By Kathryn Reisdorfer

As I watched the throngs of people enjoying music, commerce and camaraderie the night of the Acker Musical Showcase, I was reminded of what early Christmases must have been like in Prescott.  People were on the street sharing with their neighbors-whether they were conscious of it or not-the heightened feelings of the season.  Christmas in the early days in Yavapai County was also a public affair.  People, eager for company, flocked into the towns from remote mining camps and ranches.  Even town-dwellers took part in the public activities.  After all, in this newly settled area, most people were not set-up well enough to entertain friends in their homes.  Still, far from many of their kin, they sought warmth and a sense of community. 
 

By William "Bill" Peck

In about 1823, fur trappers such as Jim Bridger, "Old Bill" Williams, James O. Pattie and his father, Sylvester, began penetrating the mountains of the west.  There were about 400 of their numbers, diligent humans, animals who could carry a pack of traps, and supplies that would stagger a horse. Horses were of little use to them since stealth was essential and these men survived only because they could "out-Indian" the Indians.

By Tom Brodersen

The first store on Prescott's Courthouse Plaza was operated by Michael Wormser, a pioneer Jew from Alsace-Lorraine, France.  Wormser purchased the adobe building on the southeast corner of Montezuma and Goodwin (next to the current Chamber of Commerce office) from Rafael Lucero of New Mexico.  For the next decade, Michael Wormser sold miners supplies and general merchandise on the Plaza. 
 

By Robert Spude

On November 19, 1904, Prescott's newspaper reported:  "Mrs. F. M. Murphy entertained a number of guests in honor of Miss Nellie Drake, who returned recently from a visit east.  The dining room which is in red, was beautifully decorated for the occasion and a dainty little souvenir in the shape of a Cinderella silver slipper filled with bonbons was given to each guest."

By Marguerite Madison Aronowitz

The city of Prescott is known for its many attractive features, including the historic courthouse, Whiskey Row, and a collection of five outstanding monumental bronzes that grace the downtown area.  Residents and visitors alike often ask about the stories behind these impressive works of art.

By Richard Gorby

There are two major reasons for most ventures into the Sharlot Hall Museum Archives: a search for family history and/or a search for certain aspects of Prescott history. 
 

For the family historian, genealogical indexes are kept on special shelves.  These include marriage, death and burial records, hospital deaths, funeral records, census records, city directories, telephone directories, probate and wills, school yearbooks and many other source materials.

By Al Bates

Late in 1942, a small group of young American men dressed in khaki could be seen practicing their marching skills on the streets of the small rural community of Prescott, Arizona.  On closer look, their garb was far from uniform.  While all wore khaki shirts and pants, some wore web belts round their waists while others wore belts of leather.  Some wore black shoes while others wore brown.  They were all bareheaded, and only a few wore any insignia.  Who were these 28 young men and what were they doing in the mountains of central Arizona far from any military base in the first year of America's participation in World War II? 
 

By Mona Lange McCroskey

Recently the community of Prescott community lost a very remarkable lady.  Services for Martha Yount Caldwell were held at the Congregational Church, a block from where she was born in 1912, soon after Arizona attained statehood.  Martha had deep roots in Prescott.  Her grandfather, John Criley, was a pioneer physician who came here in the 1890s, followed by her father, Dr. Clarence E. Yount, who emigrated to Arizona as a health seeker and married Dr. Criley's daughter Clara.  Dr. and Mrs. Yount established their first home on the corner of Marina and Gurley Streets next door to the Congress Hotel, where the Hassayampa Inn now stands.

By Parker Anderson

Every once in a while, someone will strike up a conversation with me regarding Prescott's various reputed "haunted" sites.  I enjoy the subject, but in reality, Prescott is probably one of the least haunted cities in America.  Whether you believe in ghosts or not, there are not that many purported hauntings in the Prescott area, so the same stories are told over and over again.

By Bill Lynam

On Oct. 13, 1895, The Arizona Journal Miner reported in a welcoming article that Virgil Earp relocated to Prescott, this time from Cripple Creek, Colorado.  It recalled some of his and his brothers past exploits in Prescott and Tombstone and their ridding these communities of outlaws.  Virgil started mining in the Hassayampa district in partnership with W.H. Harlon.  They leased the Grizzly mine owned by W.C. Hanson.