By Arizona Cowboy Poets Assocation Committee 

Whoever named the Las Vegas Ranch knew what they were talking about. In Spanish, Las Vegas means "the meadows." At one time, the ranch extended from Williamson Valley west to Camp Wood and was known as the Otis and York Cattle Company. It covered many sections of the most beautiful land in northern Arizona.

By Carol A. Powell 

On the night of May 29, 1897, officers of Yavapai County were returning to Prescott by rail from Flagstaff with two outlaw prisoners, James Fleming Parker and Louis Clair Miller. A large mob had gathered at the Prescott depot awaiting the train and there was great fear that they would do bodily harm to the prisoners, carrying out their threats to lynch the two. The mob, with cries of “hang them,” was restrained by the County Sheriff and five or six deputies well armed with Winchester rifles and six-shooters. However, the train stopped outside of Prescott, well away from the depot, and the prisoners were taken off the train and transported to the county jail by carriage, avoiding any confrontation at the depot.

By Parker Anderson

For many years, visitors to the Sharlot Hall Museum have admired the Territorial Women's Memorial Rose Garden as one of the most colorful areas on the museum grounds. It is especially brilliant during the summer when the roses are in full bloom.

The rose garden is a tribute to the pioneer women of Arizona and all they accomplished, much of which is too-often forgotten in the popular male-dominated histories of yore. Originally, the plan was for one rose bush in memory of each woman inducted into the rose garden memorial roster. With the passing of time, the number of women inducted surpassed the area available for planting. Now the garden, as a whole, is in tribute to these courageous women in our history whose indomitable spirit lives on.

By Stan Brown

 This is Part 1 of a three part article.  Part 2 was published on June 28, 2008 and Part 3 was published July 12, 2008 and all are in the SHM L&A Days Past Archives.

The Las Fuentes Resort Village in Prescott, off Ruth Street, comes by its name naturally, which is Spanish for "springs" or "fountains." It is situated on the site of several artesian springs that bubble out of their granite prisons at the northern end of Miller Valley. The area was originally called "West Prescott." The springs form headwaters for the North Fork of Granite Creek, the primary drainage for the Prescott area and the uppermost tributary of the Verde River.

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 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 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 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 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.

By Parker Anderson

Downtown Prescott needed a parking garage and South Granite Street was the site chosen. When an area is sited for construction, it is required by Federal and State Law that an archaeological investigation be done. In late 2002, Granite Street was bustling with archaeologists and volunteers recovering thousands of artifacts prior to the building of the parking garage. It is evident from the findings, and from historical accounts, that the area was Prescott's "red light district." The prostitutes living and practicing there when it was a legal profession (prior to 1918) were hidden from the patrons of Whiskey Row, yet readily accessible to the cowboys, miners and locals. Annie Hamilton owned and operated the largest such "house of ill repute."