By Mary Melcher, Ph.D.

Sharlot Hall was just twelve years old in 1882 when her family moved by covered wagon from Kansas to Arizona Territory.  Sharlot rode her pony all the way, herding horses which her father sold once they reached Arizona. 

By Brad Courtney

The Great Fire of 1900 compelled the glorious rebirth of Prescott and its famous Whiskey Row. However, three major fires transpiring before 1900 also played a part in shaping Whiskey Row’s geography.

By Barbara Patton

Living among the Hopi (1905 - 1912), Kate Cory gained an appreciation and intimate understanding of Hopi culture.  Daily life was simple, but their complex spiritual life and colorful ceremonies were unique. Kate’s photographs, paintings and writings leave us today with a vivid picture of the color and mystery of the Hopi Nation.

Sylvia first moved to Prescott in 1948 when her father, Dr. James Soderstrom, was transferred to Fort Whipple. Sylvia attended Washington Elementary School and went through the Prescott school system graduating from Prescott High School in 1955. Sylvia graduated from Arizona State University in Tempe in 1959 with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education. Sylvia married Bill Neely, who was also a teacher.

Lynn Haak, who has made Globe, Arizona the center of her world since 1981, is a most fitting candidate for the honor of the Sharlot Hall Award. Active in the Gila County Historical Society and the Arizona Historical Society (serving 13 years on their Board of Directors), she has also found time to be a member of the planning committee for the Arizona History Convention, co-host of the Arizona Historical Convention in Globe, and planner for the Between Fences Smithsonian traveling display. She played a significant part in the restoration efforts of the 1906 Gila County Courthouse.

Fayrene Martin moved to Ash Fork from Arkansas. In 1953, she married Lewis Hume, grandson of Thomas Cooper Lewis, one of the town’s first residents. With the railroad and highway bypassing the town an...

The Sharlot Hall Award 2005 goes to Patricia Preciado Martin for her outstanding contribution to the preservation of Mexican-American oral history committed to print. In this preservation effort, she is surely Sharlot Hall's cultural comadre.

Barbara Baldwin Salyer is honored with the 2004 Sharlot Hall Award for her family history research and publications that has contributed to the understanding and awareness of Arizona History.

Prescottonian Melissa Ruffner is honored with the 2003 Sharlot Hall Award for her teaching the "lore of her land," storytelling, and tour guiding that has contributed to the understanding and awareness of Arizona History.

Tucson resident Loretta "Lori" Davisson is honored with the 2002 Sharlot Hall Award for her research, writing, consulting, and archival work that has contributed to the understanding and awareness of Arizona history.