By Andrew P. Odell

In 1882 the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad finally met a long-sought goal when it built track across northern Arizona. But to the dismay of Prescott residents it went through Ash Fork, somewhat to the north of the territorial capital.  There were a lot of mines around Prescott at the time, and they as well as the town stood to benefit from rail transportation.  Local businessmen and investors advanced several proposals for construction of a rail line to link Prescott and Ash Fork. Around 1884 the competition was winnowed down to two differing proposals.  The A&P urged the leaders of the two factions to compromise for everyone’s good and to get on with it.

By Al Bates

During the lengthy debates in the US Congress about splitting a new territory to be named Arizona from New Mexico Territory, the popular assumption was that the new territory’s capital would be located at Tucson—and that stipulation was included in an early version of the Arizona Organic Act.  But it did not happen.

By Dr. Jay Cravath

The venues for culture during the immigrant influx into Arizona Territory concentrated around mining towns, where striking it rich meant gaining disposable income.  Nouveau riche miners wanted to show their taste for the good life.  Gambling halls, restaurants—where cuisine was as fine as any in America’s large cities — opera houses, saloons, and brothels began serving their needs.

By Erik Berg

Many people know about the rich gold discoveries that brought waves of early prospectors to Yavapai County, but few realize that the area was also the scene of a brief but intensive oil boom during the First World War. For a few years, the rolling hills of the Chino Valley were dotted with the wooden derricks of oil wells and local newspapers were filled with the advertisements of would-be oil barons. Now largely forgotten, the Chino Valley oil boom remains as one of the more unusual stories from Arizona’s mining history.

By John Darrin Tenney

Baseball, the national pastime, has a long history dating back to the 1840s. The game evolved from older bat-and-ball games from England such as cricket and Colonial America era games like one-o-cat, two-o-cat. When most of us think of Arizona history, however, the game of baseball is not the first image that comes to mind.

By Dr. Sandra Lynch and Dave Lewis

“For centuries, art and handcrafts have played an important role in the religious and social lives of Indigenous peoples. . .  Throughout our Native American history it has been no different.  The images you see in almost all designs used in Native American arts and crafts are religious.  Even the hand processes used in creating such works reflect an individual artisan’s relationship with the tools that begin with a beating heart, mind and spirit.  Our ties to this earth and to our Creator are evident in almost all images in the cultural arts of the Native American artisan.”     (Andy Abieta, Isleta Pueblo)

By Dr. Barbara Marriott

The music floated in on a soft summer breeze.  The two schoolteachers rocking on the porch of their Oracle home caught the refrain and smiled at each other.  “That Annie sure knows how to throw a party.”  “Sure does,” replied the other woman, whose foot was tapping along with the beat. “Never met a guest that didn’t enjoy himself.”

By Mick Woodcock

Murder was never an everyday occurrence in territorial Arizona, despite what one might gather from the violence during the Pleasant Valley War and the shootings in Tombstone during its heyday.  Thus, the headline of an article in the July 30, 1887, Globe (Arizona) newspaper, the Arizona Silver Belt, announcing “A HOMICIDE AT BAKER’S BUTTE” is worthy of note as it resulted in a murder trial in the Yavapai County Courthouse in Prescott.  It also may have been the first time a crime scene was ever photographed in Arizona.

By Cynthia Palcich and Members of the Sharlot Hall Museum Staff

A tired and disgusted Apache said to the Army officer receiving his surrender, “Your Apache Scouts track us even when we leave no tracks.”  Such was the skill of the Apache warriors who enlisted in the Army during Arizona Territory’s Indian Wars of the 1870s and 1880s.

Mick Woodcock and other members of the Sharlot Hall staff contributed to this article.

In the 1870s and 1880s, Apache warriors enlisted in the United States Army to serve as scouts while the Army was at war with the Apache people.  Why would Apache warriors do something that appears contrary to the interests of their own people?   What was the role of Apache scouts?  Could Army commanders trust Apache scouts?  Was the use of Apache scouts effective?  The answers to these questions are probably as varied as the individual scouts and their personal relationships with the Army.  In broad terms, this article will provide some answers.