The Wickenburg Massacre: Nov. 5, 1871

“The stage for California left Prescott on the morning of Saturday, November 4, 1871, carrying the US Mail,” the Weekly Arizona Miner began. Aboard were a driver and six passengers. Three of the passengers were from Prescott: Frederick Sholom, William Kruger, and a “soiled dove” named Mollie Shepherd. The other three passengers were part of the Wheeler Expedition, a US Geological Survey mission to map the West that started the same year. Among these three was a popular, well-known 22-year-old writer named Frederick W. Loring- a native of Boston and a graduate of Harvard. The driver, John Lentz, was hired recently and was about to embark on his first return trip.

The first leg of the trip to Wickenburg “was almost a pleasure trip,” the same paper described. Loring told several people that he planned to write what he observed on his trip—that sentiment back East, believing the Indian Wars were nearly over, was fallacious, and he planned to redress the mistaken view.

But the following day would quickly become nationally infamous.

Chino Valley in 1870

In 1870, Chino Valley had a handful of ranches, plenty of open space, and occasional visits from fearsome Native Americans.

Three Meteorites Strike Near Prescott 1897-1922

It is surprising that a hundred years ago, meteorite strikes received only a brief mention in newspapers. Today, one can imagine several local and national news media traveling to the site for live reports. After all, meteorites can be worth more than gold or platinum in the collector’s market. Although one might assume people went to these sites to collect the rare souvenirs, there were no follow-up articles for any of them, leaving one to wonder how extensive those searches were. Perhaps there are still some extra-terrestrial treasures waiting to be found.

A Horrifying Tragedy on Pleasant Ave. (1898)

It was around 2:15 AM, September 7, 1898, and FS Davis was sound asleep in his residence on Pleasant Avenue when his faithful little dog suddenly jumped onto the bed and then onto his chest, barking alarmingly. “Davis found the room black with smoke,” the Prescott Weekly Courier described. The first thing he saved was his clothing, throwing them out a side door (which led to the loss of his watch). He then grabbed a pistol and ran out the door, only partially clad, firing his gun into the air to sound the alarm.

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.

The Great Fire Changed the Plaza Forever

Before the Great Fire of July 14, 1900, the Courthouse Plaza was described as a “desolate and neglected waste.” The white rail fence surrounding it was beyond repair, and the Weekly Journal-Miner called for its removal five years earlier. 

It was the Great Fire that brought an end to the fence. Not by burning, but by being knocked down and tossed aside as businesses set up shanties and other temporary structures upon the Plaza while the destruction was cleared away, and the downtown buildings familiar and historic to us today were constructed.