1922: The Tragic Tale of a Rising Rodeo Star

His name was Frank James Stephens. He was the son of a rancher and Mohave County supervisor, WB Stephens, who owned a ranch along the Sandy River. Frank had taken well to the ranching life, and he was quickly developing into a genuine rodeo star.

His first appearance at Frontier Days in Prescott was in 1918 at age 21, and even as a rookie, he won third-place prize money in the relay race. 

Three months later, his wife would give birth to their first child.

1909: Passenger Train Boiler Explodes

It was nearly 3:30 pm, August 17, 1909, when engineer Joseph Reese put his hand on the throttle, and Engine No. 11 began to pull a heavy six-car passenger train out from the Iron Springs Depot. Little did he know he was a mere two minutes from disaster.

The Tragic Tale of the Piper Family UPDATED

Miss Niles was a night nurse at Mercy Hospital and was working her rounds one Sunday evening when she started up the main staircase. The stairway hugged the walls like a spiraling square donut with a hollow space in the middle. As she ascended, her peripheral vision caught an object falling through the center void, followed by an echoing thud on the basement's concrete floor. She rushed to the bottom to see what it was. 

Immediately, the Sister in charge would be called to offer guidance… 

1940: Prescott's Hospital Destroyed by Fire

It was built in 1890, prior to building codes, and, in retrospect, it was inevitably bound to happen. A trash chute running the height of the three-story building was built of wood, and on June 8th, 1940, someone threw a lit cigarette into it.

What resulted has been called "the second worst disaster in Prescott history," surpassed only by the Great Fire of 1900.