By Kathy Lopez

In the 1800s, pioneers, miners, explorers, and military personnel traveled throughout Arizona with many settling in the Williamson Valley area. Williamson Valley Road is not just about the paths, trails, wagon ruts, rails, and roads that developed into one of the major routes of the Arizona Territory, it is also about the people who used them - and what a feisty bunch of people they were and continue to be! If you want to start a debate, ask, “Where is Williamson Valley?” You will get as many answers as there are people in the room.

Oral History
Interviewee:  Fred L. Bristow Jr.   (b.05/18/1955 – d. xx-xx-xxxx)
Interviewer:  Susan Cypert         
Audio Number:  1638     
Duration:   01:05:22
Date:  August 16, 2023
Acquisition Number:  ACC# 2023.059
Topics Discussed:   Growing up in Prescott; 1965 Prescott flood; 1967 snowstorm; Yavapai College; Cross country trip; US Air Force service; Prescott VA Center career; Bashford House moving; Jack Sutter;  Timerhoff Pharmacy; Fort Whipple Museum; Ground Transportation Manager; CVOC Clinics; Prescott VA Domiciliary; Grounds, Laundry and Transportation Manager; Bob Stump VA Dedication; Rohrer Bloom Drug Store; Street Dances.

By Darlene Wilson & Parker Anderson

In the late 19^th century and far into the 20^th century, one of the key economic bases of Arizona has been mining. Various areas of Arizona have been rich with minerals, including gold, copper, silver and others. From the beginning of the Territory in 1864, Arizona has been awash in mining, and in areas where rich strikes occurred, towns grew up around the sites to provide supplies, provisions and alcohol for the miners. 

By Marjory J. Sente

Before the Spanish-American War and the Rough Riders, Prescott Mayor William “Buckey” O’Neill was advocating for home rule. In a letter written January 8, 1898, months before his demise on July 1 in Cuba, O’Neill asked George W. P. Hunt of Globe if he could influence the Gila County Commissioners to pass the resolutions for territorial home rule. In his letter, O’Neill noted that Yavapai, Coconino and Maricopa county commissioners had adopted resolutions for territorial home rule and enclosed newspaper copies of the resolutions.

By Bob Baker

In the late 1800s, Prescott was a very remote and isolated location. Commodities such as sugar, coffee and flour were in short supply and expensive. In 1864 one hundred pounds of flour cost $40 to $50 in gold ($1430-$1902 in today’s dollars). The high price was attributable to high transportation costs. Teamsters carried flour by pack horses, later wagons, over exceedingly long distances, as there were no local flour mills. They transported flour from mills in the Pima Indian villages south of Phoenix, California or New Mexico.

By Donna Baldwin

With the popularity of today’s Indian art markets here in the Southwest, it is interesting to look back at the development of Indian art markets in general, as well as our very own Prescott Indian Art Market (PIAM).

In the late 1800’s trading posts scattered around Indian reservations in the Southwest became the primary contact between Indians and whites. The traders exchanged merchandise and food for rugs, jewelry and other handicrafts. The blankets, especially, became popular among the whites because of their high quality.

By Marjory J. Sente

Robert S. Patterson served in the Spanish-American War for less than five months, but his experiences left a lifetime of memories and motivation to remember his military brothers. 

In 1947 the former Crown King postmaster wrote to Arizona’s U.S. Senator Carl Hayden asking for Hayden’s help in getting the Post Office Department to issue a stamp marking the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the Rough Riders and the Battle of Las Guasimas. Senator Hayden forwarded Patterson’s proposal to the Post Office Department. After refining the scope for the subject of the stamp, it was agreed that the First U.S. Volunteer Cavalry, better known as the Rough Riders, would be honored. Hayden also suggested that Solon Borglum’s Rough Rider Monument would be a fitting model for the stamp

By Worcester P. Bong

In part 1 of this article, we learned about the Veterans Administration/Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) career of Paul N. Schmoll. Serving from October 1957 to November 1961, Schmoll was the eighth director appointed at the Whipple VA Center in Prescott. Part 2 of this article highlights Virgil I. McIntyre, the eleventh director to be appointed at the Whipple VA Center. McIntyre was director from January of 1972 to April of 1988.

By Worcester P. Bong

Leadership change happens constantly. At the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Prescott, past directors have stayed three to five years on average. The shortest stint was 22 months, the longest 16 years, 2 months. Directors moved on and often retired elsewhere. However, two directors who moved away, Paul N. Schmoll and Virgil I. McIntyre, moved back to Prescott upon their retirement and were buried at local cemeteries.

By Nancy Burgess

This is a bit of the story of a rural western town and the men and women who put it on the map.  Mayer, Arizona is a small, unincorporated town in Yavapai County.  It is located near the center of the state in the foothills of the Bradshaw Mountains on Big Bug Creek.

Mayer was founded and named by Joseph (Joe) Mayer and his wife, Sarah (Sadie) Mayer, who purchased the Big Bug Stage Station on the Black Canyon Stage Line from Prescott to Phoenix in July of 1882 for $1,200 in gold. Sadie hid the gold in her darning basket for the move from Tip Top to Big Bug Station. Joe and Sadie Mayer then proceeded to found a town, where Joe was the major player until his death in 1909. Joe dreamed of making Mayer into the economic center of Yavapai County.