The Grand Canyon (not to mention our own Granite Dells and Thumb Butte) used to be in New Mexico; much of New Mexico used to be in Texas; Texas used to be in Mexico.  All of the above used to be part of Spain.  And Arizona didn’t even exist until the 1860s.

Buckey O’Neill, Yavapai County Sheriff in 1889, led a four-man posse that same year into northern Arizona. It captured four cowhands who’d robbed a train near Diablo Canyon. One of the outlaws, J. J. Smith, escaped while en route to Salt Lake City. Eventually, Smith was recaptured and hauled to Prescott to stand trial. While Smith was loose, the other three outlaws were tried and convicted, but were needed to testify in Prescott and were thus carted up from Yuma.

By Brad Courtney

William “Buckey” O’Neill is perhaps Prescott’s most famous and revered historical figure. He was also one of Whiskey Row’s most devoted customers and had a knack for stepping smack-dab into the middle of historic events.O’Neill was a natural leader and a nervously energetic go-getter with an ambition that went beyond a run-of-the-mill quest for success.

By Anita Zeller

Memories are a big part of the Christmas season. They link the past with the present, preserving tradition in the heart, as well as the mind.

While memories may not always record history with pinpoint accuracy, they can offer an overall view of a time now gone, and give warm insight into the nature of the person who is recalling and translating the past.

By Karen Despain

A small world of Murphys will descend on Prescott next week to weave more threads into their family’s tapestry.

Progeny of Billy and Julia Murphy already have one ancestral saga upon which to add more, and it is the anniversary of the particular episode – a tragic one – that will unite 80 of the clan for its first-ever reunion Nov. 6, 7 and 8.

By Jay Treiber

On Jan. 19, 1922, my maternal grandmother was born in a cinder-rock building near the Arizona-New Mexico border, 25 miles northeast of Douglas. The place was then a general store: it has since been a post office, a barn, a general store again, and finally, someone’s house.
 

By Nancy Burgess

Last year, the Arizona State Savings and Credit Union purchased a church on East Gurley Street in Prescott.  On the same property as the church, which was built in 1961, is the J.M.W. Moore House, built in 1892.  This house was documented in 1978, as part of the Prescott Multiple Resource Area documentation of Territorial Architecture, but was not listed in the National Register.

By Marilys Johnson

If you live in Yarnell you’ve probably seen her – the quiet 85-year-old lady who walks to and from the post office every morning.  You probably didn’t notice her, but don’t take her for granted.  She has contributed much to Arizona, and has many fascinating stories to tell.

By Marilys Johnson

Remember when you were a kid?  Your parents were always talking about things that had happened to them.

When they got to the part where they said, “And when I was your age…” you pretty much tuned them out.

By Anne L. Foster

Suffragettes, teachers, doctors, nurses, lawyers, ranchers, miners, artists, writers, wives and mothers. Pioneers all, the ladies honored in the Territorial Women’s Memorial Rose Garden at the Sharlot Hall Museum were invaluable participants in shaping what was to become the state of Arizona.