Edited by Brenda Taylor, Bob Harner, & Andrew Somerville - A compilation of previous Days Past articles by Barbara Patton, Lane Burkitt, Marguerite Madison Aronowitz & Al Bates.
Approximately 160 years ago, the Arizona Territory and, almost by default, the Village of Prescott was established. The Territory was new and unexplored for the most part, and Prescott was in its infancy.
In 1860 Jack Swilling, while pursuing Native Americans deep into central Arizona with the Gila Rangers, discovered indications of gold along the Hassayampa River. Swilling joined the Walker prospecting party, headed by Joseph Walker, and led them to discover gold along the Hassayampa River in May 1863. General James Carleton, military commander of New Mexico Territory with authority over Arizona, wished to secure the gold deposits for the Union, as the Civil War was underway. This prompted him to establish Fort Whipple at Del Rio Springs in present-day Chino Valley. The first Territorial Governor, John Goodwin, arrived with his party in late December 1863. He eventually settled on the current location of downtown Prescott as the best spot for the capital of the new territory, and Fort Whipple was moved to today's site, now the Bob Stump Veteran’s Affairs Center off Highway 89, to better protect the miners in that area.
Governor Goodwin called a meeting on May 30, 1864, to choose a name for the new community. Territorial Secretary Richard McCormick had a classic book with him by William Prescott and suggested the town be named after the well-known historian, Everyone agreed. Goodwin then appointed Robert Groom and Van C. Smith to survey the new town site. It’s due to the surveying work of Robert Groom that Prescott has the wide streets and central plaza that make it attractive to residents and visitors today.
By December 1864, Prescott, the fledgling capital of the Arizona Territory, was barely a town, laid out with a few dirt streets and trails leading into the forest and mining camps. Probably a few hundred miners and soldiers were within reach of town, plus a few families who had moved into the settlement. The settlers who arrived that year constructed simple log homes on plots of land laid out by Robert Groom. Even the governor’s home, a large log house, was modest in comparison to mansions back East. None of the homes had glass in their windows, only shutters.
Most were heated with stone or adobe fireplaces and lighted with candles and lanterns, the light from which filtered out of the whipsawed boards at the windows. Sam Miller, who had been with the Walker party, helped town residents with his hunting skills. The deer, antelope, turkey and quail he provided furnished several Christmas feasts. To round out the meals, Mexican brown beans seasoned with plenty of "sowbelly" and chili sauce were usually added. In the Governor’s Mansion, Henry Fleury, the governor’s personal secretary, supervised the preparation of a large buffet prepared by Ft. Whipple cooks.
Joseph and Margaret Ehle and their children, who had arrived that summer, lived in a five-room log cabin on the corner of Marina and Goodwin streets. Margaret Ehle invited friends and family to visit with them. Evening festivities consisted of a dance at the Governor’s Mansion. Margaret Ehle and Celia Sanders baked cakes for refreshments, and other ladies brought dried peaches and apples or penoche (fudge) made from Mexican brown sugar. For the adults, Henry Fleury mixed up his “Oh Be Joyful Juice,” which added to the conviviality.
Prescott’s first Christmas was celebrated with the true pioneer spirit. The frontier holiday may have lacked the glitter and glamor of Eastern celebrations, but there was no lack of warmth and cheer. 160 years later, a Frontier Christmas at the Sharlot Hall Museum continues today with an evening of classic holiday merrymaking on Saturday, December 7 from 6:00-8:30 pm.
“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.