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."

By Katherine J. (Gernand) Nicolay

I have never read anything about tuberculosis (TB) or tubercular patients in Prescott, even though I grew up here. I feel drawn to tell you how remarkable and brave these people were.  My father, Perry Gernand, developed full-blown TB as a result of having flu and pneumonia in France during World War I. In 1922 I was a year old, when my father had a bad hemorrhage while threshing grain at harvest time on our Illinois farm. In less than two years, he was advised to go to Prescott, Arizona to Whipple Barracks for care. My mother and I followed in a few months. He received excellent care at Whipple, and this is where my story of influence begins.

By Michael King 

(Last week's article outlined the evolution of the land use policies, laws and public sentiment, which provided the foundation for the national forest establishment. Today's article features the local context, including the early history of the City of Prescott's water supply challenges and the relationship to the Prescott Forest Reserve designation.)

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 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.)