Prescott's 50th and 100th Anniversary Celebrations

Ironically, Prescott’s 50th anniversary was largely celebrated... elsewhere. It was the Phoenix Board of Trade that had the idea of celebrating the 50th anniversary of the founding of the territory, and they would make sure they hosted the event.

1890s Thanksgivings Sported Turkey Shoots and Football

When Thanksgiving first became a holiday, Prescott was newly born. The first celebrations were muted in both Prescott and the Southwest, however, due to the ongoing Indian Conflicts. Stories of the Pilgrims and the friendly Indians who helped them survive seemed farther away than Plymouth Rock itself. In the 1890s, however, most of the local conflict had been put to rest. Prescott started to celebrate Thanksgiving “quietly,” the paper observed, but by the middle of the decade, the town began to create some of its own Thanksgiving traditions. 

Before the 1890s, several churches in Prescott would hold morning services. Starting in 1868, the evenings would feature gala balls. These annual traditions continued through the 1890s, and by the middle of the decade, two sporting events were added to the list: turkey shoots and football games.