By Mary Melcher, Ph.D.

Sharlot Hall was just twelve years old in 1882 when her family moved by covered wagon from Kansas to Arizona Territory.  Sharlot rode her pony all the way, herding horses which her father sold once they reached Arizona. 

By Brad Courtney

The Great Fire of 1900 compelled the glorious rebirth of Prescott and its famous Whiskey Row. However, three major fires transpiring before 1900 also played a part in shaping Whiskey Row’s geography.

By Barbara Patton

Living among the Hopi (1905 - 1912), Kate Cory gained an appreciation and intimate understanding of Hopi culture.  Daily life was simple, but their complex spiritual life and colorful ceremonies were unique. Kate’s photographs, paintings and writings leave us today with a vivid picture of the color and mystery of the Hopi Nation.

By Barbara Patton

Old cemeteries are full of history — and some puzzles.  For example, historian and poet Sharlot Hall, founder of the museum that bears her name, is buried within the sloping confines of the Arizona Pioneer Cemetery on Iron Springs Road in Prescott.  The Hall family enclosure lies at the top of the hill.  There can be found the graves of Sharlot and her parents — and someone named Kate Cory.  Visitors often wonder — who was Kate Cory?  Why is she here beside Sharlot?

By Kylin Cummings

The history of hats goes back a very long time. One of the first evidence of hats was found in a Neolithic cave drawing depicting women in turbans.
 

The Marvin Bennett story concludes.

Late one night Grand Canyon’s head wrangler sent Marvin down to Phantom Ranch to bring out a couple who had hiked down but didn’t have the strength to hike out. The man wanted to walk, but wanted a mule for his wife who wasn’t doing very well. Marvin saddled two mules and headed down the trail in the dark. “It was as dark as the inside of a cow,” he recalled. “Well, honestly, I’ve never been inside a cow, but I imagine it must be pretty dark.”

First of a two-part article based on the recollections of Marvin Evan Bennett. 

Late one hot afternoon in 1931 several mule wranglers were relaxing at Phantom Ranch at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, when a “dude” stumbled into their midst.  “Please,” he asked, “may I have a drink of water, I haven’t had a drop since I left the North Rim.”  “But,” asked a wrangler, “the trail crossed Bright Angel Creek 19 times, why didn’t you just drink from the creek?”    “I didn’t have a cup,” he replied.

By Gail Van Horsen

During the tumultuous times of the 1930s and 1940s, as the economy failed and soldiers fought in a world war, women stitched colorful and cheerful quilts for their homes.  Why did they choose these cheery patterns?  Perhaps the economic chaos of the Great Depression and anxiety associated with World War II made women turn to happy colors and designs when making quilts for their homes.

By Mary Melcher, Ph.D.

Many folks journeyed to Arizona during the territorial period, some without their legal spouses.  Available records reveal that desertion was a leading cause of divorce in the 19^th century. 

By Ray Carlson

The Prescott Free Academy was built in 1876 to make the town “the educational . . . centre of the Territory.”  The building was not only “the handsomest structure in the Territory” but also the “strongest brick building . . . possible to make.”  Surprisingly, there was “not even a crack in the plastering, showing the foundation to be solid.”  Built on Gurley Street two blocks east of the Courthouse Square, it formed the first impression visitors had of the town.