By Tom Collins

It was September 2, 1873, and a huge crowd of citizens and soldiers alike had assembled at Fort Whipple. The ladies from the post made the occasion festive with their presence and the 23rd Infantry Band was on hand in full uniform, adding the charms of music to the already joyful scene. At 10:00 a.m., the wife of General Crook took up a shovel and turned the sod while the wife of General Dana performed the baptism by braking a bottle of champagne over the first telegraph pole in Prescott.

by Pat Atchison 

Chapter I: Fatal affliction 

Thus reads the local obituary in the Arizona Journal Miner, Thursday, March 7, 1912, of one interred in Citizens Cemetery, Sheldon Street, Prescott: "James Doak, a recent arrival from Phoenix, suffering with chronic rheumatism, passed away yesterday. He was a large real estate owner of Kansas City, and was aged about 55 years. He leaves a wife and son in the above city, and the latter is en route to take the remains home for burial, which are being prepared for shipment by Lester Ruffner."

By Parker Anderson

I am unable to deny it, but I am fascinated by Yavapai County and Arizona history in general. This was not always the case for me. As a child and young adult, I had naturally heard a lot of the traditional stories and legends about Prescott area, but I never really got into it until I was about thirty years old. At that time, I had joined Sharlot Hall Museum's Blue Rose Theater to write and produce plays about local history. Theater director, Jody Drake, stressed to me that our plays had to be as historically accurate as possible, which meant extensive research in the museum archives and other locations as needs might warrant. 

By Bob Cornett

Early Prescottonians, cowboys, city folks and miners enjoyed grinding and brewing their favorite, their one and only Arbuckles Ariosa Coffee:" The coffee that won the west." No brand sold more coffee in the U.S. than Arbuckles', and yet that name has passed into history - you may see a package on display at the Sharlot Hall Museum. Yet, the Arbuckle name has a story that needs to be told whether remembered or not.

By Bob Jenkins 

In the early 1960s, a strange thing started to creep into Prescott, we called it "rock and roll." Of course, country music was still king at the time and that is what made it tough for local young musicians to make a breakthrough. However, when we did, it was like a dam broke because the young people in Prescott had little to do otherwise.

Submitted by Ryan Flahive

The following poem was written by Sharlot M. Hall for Arthur Weslock Upson. The original is located in the Sharlot M. Hall Papers & Photographs Collection, MS-12 at the Sharlot Hall Museum Library & Archives.

By Marian Powell 

If you don't recognize the name, Solon Borglum, consider this scene: It's July 3, 1907. A parade with cavalry, a marching band, a troop of Rough Rider Veterans, Civil War Veterans, troops from Fort Whipple, the Territorial Governor, various prominent citizens and military officers, and the fire departments of Phoenix, Tucson, and Prescott proceed to the Courthouse Plaza in Prescott. Seven thousand people witness the unveiling of the statue of Prescott's own Buckey O'Neill.

By Tom Collins 

Still at the helm, Dauphin produced Arthur Sullivan's one-act operetta "Cox and Box; or, The Long-Lost Brothers," (based on John Maddison Morton's famous farce "Box and Cox") in January 1886. Sergeant Bouncer, a landlord (Harry Carpenter), has a scheme to get double rent from a single room. By day he lets it to Mr. Box (a printer who is out all night, played by J.E. Brown) and by night to Mr. Cox (a hatter who works all day, played by Joe Dauphin). When the lodgers raise awkward questions, Bouncer distracts them by singing of his military exploits.

By Tom Collins 

It was Christmas Eve, 1879, and at the Prescott Theatre, a rowdy mix of miners, merchants, lawyers, judges, soldiers, saloonkeepers, and refined ladies were packed shoulder-to-shoulder as conductor Fr. Heydenrich raised his baton and Fort Whipple's12th Infantry Band struck up the opening strains of the overture.

By Sharlot M. Hall 

(Edited by Parker Anderson) 

(The following is reprinted from the Prescott Journal Miner of November 13, 1919. That newspaper had captured a Gila monster and had it on display in their office, which, for some reason, prompted a debate lasting several days over whether or not Gila monsters were poisonous.)