The First Granite Dells Resort 1888-1902

When whites first came to the Prescott area, the place known to us as the Granite Dells was first called Point of Rocks. The first newspaper mention of the Granite Dells was in 1887. It was the name given to James and Thomas Wing’s ranch. They knew they held some of the most beautiful land in the area, and they set out to turn it into the first Granite Dells Resort.

Rattlesnake Stories of Yavapai County

An Arizona Black Diamond Rattlesnake

Where there are rattlesnakes, there are bound to be some interesting and amazing stories, and Yavapai County is no exception.

1921: A Highway Through the Granite Dells

When it was announced that the narrow single-lane trail through the Granite Dells would be widened into a highway, Grace Sparkes was not alone in harboring apprehension. She feared “that the rude, rough and uncouth men with the TNT would ruin a lot of marvelous rocks and leave the road running through a scene of devastation,” the Weekly Journal-Miner revealed. The road would be built through what was then known as the Granite Dells Narrows, and now it would become the second approach to Prescott from the north and the beginning of a “short-line” road to Jerome: US Highway 79.

The Snow-Mageddon of '67!

Consensus knows that Prescott gets snow, but it seldom lasts long—often melting away before evening. This was the reasoning behind the city selling off its “excess” snow removal equipment. But then in mid-December 1967, a below-freezing cold-snap accompanied by four waves of heavy snow eventually produced 72 inches with drifts measuring up to 10 feet. 

Ironically, it was the city of Phoenix that sent ten snowplows, at its own expense, to help with the crisis.

Christmas 1950: The Children’s Voices Rise

As winter approached in 1950, anxiety about the Korean conflict and the effect it might have on America’s booming economy was palpable. However, in the midst of this, it would be the children of Prescott who would bring the cheer of Christmas.

1903: Ed Shumate Opens the Granite Dells Resort

Although some had attempted to develop the Granite Dells into a recreational attraction previously, all had fallen short. Enter businessman Ed Shumate. "When he took hold of it, all manner of predictions were made that it would prove a failure for the reason that Prescott was said not to be large enough a (city) to support such a place."

Defying the naysayers, the newspaper reported: "Mr. Shumate is the first person who has been able to make a complete success of this resort, and he has accomplished it in a most admirable manner." Indeed, during special events, the resort regularly hosted 1400-1500 guests.

Brave Woman Fights Off Indians in Granite Dells

It was September 1867. Lewis A. Stevens must have been anxious about leaving his wife at their ranch in the Granite Dells (then known as Point of Rocks). He was required to go to Prescott to serve in the 4th Territorial Legislature, and Indians had been raiding all around the vicinity recently.

As he passed by Fort Whipple (now the VA) on the way to Prescott, he hoped that its proximity to his ranch might be a deterrent to an Indian raid.

It would not...

1970: UFO Lands in Prescott

Dick Zabriski 

It all started when a 7th grader named Dick Zabriski looked up into the night sky and saw an object that, according to him, "seemed to stand still within a column of four stars and then it started to move [erratically]...It changed colors from red to blue, then to green." (*1)

This incident would be only the beginning. Soon, the town would be abuzz over a massive wave of UFO sightings, and the curtain would be raised for the most bizarre event in Prescott's history.

Highway 79 (89A): the Prescott to Jerome "Shortline"

When it first opened on August 1st, 1920, it was declared "Yavapai's Greatest Attraction." (*1)

"Members of the National Geographic Society...proclaimed [Highway 79] as 'the most beautiful drive in America.'" (*2)

To cynics (and the carsick), the curvy, mountain road might seem to have been designed by a carnival-ride engineer, a drunk, or both. In fact, Highway 79 would be considered an engineering marvel even by today's standards. It cut the travel time and distance between the two cities nearly in half.

While some history is buried under the sands of time, Highway 79 was eventually buried under a ribbon of asphalt and given a new number: 89A. Still, the twists and turns of this roadway only mirror the odyssey taken to construct it.

The Birth of Watson Lake

Nestled along the Granite Dells, Watson Lake makes for one of the most picturesque scenes in Prescott.  Watson is a man-made lake created in April of 1915 with the completion of the Granite Creek dam by a company from Indiana.

Needless to say, water is extremely important in the desert, and the anticipation of a new lake close to the city brought the biggest celebration Prescott saw in many years.  

There were notable speakers, a free barbecue, Prescott's band, and a special train to get to the celebration, as the four-ton steel gates would be closed to store the waters of Granite Creek.  "Acting Mayor AJ Head...issued his proclamation declaring a general holiday from 1 o'clock until 5 on that auspicious day," the newspaper noted; even the courts were closed.