By Elizabeth Bourgault
John Henry Pruitt was born on October 4, 1896 at Pruitt Hollow, near the small settlement of Fallsville, Newton County, Arkansas to George Benton and Melissa Belle Pruitt. Many sources list his birthplace as Fayetteville, Washington County, Arkansas, but this appears to be incorrect.
Read MoreBy Troy Groves
The early history of Arizona cannot be told without acknowledging the newspaper owners, publishers, editors, compositors and pressmen who were present from the earliest beginnings. The wood and iron presses they dragged into the wilderness and kept in operation under the most difficult of circumstances were crucial to developing civilization in the wilderness. The papers and publications they printed kept the local citizens informed and, perhaps more importantly, let the outside world know what was happening in the wilderness that was then Arizona. To a great extent, most of the stories we know about Arizona history today were first printed on newsprint using hand set type when that history was still news.
Read MoreBy Dave Lewis
Last week we concluded that Arizona did not figure prominently in the Mexican-American War, but Army units crossing Arizona led to some lasting results.
A safe and practical wagon road from New Mexico to California was highly desirable, as it might lead to a good southern route for a railroad. In 1846, the Mormon Battalion became the first party to cross Arizona by wagon, albeit by a circuitous route. Colonel Philip Cooke, commanding, was effusive about this accomplishment:
Read MoreBy Dave Lewis
Last week: The United States was at war with Mexico. General Stephen Kearny took the Mexican capital at Santa Fe and headed across Arizona to take California. Kit Carson led the way. Carson had been in California with John C. Fremont a month earlier and told Kearny that Fremont had already taken California. Nonetheless, California was Kearny’s responsibility and he was bound to go. By mid-October they entered Arizona near the present-day town of Clifton and began struggling down the Gila River.
Read MoreBy Dave Lewis
Thus far in our series of occasional articles, we have discussed the Spanish entradas, missions and settlements south of the Gila River, Mexico’s independence from Spain, and a few of the mountain men who crossed this land -- all against the backdrop of the area’s challenging terrain and the lives and cultures of Natives who predated the arrival of Europeans by 10,000 years. By the 1840s, Mexico had population and governmental centers at Santa Fe and several places in Southern California; the small settlements at Tubac and Tucson were the only Mexican presence in what would become Arizona. The rest of Arizona was left to the Indians.
Read MoreBy Parker Anderson
There is a phenomenon that happens every October as people come to cemeteries to honor their dead ancestors - taphophiles are out in force. What is a taphophile? A taphophile is someone who is interested in visiting old cemeteries and viewing gravestones. Taphophiles do not visit cemeteries to do mischief; their only desire is to explore, learn, and experience the allure of the lore, art, history, and peaceful beauty of cemeteries.
By Ricky Erway
In a previous article we were introduced to Frank Murphy, resourceful entrepreneur and generous philanthropist from the time he arrived in Prescott in 1878. This article focuses on a topic that illustrates the two.
In 1892, he married Ethel Meany and found an enthusiastic partner in philanthropy. Murphy owned 350 acres in the western limits of Prescott. It included what is now Hassayampa Drive, Country Club Drive, around Indian Hill and back over to Coronado Drive, Vista Drive and High Street. Park Avenue led to what he called Murphy Park.
By Barbara Patton
One of Prescott’s early lady pioneers was Alvina Rodriquez Bennett. She and her family migrated from California in 1876. Descended from distinguished Spanish colonists, Alvina’s ancestors were the Vásquez family, who as members of the notable Anza Expedition arrived in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1776. In 1839, Alvina’s grandfather, José Tiburcio Vásquez, received a 4400-acre land grant from the Mexican Government. Today, this land is part of Golden Gate National Park.
Read MoreBy Fred Veil
The Arizona Miner was not the first newspaper published in the geographical area that would become the Arizona Territory. That distinction belongs to the Weekly Arizonian, a Tubac newspaper that first came on the scene in March, 1859, well before the Territory was officially established by the federal government. The Miner, however, was the newspaper most closely identified with the newly established government of the Territory. In fact, its printing press was brought to Arizona by Territorial Secretary Richard McCormick, who set the Miner up for business at the site of the original Fort Whipple near Del Rio Springs in the early months of 1864.
By Debra Matthews
Around 1760, it was common for a young man to commission a portrait miniaturist for a painting of oil on ivory (about 2”) of themselves to be sent to a lady as a marriage proposal; on the reverse would be an elaborate weave of his hair. If the offer was accepted the portrait may be worn by the intended on a chain around the neck or as a bracelet. If the portrait was returned, the engagement was refused. The miniature artist would charge about $20.00 for the portrait, an additional charge of $20.00 for a frame or case and the hair work. Most portrait miniaturist would process all the work themselves.
