The Great Flood of 1891

One year after the terrible storm that caused the Walnut Grove dam disaster, an even worse, two-part storm flooded Yavapai County.

The Story Behind Prescott's Street Cars UPDATED!

"Today, May 19, 1903," the newspaper proclaimed, "will mark the beginning of a new era in the industrial progress of the city of Prescott." That day saw "the beginning of work on the first electric street railway in northern Arizona, and Prescott now takes her place among the up-to-date cities of the west."

It was this level of excitement that announced the mundane arrival of the first railroad ties for the Prescott and Mt. Union Railway Company.

Mayer Onyx Was Unique, Beautiful, World Famous (Updated)

As Professor Price sat on the train, he looked again at the sample of onyx sent to him from Mayer, Arizona. So impressed was he by the beautiful sample and the accounts of its source that he was now on his way from San Francisco to see the deposit for himself.

When the train pulled into the station at Mayer, he looked out the window and was astonished at what he saw. Previously, all known deposits of onyx had come in the form of boulders and smaller rocks and were mined. However, this Mayer onyx was part of the natural strata of the earth! It could be cut into blocks of nearly any size, like sandstone or granite! (*1)

Indeed, this was no boulder of onyx. This single deposit covered nearly two-thirds of a square mile and ran from 10 to 20 feet deep! It was more factual to call Mayer an onyx quarry. Nothing like this had ever been found before.

Before departing, Prof. Price found an onyx-rich tract of land that had not yet been claimed and quickly procured it for himself.

Entrepreneur Joseph Mayer & His Town

Joseph Mayer

It was with a small amount of irony that Joseph Mayer's funeral was held in Prescott. For it was a fateful trip to that city that unexpectedly ended 30 miles short that would define his life and his legacy.

"He was loved and mourned by all who knew him. People came from all over the state, rich and poor alike, hundreds of them. They said among themselves, 'There will never be but one Joe Mayer'" (*1)

An Apache chief who lived across the creek came to pay his last respects. "My people have lost their Big Chief," he said, "our brother and best friend." (*1)

"Tears were shed by both men and women as the remains were lowered into their last resting place." (*2)

As both an entrepreneur and a kind-hearted man, Joseph Mayer brought a great deal to both his town and Yavapai County.

Cactus Needles for Toothpicks? (An Early Mayer Industry)

Anyone who has ever suffered the burn of being "bitten" by one of our local cacti will tell you that the last place you'd want a cactus needle is near your gums!

Despite this, two Mayer, Arizona, pioneers decided to start a business that produced toothpicks from cactus needles. They developed and patented a process that "skinned" the needle of its burning barbs and removed the surgically sharp point so it could be used as a toothpick.

They were called "Indian Souvenir Toothpicks" and were wildly popular...at first.