By Nancy Burgess - Caption courtesy of Richard Sims, former Director of the Sharlot Hall Museum.

A restored and resplendent elk returns home 

The Elks Club, B. P. O. E. #330, of Prescott, Arizona Territory, was chartered in January 1896 and is the "mother lodge" of Arizona. Desirous of a building of their own in which to hold their meetings and social events, in 1899, a committee was appointed by the Elks Club to investigate the feasibility of erecting an Elks Building in downtown Prescott.

By A.E. Ensign of the Federal Writers Project c.1935 

Editor's Note: continuing our series of articles written by the Federal Writers Project in depression-era America, 'Law and Order' is an exaggerated recount of a courtroom melée during the 1880s. Although many of the hard facts are wrong, the excitable description of this gruesome and almost humorous encounter is an entertaining read and is an example of how an historical event, when told at a certain angle or by a certain person, can become mythical. Please find the original Courier article (which contains most of the correct facts) following the story.

By Stan Brown 

George Crook turned forty-three years of age three months after taking command of the Military Department of Arizona on June 4, 1871. He came with almost twenty years' experience, having graduated from West Point in 1852, fought Indian Wars in Oregon and California, and led Union troops throughout the Civil War. During these years he had risen through the ranks to become a Major General. Upon arriving in Arizona his concern was to confine and defeat the Apache bands that were causing havoc throughout the Territory.

By Stan Brown 

(Last week we left General Crook and his small detachment of soldiers heading west over the Mongollon Rim towards Fort Verde on their way to Fort Whipple, blazing the General Crook Military Road through Central Arizona.)

Upon reaching Fort Whipple, Crook ordered work to begin, even though winter would soon be setting in. The road from Fort Whipple and Fort Verde needed improvement and re-routing in places. Late in 1871, a crew from Prescott began working on that section. When the snow melted in the spring of 1872, two larger crews began approaching each other from Verde and Apache, planning to meet half way at a place called Deadshot Canyon. Today this is on the border of the Coconino and Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests. 

By Carol Powell

In November of 2000 Parker Anderson, a local Prescott historian, wrote an article for Days Past about a notorious citizen and outlaw of old Prescott by the name of Louis C. Miller. He ended the article by stating, "The trail of Louis C. Miller stops there. I have no further information about the rest of his life, or when and where he died. Unlike today's media-saturated cases, notorious citizens in those days were often able to drift back into anonymity if they so desired. Louis C. Miller may be buried somewhere under his own name, but so far records have not been located. If anyone reading this has further data on Louis C. Miller, please contact either myself, or the Sharlot Hall Museum Archives."

By Arthur Ensign & H. G. Grey - Federal Writer's Project

As told by Mrs. Lillybelle Morshead to Arthur Ensign and H.G. Grey of the Federal Writer's Project 

When Governor Goodwin proclaimed Arizona a Territory of The United States and established its capital at Prescott, my father opened a store there, which gave the newly made capital a total of two well-made buildings. The other was the Governor's Mansion. 

By Arthur Ensign - Federal Writers' Project, 1935

The following account continues our series of stories written by the Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration of depression era Arizona. The story was based on an oral history interview of Skull Valley "old timer" Joe Farrell (as is noted later in the text) as told to the FWP workers.

Skull Valley's old-timers tell, with much gusto, of an incident, which emphasizes the inadvisability of too close questioning, particularly when the one questioned happens to be of Hibernian extraction. As the story goes, William Howard Taft, while campaigning for the Presidency, addressed the citizens of Skull Valley from the rear platform of his special train.

By A.E. Ensign, Federal Writers Project, Yavapai County c. 1935 

"Note: The following is from the pen of Sharlot M. Hall, historian, writer, and curator of Sharlot Hall Museum. Its value rests upon the fact that she is the only living writer who can tell, from first-hand knowledge, the more intimate details of the history of Arizona's first 'Gubnatorial Mansion.'"

By Ann Hibner Koblitz 

When people think of mining, typically they conjure up images of the large enterprises of Virginia City in Nevada or Jerome and Globe in Arizona where prospectors and miners could become rich almost overnight, and millions of tons of high grade ores were extracted and processed during the course of decades-long operations.

By Marian Powell 

If you don't recognize the name, Solon Borglum, consider this scene: It's July 3, 1907. A parade with cavalry, a marching band, a troop of Rough Rider Veterans, Civil War Veterans, troops from Fort Whipple, the Territorial Governor, various prominent citizens and military officers, and the fire departments of Phoenix, Tucson, and Prescott proceed to the Courthouse Plaza in Prescott. Seven thousand people witness the unveiling of the statue of Prescott's own Buckey O'Neill.