By Bob Baker

Today, the bicycle is a recreational vehicle. From the late 1800s until early 1900s, people saw the bicycle as a new, exciting form of personal transportation, less expensive than a horse and perhaps faster.

In the 1870s, the “ordinary” or “Penny-Farthing” bicycle was available. To mount, the rider gripped the handlebar, stepped on a small step on the back of the bicycle, pushed off with his right foot and lunged forward, hopefully landing his feet on the pedals and his rear on the seat. Using pedal speed to slow down or stop, to dismount, the rider reached back with his foot to the small step and hopped off. Many novice riders stopped too abruptly and did “headers” over the handlebars. Average people found the “ordinary” bicycle difficult to operate and dangerous to ride.

By Melanie Sturgeon

On July 23, 1914 Frances Willard Munds announced that she would seek the nomination for State senator from Yavapai County. This would not have been possible without her dedicated efforts as the leader of the Votes for Women campaign that granted Arizona women not only the right to vote in 1912 but to run for elected office. This was eight years before the passage of the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution.

By Murray Smolens

Women’s roles in history have usually been relegated to second-banana status, except for notables such as Cleopatra, Joan of Arc, Queen(s) Elizabeth and Catherine the Great of Russia. But frequently, women “behind” the men were actually out in front, or at least a full partner in their spouse’s success. Jessie Ann Benton Frémont (wife of John C. Frémont, fifth territorial governor of Arizona) was certainly one of these women.

By Jenny Pederson

From the organization’s earliest days near the end of the 19th century, education was an essential aspect of club work. Regular meetings generally included a literary section where members researched and presented papers about historical topics, as well as prepared criticisms. Topics included the history, culture and cityscapes of European nations, such as France and England. From minutes taken in the first few years of the club’s existence, literature and art were popular topics.
 

By Jenny Pederson

In August 2020, the Monday Club marks 125 years of service and dedication to the Prescott community. Since its inception, the organization has had a significant impact on Prescott and the surrounding area through various activities, conducting fundraisers on behalf of area organizations, supporting local schools, and much more. Aside from the club’s collective efforts, individual members also contribute to community dialogue, commenting on a range of local, regional, and even national issues.

By Eric Jacobson

On Dec. 3, 1853, Moses Hazeltine Sherman was born in Bennington County, Vermont. Growing up in Vermont and New York, at an early age Sherman decided to become a schoolteacher like his father. After obtaining a teaching certificate and gaining experience in New York and Wisconsin, he contracted tuberculosis (TB).  Standard treatment for TB at the time was relocation to a warmer climate; so, Sherman accepted a teaching position in Prescott in 1874.

By Worcester P. Bong

In February 1920, Whipple Barracks in Prescott was loaned by the U.S. War Department to the U.S. Public Health Service for hospital purposes, mainly for tuberculosis (TB) patients. With approximately 350 patients and 100 employees, a considerable number of people traveled to and from town.
 

Two entrepreneurs, A.A. Mathes and John “Jack” F. Sills, Jr., each independently made proposals to the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) for a Whipple Barracks and Prescott Stage Line, later known as the Whipple Stage Line. This service would provide transportation between Prescott and Whipple Barracks. At the time, taxis were stationed in Prescott, had a variety of rates, and passengers at the barracks traveling to Prescott needed to telephone and wait for a taxi.
 

By Mick Woodcock

Early Prescott citizens were not immune to sickness and disease, as an article in the August 7, 1869 Weekly Arizona Miner titled “Sick Folks” revealed.  “Considerable sickness prevails here at present, most of which was contracted in other parts of the county.” It then went on to list five men who had been south of Prescott, come to town well, and were not now.

By Bob Harner

“The Greatest Medical Triumph of the Age…[O]ne dose effects such a change of feeling as to astonish the sufferer.” These quotes from an ad for Tutt’s Pills in the January 6, 1886 Arizona Weekly Journal Miner are not the most outrageous claims made by patent medicine manufacturers; in fact, they are typical.

By Susan Cypert

The hospital situation in Prescott when Dr. Florence “Pat” Yount was practicing was not good. In 1878 the sisters of St. Joseph built the first hospital in town for miners, but it only lasted until 1885 when Bishop Bourgade had them turn it into a school. In the 1890’s the Sisters of Mercy founded a small hospital in a vacant house, then built a larger, more modern facility in 1903, which burned down in 1940. Many women in town opened their homes to patients, especially pregnant women from rural communities who came into town close to their due dates. In fact, Florence herself gave birth to her son, John Edward Yount, at the home of registered nurse Catherine Lennox on September 6, 1940.