By Mary Melcher, Ph.D.

Many folks journeyed to Arizona during the territorial period, some without their legal spouses.  Available records reveal that desertion was a leading cause of divorce in the 19^th century. 

By Ray Carlson

The Prescott Free Academy was built in 1876 to make the town “the educational . . . centre of the Territory.”  The building was not only “the handsomest structure in the Territory” but also the “strongest brick building . . . possible to make.”  Surprisingly, there was “not even a crack in the plastering, showing the foundation to be solid.”  Built on Gurley Street two blocks east of the Courthouse Square, it formed the first impression visitors had of the town.

By Ray Carlson

The Prescott School District was created in 1871 with the Trustees responsible for providing the school house and teacher.  Their work never let up.  Over the next six years, they built a new school twice, made building improvements two other times, replaced the teacher twice and hired two additional teachers. 

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.”