By Tom Collins

Despite the numerous events, Bashford at one point seemed to have given up on the concept of a profitable theatre. After more than a year without performances of any kind, Bashford announced through the Miner that he was having the "old opera house" put in thorough repair, for use solely as a hall. "He will not rebuild the stage again. The south wall has been rebuilt and the interior of the place thoroughly renovated" (Sept. 17, 1890).

By Parker Anderson

Someone recently asked me what Prescott's historic Elks Opera House did to mark Statehood Day on February 14, 1912, when Arizona was officially admitted to the Union as the 48th state in America. 

As remarkable as it may seem today, there is no record of the Elks doing anything significant that day. In 1912, the Elks operated as a vaudeville house, hosting small-time traveling vaudeville acts and showing short movies - all movies were shorts at this time. On February 14, 1912, a vaudeville act called. . . .

Fayrene Martin Hume, referred to as the "gracious keeper of the flame of Ash Fork heritage," is the 2006 recipient of the Sharlot Hall Award. Established in 1984, the award is given annually to a living Arizona woman who has made a valuable contribution to the understanding and awareness of Arizona.

By Elisabeth Ruffner and Karen Carlisle

On November 13, on the floor of the State House of Representatives at the Capitol building in Phoenix, Patricia McGee will be inducted into the Arizona Women's Hall of Fame. Born July 9, 1926 in Holbrook, Arizona, Patricia Ann Vaughn was raised by her grandmother, Viola Jimulla, Chieftess of the Yavapai Prescott Indian Tribe from 1940 to 1966. (Viola Jimulla is also honored in the Arizona Women's Hall of Fame.) Patricia McGee's grandmother taught her the values of integrity and self-reliance, along with the importance of service to her tribe. McGee served on the Yavapai-Prescott tribal board from 1966 to 1972 and, as President of the tribe for twenty years, from 1972 to 1988 and 1990 to 1994.

By Dewey E. Born

In May 1863, the Walker Party discovered gold in the Hassayampa River, a few miles south of present day Prescott. The Walker Party was a group of between twenty and thirty men lead by the well-known mountain man, Captain Joseph Walker. Traveling through the West, they were looking for the next gold find. Following the Gila River, they decided to explore the Hassayampa River, which led to the discovery of gold.

By Mona Lange McCroskey

Curtis Ritter passed away in the Cottonwood hospital on September 7, 2006, with his sons, Jake and Tom at his side. Curtis, at ninety, represented the third generation of ranching Ritters to live in Yavapai County, and those who knew and loved him will sorely miss his friendly, gentle presence. Curtis was a storyteller without equal. His passions included flying, radio, and his family. He was equally at home behind the controls of his airplane, driving a school bus, or at a Soil Conservation District meeting.

By Terry Stone

If you walk around downtown Prescott, you might have certainly taken notice of all the references there are to cowboy culture. A statue of a cowboy resting beneath his horse decorates the Courthouse Square. A statue of a broncobuster is in front of City Hall. Many restaurants and real estate offices have framed pictures of cowboys in their various establishments. On Whiskey Row you can buy cowboy hats and John Wayne toilet paper. If you were here during the Frontier Days Parade in July, you witnessed dozens of participants decked out in the over-ripe habiliments of cowboy couture. All of this affectation might lead the casual observer to believe that, historically, early Prescott had something to do with cattle, spurs, and pointy-toed boots.

By Parker Anderson

When the Elks Opera House opened its doors on February 20, 1905, the first show was a Spanish Catalan play called, "Marta of the Lowlands," by Angel Guimera. The subject matter of the play, the exploitation of a woman enslaved by a land baron, was strong stuff for 1905 - an era that was rife with more lightweight entertainment on the stage.

By Fred Veil

The common perception that the Arizona Territory of the 19th Century existed largely in a state of lawlessness is a myth promulgated primarily by 20th Century Hollywood, television, and dime novels. While the territory undoubtedly had its share of criminal activity and civil disputes common to the western frontier, it also had a functioning legal system that appears to have dealt quite adequately with the legal issues of the day.

By Mona Lange McCroskey

(This article is a continuation from last week's Days Past.)

Roy Hays shipped cattle from Congress and from Kirlkland where huge herds were gathered. A few in Peeples Valley and all the ranchers around Walnut Grove banded together, drove their cattle in to Kirkland and shipped them on the train to points in the east. Hays usually shipped to California.