1897 Rail Trip to Jerome Vividly Described

It was autumn when a representative of the Arizona Miner made a railway trip from Jerome Junction (today a part of southern Chino Valley), along the narrow-gauge line to Jerome. His description of the journey, published in the October 20th edition of the Weekly Arizona Miner, was delightfully descriptive.

First Movie Made in Prescott: The Cringer

The only surviving image from "The Cringer"

There are no known surviving copies of the first movie filmed in Yavapai County. However, a nationwide search of movie reviews and newspaper accounts for “The Cringer” offers a reasonable, albeit general, recapitulation of the film and some of its background.

1919: Growth Causes Prescott to Run Out of Water

Old City Dam, 1920s

By the time summer came along, water pressure had consistently fallen so low that everyone was required to boil it. Unfortunately, that did nothing to relieve its foul smell.

The Stay-at-Home Christmas of 1918

Above all other Christmases, 1918 was the biggest “stay-at-home” Christmas in the 20th century. This was due to the practicalities of dealing with the lethal Spanish influenza pandemic. Yet 1918 would also provide the world with one of the best Christmas gifts imaginable.

The Adventures of Prescott's First Motorcycle Club

Back in 1911, motorcycles were closer to what people might call motorbikes today. Early machines had pedals like a bicycle. Single-cylinder engines produced a meager 4 horsepower, while 2-cycle engines produced 7.

Still, like the automobile, motorcycling proved popular, and on March 10, 1911, several enthusiasts formed the Yavapai Motorcycle Club.

1903: First Automobile Drives Into Prescott

The first automobile to drive into Prescott was a brand new 1903 "Curved Dash" Oldsmobile, which was also the first car ever to be mass produced. It was the evening of February 26, 1903, and the welcoming of this new invention brought a surprising amount of civic pride to the city.

Dutch John: Prescott's Audacious Bootlegger

"Dutch" John Berent was sitting in the defendant's seat in Superior Court. Across from him lay "273 bottles of beer; [along with] 23 pints, two quarts, and 3 five-gallon [glass jugs] of whiskey." Although he would soon be found guilty of bootlegging, he would successfully sue to have all that liquor returned to him!

If it was prohibition in Yavapai County and one wanted a drink, then "the distinctly individual countenance of [Dutch John Berent was] well known to practically every person in Yavapai County," according to the newspaper.

Soon, the sheriff's office would also become aware of Dutch John's notoriety, and with the assistance of paid snitches and the employment of private detectives, John would find himself before the court judge.

Indians Save Lost Anglos

Thomas Ward and Alex Douglas couldn't be more relieved. They were finally on a train completing their trip from the Colorado River to Jerome Junction. They had been caught in a heavy snowstorm and had become hopelessly lost.

Both men were now eager to tell anyone who'd listen how their lives were saved by several Indians.

Popular Preacher Struck Down by Lightning

"His death [was] all the more dramatic for the reason that he held in his hand a bible which he had been reading."

Shocking, isn't it?

Historic News Clips of 1911

As this author researches newspapers for this blog, he finds some stories that are historic or interesting, but individually would be too short for a full blog. So then, here is a pictorial blog presenting these news stories.

Story Behind the Names: Route 89: Prescott to Ash Fork

In this edition of "Stories Behind the Names," we look at: 

Prescott, Chino Valley, Paulden, Drake, Hell Canyon, Ash Fork, and other minor locations along the way.

Prescott: (Includes Early Street Name Origins)

Most students of Prescott history are aware that the town "was named in honor of Massachusetts-based historian William Hickling Prescott, who was already deceased at the time and had never set foot in the West.  (*1)

It was unusual for towns to bear the names of people who were not involved with their founding, yet the start-up community of Fort Whipple officially renamed itself Prescott in May 1864. (*1)

The Crazy, Two-Hour Jerome Junction Gold Rush

The railroad's section foreman was five or six miles out toward Jerome, doing his usual job when it was time to take his dinner break. He found a nearby rock to sit on and began eating the food from his pail.

There wasn't anything particularly new to look at, so he happened to look down at the rock he was sitting upon.

Soon, he noticed something shiny and matted within the rock that caused an instant double-take. It was shiny; it was heavy; it was gold!

The foreman stood up and examined further. Not only was there some gold in the rock, but there was a great deal of it!

Not only was there one gold-bearing rock, but an entire vein was visible!

He couldn't wait to rush back to Jerome Junction and tell of his unbelievable luck. So he broke off several pounds of the ore as a sample and took his handcar to get back to the hotel in town.

Colony of Russians Arrives to Farm *UPDATED*

No one knows exactly why they came in early 1916. It was assumed that they were avoiding one of many purges in soviet Russia. (*1) But on January 12th, fourteen railroad cars carrying over 100 Russian colonists and their possessions arrived at Jerome Junction, southeast of present-day Chino Valley. They brought with them 151 cattle, 103 horses, chickens, geese, and all their household furniture and goods. (*2), (*3) & (*4)

In order to promote the area for farming, an enthusiastic pamphlet had been published.  It praised “Little Chino Valley” as “the only adequately irrigated body of rich, productive land in this great producing mining district of Arizona,” having the “perfect soil for potatoes” and “perfect conditions for dairying.” (*5) These promises undoubtedly brought the Russians to the area in the first place.

Their journey to this point was long and hard, and there would be further challenges ahead. But the people of Prescott were excited to see these new immigrants and welcomed them openly.