. Hence, the majority of the rails and power equipment were sold for scrap and some rails were reportedly paved over, though the City's Public Works Department cannot recall finding any rails in recent street repairs. 

There is some confusion regarding the fate of the two streetcars. For example: reports of both cars sent to Douglas, cars sent to Tucson, one car to a museum, both cars scrapped, and one car used as a residence. The Old Pueblo Trolley organization of Tucson researched the final destiny of the two cars. Their opinion is: car #1 was used as a residence in Prescott until the mid-1940's when it is razed; car #2 was sent to Douglas, AZ, with the final demise of that car unknown. 

The Old Pueblo Trolley organization of Tucson is currently restoring a single truck Brill car that originally ran in Lisbon, Portugal, and had been in storage in Aspen, Colorado, for a number of years. The Lisbon/Aspen is a typical Brill single truck car. This car is similar, though a bit shorter, than the Prescott and Mount Union's # 2 car. Noting the similarity, this group has begun a restoration of that car to resemble Prescott's car # 2. The Lisbon/Aspen car is the most representative of car # 2 than any other car that ran in Arizona. The interior is being restored as a Lisbon car, complete with all signs in Portuguese, but the exterior will be finished to resemble the P&MU's car # 2. Although the Old Pueblo Trolley organization has no estimated completion date, someday, when visiting Tucson, you may just happen to see car # 2 of the Prescott and Mount Union Railway Company going by. 

Though the Prescott and Mount Union Railway only ran for a short period, it served as a transportation transition from animal powered wagons to the beginning of the automobile era. The timing of the operation was coincidental with the reestablishment of Fort Whipple, providing a convenient way for the soldiers to enjoy the wonders of Whiskey Row. Of course having the soldiers in town must have been a delight to the tavern owners. While there may be some Prescottonians alive today who rode the trolley as infants, this part of Prescott's history is now forgotten, except for old newspaper stories and the photographs in the archives at Sharlot Hall Museum. 

(Norman Delucchi is a volunteer at Sharlot Hall Museum.) 

Sharlot Hall Museum Photograph Call Number:(t121pb)
Reuse only by permission.
Car #1, Prescott and Mount Union Railway, c.1903. 

Sharlot Hall Museum Photograph Call Number:(t186p)
Reuse only by permission.
The new car, #2, P & MU Railway, 1906.