By Terry Munderloh

The Homestead Act of 1862 gave the privilege of obtaining a quarter section (160 acres) of land, free of charge, to any person who was head of a family or was at least 21 years old and a U.S. citizen, or had filed declaration to become such.

In the Sept. 21, 1864 edition of the Journal-Miner, the following notice dated Aug. 15, 1864, was published: “Know all men of these presents that the undersigned have this day taken up and squatted on the tract of land situated at and near the old site of Fort Whipple, consisting of about 500 acres.” The notice was signed by Postle, Brown & Co.

By Al Bates

Many of the American men who moved west inthe mid-19th centiry had episodes in their past they wished forgotten.  A common solution to this problem was to change names, a practice followed by two of Prescott;s earliest pioneers.  Both men became well known in Arizona Territory long before they felt secure enough to resume use of their real names.  Both served in the Territorial Legislature while using aliases, and both made significant contributions to the written record of territorial Prescott. 

By Parker Anderson

In the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, Goddard Station was a popular stagecoach stop between Phoenix and Prescott. Operated by Charles E. Goddard and his wife, Rosa, the little ranch-café was down near New River.

On Feb. 1, 1903, it all came to an end. Two men, described by witnesses as heavy-set Mexicans, walked in and asked to be fed. They proceeded to draw their guns and open fire. When the dust had settled, Goddard and his clerk, Frank Cox, lay dead. Witnessing the deadly attack were Goddard’s wife, and Milton Trumbull, a friend.

By Nancy Burgess

In the early 1900s, much of the railroad grant land in the Chino Valley area was sold to the Arizona Land and Irrigation Company.

The company applied for and received water rights along Granite and Willow creeks.

By Terry Munderloh

Gold and silver were not the only mineral deposits which Arizona pioneers discovered.

In 1879 George Puntenney and his wife Lucy arrived in Arizona, located an abundance of limestone on the south rim of Hell Canyon (Highway 89 crosses Hell Canyon about 40 miles north of Prescott) and built the territory's first lime kiln. Lime was an important commodity in the developing West. It is not only used in making mortar and plaster but also in the manufacturing of glass and castings, the refining of sugar, and the tanning of leather. Lime water, a solution of slaked lime, was used in a myriad of medicinal applications.

By Richard Gorby

For anyone perusing maps of Yavapai County as early as 1865 to the present, the 12-mile square in the upper left corner is bound to be noticeable, perhaps puzzling: “Luis Marie Baca Grant, Float No. 5.”

By William Peck

The Hillside Mine was the legendary silver mine located in 1510 by a member of the Farfan Party as they passed down the Santa Maria River en route from the Hopi Villages to the Gulf of Baja California.

Hillside Station received its name from that mine when a road was constructed connecting the mine to the railroad that had been recently completed. The road shorted the wagon haul that went across Bozarth Mesa through Walnut Creek, a difficult winter route.

By Tom Collins

A horse! A horse!

My kingdom for a horse!

When those words rang out from the stage of Patton’s Opera House on March 10, 1896, Prescottonians knew that the villainous King Richard III was about to meet his doom on the battlefield. They also knew that they were probably witnessing one of the farewell performances of America’s greatest living tragedian Thomas W. Keene. It was a truly momentous occasion.

By Al Bates

Who was King S. Woolsey?  He was at times a mule driver, a farmer, a miner and military guide.  He was also a colonel of militia, road builder, miller, merchant, legislator, and oh yes, a famed Indian fighter.

By Al Bates

Now we come to the controversial part - Woolsey's role in what has various been called the "Battle at Bloody Tanks" or the "Pinole Treaty Massacre." There aren't any photos, but we do have three first-hand reports recorded soon after the event. The rest of this presentation comes from these accounts.