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.)

by Michael King 

Prescott's early water supply issues are closely tied to the evolution of public land policies and the designation of the Prescott Forest Reserve. Following the Revolutionary War, lands between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River came under federal ownership. Due to the large military debt and financial needs of a fledgling nation these lands were viewed as important sources of revenue. 

By Richard Gorby 

Prescott in 1891 was twenty-four years old and the County Seat of Yavapai County. It boasted a population of nearly 3,000 people according to Jules Baumann, Prescott's bandmaster, photographer, and artist, on his 1891 lithograph of the city. 

by Fred Veil 

The Pleasant Valley, situated in the Tonto Basin in an area surrounding present-day Young, Arizona, was in the 1880s a bucolic land consisting of plentiful grass, clear mountain streams and sunny days. It was perfect for raising cattle, as well as the nemesis of the cattleman - sheep. It was also the site of one of the most infamous events of Arizona history - the Pleasant Valley War, or as it is often known, the Graham-Tewksbury Feud.