Tornados in Yavapai County?

Arizona is known for straight-line winds, red flag warnings, and dust devils that can be strong enough to create tornado-like destruction, but actual tornadoes? Indeed, there have been rare times when the Quad-Cities area fell victim to genuine twisters.

Pleistocene Prescott Valley

It was 1984 on the Fain ranch near the headwaters of the Aqua Fria River when A. Jordan peered into a 13-foot deep arroyo and noticed a partial skeleton of a mammoth. 

Soon, paleontologists from the Arizona Archeological Society, Yavapai College, Sharlot Hall Museum, and Northern Arizona University were busy unearthing the remains. Their work would also uncover the remains of three additional large mammals: a horse, a bison, and a camel.

Prescott 1933: A Story in Pictures

Gurley Street, 1933

It was the poorest of times. It was the richest of times. Despite being in the depths of the Great Depression, Prescott would rise above its trials.

Here now are 24 more images that will give the reader a taste of what it was like to live in Prescott in 1933...

Gigantic Cinnamon Bears Used to Roam These Parts

“A continuation of our present practice will result in the absolute extermination of all bears in Arizona within less than five years,” the 1926 editorial declared. “Get in touch with some of Arizona's old timers and have them tell you of the former, very plentiful, supply of bear. The only ones of this class of game considered as dangerous are the Silver Tip and the Grizzly bear—both of which are practically entirely exterminated in Arizona.” 

The editorial cried out for these bears to be protected from hunting, but for the Silver Tip, the Grizzly, and the Cinnamon bear, the warning went unheeded, and these creatures no longer exist here. 

Earthquakes Around Prescott

Some might be surprised at the frequency of earthquakes in the “Quad-City” area,* while those who were aware might be surprised at some of the odd ways they manifest here.

Before Prescott Valley, There Was Massicks, AZ

The Barlow Massicks' "Castle on the Creek"

Thomas Gibson Barlow Massicks had just visited his Catoctin Mine and was riding back to Prescott in his buckboard, May 17, 1898. Although the road was especially rugged, Massicks made haste, bouncing about abruptly as the buckboard wheels dropped into a rut or launched off a bump. As he endured the ride, his six-shooter slowly made its way out of its scabbard and fell to the wagon floor. With the sheerest of bad luck, the gun landed on its hammer and fired, barely missing Massicks’ right kidney and coming to rest on his right lung.

Despite excruciating pain, Massicks drove his team even harder in hopes of reaching Bates’ Station, 4 miles away. When he arrived at the house, he “was so far gone from the loss of blood and from the shock, that he was almost in a state of collapse, and had to be assisted into the house,” the paper reported.

Mr. Bates immediately took Massicks’ buckboard and completed the trip to Prescott to summon a doctor who undoubtedly saved his life. However, the wound would slowly prove mortal both for Massicks the man and for the town of the same name, which was located in the Prescott Valley area on lower Lynx Creek.

Prescott Valley's UFO Wave

According to reports submitted by local residents to the National UFO Reporting Network (NUFORN), Prescott Valley experienced a wave of UFOs in the late winter and spring of 2000.

What's more, they seemed to be looking for something.

Bill Fain: The Father of Prescott Valley

According to Lew Rees, former Fain Signature Group executive director and former CEO of the Prescott Valley Chamber of Commerce, Bill Fain was the most important man in Prescott Valley's history. (*1)

“'He had the brains, the fortitude, the work ethic and the strength to put together a community. His handprint is on every aspect of Prescott Valley and, indeed, the entire quad-city area,' Rees said." (*1)

"Known as a man of his word – and for his generosity, work ethic, and foresight – Bill Fain’s handshake was all anyone needed to seal a business deal." (*1)

The Findings at the Fitzmaurice Indian Ruin

The Fitzmaurice Indian Ruin today.

Most of the commuters who go up and down Stoneridge Drive each day probably have noticed a peculiar zig-zagging fence surrounding a hilltop east of the road.

They might wonder: "What is this fence guarding?"

Answer: Perhaps the most significant, undeveloped tourist attraction in all of Yavapai County!

The Fitzmaurice Ruin is far more than a few scattered rock formations. The 27-room main pueblo and its several satellite structures encompass the largest Indian ruin in the Prescott region.

Glassford Hill's History Included Many Names

Many Changes:

On this 1905 map, Glassford Hill is labeled as "Bald Mountain."  The east-west railroad tracks just north are the Iron King recreational trail today, while the north-south railroad is now the Pea Vine recreational trail.  "Point of Rocks" is better known to us as the Granite Dells.

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It was a day 12 million years ago.  Antelope, camels, and early horses were peacefully grazing when lava and superheated ash started thundering toward the surface.  Suddenly, the earth shook violently, and a volcanic eruption blew through a hill. "Clouds of fiery ash buried [the animals] that roamed the flanks of the hill," according to Beverly Morgan, geologist for the Prescott National Forest. (*1)

Standing at an elevation of 6177 feet, what we now know as Glassford Hill was born.  However, over the years, this mountain in the middle of the valley has had several names.