Description

National Cowboy Hall of Fame (NCHF) Site Selection committee arrives in Prescott on March 14, 1955.

Due to the notoriety of the “World’s Oldest Rodeo,” Prescott was one of the top ten western cities under consideration for the National Cowboy Hall of Fame Museum. The Prescott Hall of Fame committee showed three potential sites: two near the airport and one north of Watson Lake. The tour also visited the Sharlot Hall Museum, the proposed temporary site while the permanent Hall of Fame Museum was being built.

On the afternoon of Monday, March 14th, the site selection committee arrived at the Prescott airport. Governor Ernest W. McFarland and a large contingent of dignitaries from Prescott, Yavapai County and southern Arizona met the committee. A tour of the three sites commenced. They also visited the Sharlot Hall Museum, the Governor’s Mansion, Whiskey Row and St. Michael’s Hotel. A dinner and program at the Sheriff’s Posse Clubhouse concluded the tour.

The unfortunate news was announced in the March 24, 1955, Prescott Evening Courier. The headline read “Prescott Loses Out as Museum Site”. The site selection committee had announced that only three cities would be recommended for the permanent location. These cities were Colorado Springs, Dodge City and Oklahoma City. Although Prescott and Cheyenne filed protests noting that originally five cities were to be considered, no further consideration was given.

Image courtesy of The Daily Courier.