By Al Bates

Many of the American men who moved west inthe mid-19th centiry had episodes in their past they wished forgotten.  A common solution to this problem was to change names, a practice followed by two of Prescott;s earliest pioneers.  Both men became well known in Arizona Territory long before they felt secure enough to resume use of their real names.  Both served in the Territorial Legislature while using aliases, and both made significant contributions to the written record of territorial Prescott. 

By William Peck

The Hillside Mine was the legendary silver mine located in 1510 by a member of the Farfan Party as they passed down the Santa Maria River en route from the Hopi Villages to the Gulf of Baja California.

Hillside Station received its name from that mine when a road was constructed connecting the mine to the railroad that had been recently completed. The road shorted the wagon haul that went across Bozarth Mesa through Walnut Creek, a difficult winter route.

By Terry Munderloh

Gold and silver were not the only mineral deposits which Arizona pioneers discovered.

In 1879 George Puntenney and his wife Lucy arrived in Arizona, located an abundance of limestone on the south rim of Hell Canyon (Highway 89 crosses Hell Canyon about 40 miles north of Prescott) and built the territory's first lime kiln. Lime was an important commodity in the developing West. It is not only used in making mortar and plaster but also in the manufacturing of glass and castings, the refining of sugar, and the tanning of leather. Lime water, a solution of slaked lime, was used in a myriad of medicinal applications.

By Parker Anderson

In the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, Goddard Station was a popular stagecoach stop between Phoenix and Prescott. Operated by Charles E. Goddard and his wife, Rosa, the little ranch-café was down near New River.

On Feb. 1, 1903, it all came to an end. Two men, described by witnesses as heavy-set Mexicans, walked in and asked to be fed. They proceeded to draw their guns and open fire. When the dust had settled, Goddard and his clerk, Frank Cox, lay dead. Witnessing the deadly attack were Goddard’s wife, and Milton Trumbull, a friend.

By Rob Bates

There is a small cloth patch in the collection of the Sharlot Hall Museum in Prescott. It is circular in shape; pine trees grace the edges and mountains fill the center. The letters CCC sweep across the top.

This small patch tells the story of where the CCC did most of its work – in the mountains, within the green places of the United States, - and did so in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service. One of these places to fit this description was, of course, the surrounding area of Prescott.

By Terry Munderloh

The Homestead Act of 1862 gave the privilege of obtaining a quarter section (160 acres) of land, free of charge, to any person who was head of a family or was at least 21 years old and a U.S. citizen, or had filed declaration to become such.

In the Sept. 21, 1864 edition of the Journal-Miner, the following notice dated Aug. 15, 1864, was published: “Know all men of these presents that the undersigned have this day taken up and squatted on the tract of land situated at and near the old site of Fort Whipple, consisting of about 500 acres.” The notice was signed by Postle, Brown & Co.

By Nancy Burgess

In the early 1900s, much of the railroad grant land in the Chino Valley area was sold to the Arizona Land and Irrigation Company.

The company applied for and received water rights along Granite and Willow creeks.

By Jay Eby

In the Territory of Arizona in 1900, I am sure the citizenry were just as expectant, just as sure something new and better would happen as we enter 2001.  Maybe, this would the year, 1900, that Arizona would become a State.  But, this was not to be; not for another 12 years. 

By Mick Woodcock

In 1863, Christmas was new to the list of celebrations for most people in the United States.  Popularized in part by the drawings of Santa Claus and Christmas done by Thomas Nast for Harpers Weekly magazine, much of the tradition as we know it today was in place by the time of the founding of Prescott.  That Christmas was remembered and recorded by a number of people.  No doubt the fact that this was the formation year of the Territory of Arizona had much to do with that.

By Jody Drake

On January 22, 1925, the Electoral College received votes from its electors.  Among those present, carrying the Republican votes for Coolidge, was "the lady from Arizona," Prescott's own Sharlot M. Hall.  As we look back at this we perceive it to be a history making event as well as big news, but in fact on that date in 1925, The Prescott Journal Miner headline read "Red Rock Postmaster Shot To Death at His Desk".  No mention of Miss Hall and her journey to Washington.