By Anita Nordbrock, Mike Ruddell, Norm Tessman, and Michael Wurtz

Red Light District to Prescott's quietest downtown lot: 
From the late 1860s until the 1900 fire, this site was home to two populations that were segregated from Prescott's other citizens - the Chinese community and the "red light district." Although both groups are well-known stock characters in the "old west" past, little is known of their day to day lives. There is a general study summarizing Prescott's Chinese community in the Journal of the Southwest Spring 1989 issue.

However nothing similar has been written about South Granite Street's prostitutes. We hope this archaeological excavation will contribute more information about both groups, and spark interest and research into Prescott's lost denizens of South Granite Street. 

On July 14, 1900, the entire block bordered by Montezuma, Gurley, Granite and Goodwin Streets was consumed by Prescott's greatest fire that destroyed most of the downtown area. Unlike Montezuma Street's "Whiskey Row" which quickly rebuilt in fireproof brick and block, the middle of the east side of the 100 block of Granite Street has seen only three small buildings in over 100 years. Recently, only known as a parking lot, this land held almost 18 buildings in 1895. Little redevelopment assures no deep excavations have intruded into the pre-1900 cellars and trash pits of Granite Street businesses, thus indicating a wealth of artifacts. 

Chinese: 
The first Chinese arrived in Prescott in the late 1860s. The transcontinental railroad, which employed many Chinese laborers, was completed on May 10, 1869. Some of these laid-off laborers may have been among the first Chinese to arrive in Prescott in 1869. The newspaper showed that negative attitudes toward the Chinese already existed. The Arizona Weekly Miner on May 29, 1869, noted, "We have heretofore neglected to inform our readers that a veritable young Celestial arrived at Fort Whipple, a short time ago. Should he live long enough to become a man, Yavapai County will contain one Chinaman." In Prescott, they were produce farmers, miners, cooks in saloons and restaurants, domestic servants, laundry owners and even a faro dealer. In 1900, the Chinese population peaked at 229. Because these men had every intention of returning home to China, they came as sojourners (temporary residents) who intended to return to China once they had accumulated enough money. 

Various factors contributed to the departure of the Chinese from Prescott. In 1886, Stephen B. Marcou started a campaign against the Chinese and established an Anti-Chinese League. In 1891, Granite Creek overran its banks and flooded Chinatown. In 1892, opposition to immigration and residence of Chinese in the United States peaked with congressional passage of the Geary Act, which extended for ten years the Exclusion Act of 1882, banned new immigration from China, and for the re-entry of former residents required a certificate of residence, which included a photograph and details about the person. The 1900 fire consumed the red light district with its restaurants, hotels, saloons, stores, sporting parlors and other businesses which were owned by or employed Chinese. Further erosion of employment opportunities occurred in 1907, when gambling was declared illegal in Arizona Territory. Then in 1914, Prohibition closed the saloons and their restaurants and many Chinese cooks lost their jobs. Lastly, the Great Depression of 1929 saw the demise of the four remaining laundries, the Yee Hang Yon Restaurant, and the Dong Wah and Quong Hing groceries. 

Historical Archaeology: 
The key phrase of Cultural Resource Management (CRM) is "resource management," where investigation of an area to be impacted by construction projects results in a survey to determine what archaeological remains are present and how to minimize their destruction. The excavation component of CRM is concerned with the recovery and interpretation of both prehistoric and historic sites endangered by modern progress. 

Historical archaeology looks at material remains from past societies that also left written evidence about themselves, and are thus "historical." The Prescott City Centre dig is an excellent example of modern multidisciplinary historical archaeology. It will combine the expertise of archivists, architectural historians, and cultural material specialists as well as archaeologists. Archival documents, photographs, and maps indicate where to dig, and suggest which former structure relates to each trash pit and artifact. The food bone will be analyzed for butchering techniques, and patent medicines will hint at diseases of the red light zone. Asian Studies scholars will be consulted to identify such esoteric items as Chinese gambling pieces. 

The excavation is collaboration between the City of Prescott, the M3 Corporation, and Sharlot Hall Museum. It is being carried out by SWCA Environmental Consultants. 

For more information on old Prescott, visit the Sharlot Hall Museum Archives (Tuesday - Friday, Noon to 4 and Saturday, 10-2). Call 928.445.3122 or visit www.sharlothallmuseum.org. 

Sharlot Hall Museum Photograph Call Number: (bub8069pc)
Reuse only by permission.
A cross section of Prescottonians at the Union Saloon in 1892 show miners, cowboys, restaurant workers, a Chinese man and a prostitute. We know plenty about the miners, etc, but we have little or no record about prostitution from early Prescott. The dig will shed light on these other populations. 


Sharlot Hall Museum Photograph Call Number:(map 819.1) Reuse only by permission.
This lithograph, looking NE toward Fort Whipple, created in about 1886, shows many buildings on Granite Street, which runs along Granite Creek in the foreground. The properties on Granite Street all show large backyards, connecting with the alley between Granite Street and Montezuma Street. After the 1900 fire, the area of the Prescott City Centre dig has only had three small structures, leaving much of the historic material from before the fire intact.