By Ruby Schmieder

Before the Mountain Club existed there was the heat of Phoenix B.C. (Before Cooling).  It had a population of about 40,000 most of them suffering through the summer heat.  The more affluent mothers fled with the children to the California seacoast hoping to protect the small children from the (sometime fatal) summer complaints.  However, it was never a desirable situation to separate families for the summer.  Thus there was a need to correct this unhealthy exodus.

By Linda Ludington

The current owner of the historic V7 Ranch, Betty Wells, is an energetic woman who is full of friendly good will and good stories about six generations of her family who have made Chino Valley their home.  You would not think that this demure Western woman had been named Rancher of the Year by the Kiwanis Club or had been a rodeo-winning team roper or had introduced the Team Penning event to the Prescott Rodeo.  You would not expect to find that, at the age of seventy-five, she still works cattle on young horses she trains herself, fixes fences and brands on the range, but all of these are true of Betty Wells.

By Al Bates

(Note: This is another installment from Al Bates’ “Remembered Names and Forgotten Faces of Fort Whipple” presented to the Prescott Corral of Westerners, a local organization which promotes interest in history and culture of Western North America.)

The party of Territorial officers led by Governor Goodwin arrived at the original Fort Whipple site on Jan. 22, 1864.

By Dewey E. Born

The second photoplay was called "Neighbors".  The story involves two ranch families who do not get along at all well.  The girl of one family, played by Mary Ryan, falls in love with the boy of the other family, played by Robin Adair, which creates a host of problems.  The two elope by taking a train out of town.

By Dewey E. Born

At the beginning of this century a frequent visitor to Prescott was the Medicine Man.  He would set up shop on a street corner at night and, with flaming torches and some entertainment to draw a crowd, sell his cure-all elixir.  In 1906, one of these potion purveyors arrived with a different attraction.  He had a motion picture projector which he set up in the second story window of a building and used the wall of a building across the street for a screen.  When it was dark enough, he showed "The Great Train Robbery" which was just eight minutes long.  This was probably the first movie shown in Prescott.

By Sandra Lynch

Back around 1600, an English jurist shed some light on the relationship between humans and their houses.  "The house of everyone is to him as his castle and fortress, as well for his defense against injury and violence as for his repose," commented Sir Edward Coke.

By Kathryn Reisdorfer

Some come to see the rodeo, the parade, or the fair on the Square.  Some come from the Valley to get away from the heat.  Others are drawn by the blow-out on Whiskey Row.  And, of course, there are the high-tech water fights.  Now 111 years old, Prescott's Fourth of July celebration and Rodeo still draws them in-for various reason and via various conveyances.

By Nancy Kirkpatrick Wright

Just what is an Occultation of Venus?  About once every eight years, the path of our sister planet intersects the slightly tilting path of our moon.  Early in the morning of April 19, 1993, Prescott sky-watchers saw the moon move closer and closer to the bright disk of Venus until it disappeared as if the moon had suddenly swallowed it whole.  About 80 minutes later the watchers were rewarded by the reappearance of Venus on the other side of the moon.  And all was right with the world. 

By Mick Woodcock

It has been said that one of the main functions of a museum is to tell good stories.  That is what we try to do at Sharlot Hall Museum.  More often than not, there are more stories than space to tell them.  When you can tell the story, there is generally not enough room to tell all of it.  Such is the case with Carrie Wilkins.

By Evan Sage

Tomorrow, June 14, is Flag Day.  Oftentimes questions arise as to whether Arizona had a territorial flag.  An examination of documents in both Sharlot Hall Museum and the State Capitol archives yielded little on the subject.  However, the story of flags over Arizona goes way back.