By Parker Anderson

As we approach the 100th anniversary of Arizona's statehood, it's an apt time to remember a man who was at the forefront of the battle for statehood during its final years, but who is seldom (if ever) mentioned anymore in connection with the subject.

Ralph Henry Cameron was born in Southport, Maine, in 1863, the son of a fisherman. He became a fisherman himself as he grew to manhood, but apparently heard the "Go West, young man" call and, like many others before and after, set out across the plains.

By Kathy Krause

Soon after the Territorial Governor's Party arrived in 1864, to what would later be named Prescott, a log house was built near the banks of Granite Creek to serve as both home and office for Governor John N. Goodwin and Secretary Richard McCormick. The rough-hewn log house was built hastily using oxen and mules to drag the logs to their position, the very position where they may be seen today.

By Lane Burkitt

Benjamin Henry Grierson (1826-1911) and Alice Kirk were married on Sept. 24, 1854, in Jacksonville, Ill. At the time, he was a musician and band director and she was a schoolteacher. The Griersons were married during the turbulent pre-Civil War years, and that conflagration shaped much of their lives. He enlisted in the Union Army at the outbreak of the war and was assigned to cavalry duty despite the fact that he had a fear of horses stemming from an incident in which he was kicked and nearly killed by a horse when he was 8 years old.

By Goodie Berquist

In 1921, Prescott was financially troubled and a group of white local businessmen decided to keep the annual Frontier Days Rodeo alive by staging a "Way Out West" show. They dressed up like cowboys and Indians using costumes, body paint and makeup. Their performance was such a success that the fictitious tribe, the Smoki, was born. In 1922, Sharlot Hall wrote a booklet titled "The Story of the Smoki People." The organization appealed to many Prescott residents who became affiliated in one way or another, and the yearly performances continued until 1990. Women and children also became involved.

By Edd Kellerman

Born in 1915, George Phippen was raised on farms in Iowa and Kansas and had no formal art education. As a youngster he modeled clay figures of animals, eventually working his way up to lifelike images of the ranch hands and cowboys who came through on the Chisholm Trail cattle drives. While serving in World War II, he taught himself to paint and, soon after the war, he briefly worked with artist Henry Balink in Santa Fe, N. M. As he began to work in oil and watercolor, art became his life.

By Al Bates

Al Bates, local historian, has written several articles for Days Past (1999 and 2000) about the history of Fort Whipple. The following is the last of a two-part condensed and edited rendering of those articles by Kathy Krause.

In 1872, the original buildings and stockade of Fort Whipple were demolished and more permanent frame buildings were erected on higher ground about 70-feet above Granite Creek. The official guide to posts, camps and stations declared them to be excellent quarters "in all respects."

by Jim Christopher

Just as all of the right conditions converged to create "The Perfect Storm" in the bestselling book and motion picture, a similar occurrence came about in Prescott in 1931. Grace Sparkes, the dynamic director of the Yavapai County Chamber of Commerce at that time, was interested in promoting tourism in Prescott to compensate for the slow economy of the Great Depression.

By Al Bates

Al Bates, local historian, has written articles for Days Past (1999 and 2000) about the history of Fort Whipple. The following is the first of a two-part condensed and edited rendering of those articles by Kathy Krause.

Fort Whipple was a U.S. Army post located originally in Val de Chino (Chino Valley) in December of 1863, moving in late May of 1864 to the banks of Granite Creek, on the site of the current Bob Stump Veterans' Administation (VA) Medical Center. The fort was moved in order to be nearer needed timber and the miner encampments a few miles south and west of the fort.

By Parker Anderson

The first legal hanging in Prescott’s history of Manuel Abiles is not remembered as an extraordinary event.  The people involved are not colorful and legendary, though it has been written about a number of times.  (Note: There are three spellings in various documents and accounts of the first Prescott hanging pertaining to his last name.  The oldest documents at the time of the hanging spell his last name Abiles.  Later written accounts use Aviles.  There is even one newspaper article that spells his name Abelis.  To maintain consistency, we will use the name as given in the oldest documents.)

By Kathy Krause

The thirty-six foot replica of the USS Arizona battleship, fondly called ZOE by the builders Cecil and Pat Gates, was put into dry dock at the end of 1991 after seven years, 6,700 water miles and 8,000 road miles.  Her mission had been to teach the history of our proud Navy, and especially to teach children about the sacrifices that were made to give us the freedoms we enjoy.