Williamson Valley's Astonishing Duck Migrations

Prescott Journal-Miner, 2/9/1917 Pg. 6 Col. 5

They would usually appear in February after the harshest days of winter, and stayed until May. Reports of thousands upon thousands of ducks and other waterfowl were annually noted until the climate took a turn toward our more arid conditions today.

A report in the Prescott Journal-Miner in 1917 stated that “the sun was obscured for over five minutes” as a gigantic wave of migrating ducks was settling in for the Spring in Williamson Valley. One man who wanted to boost tourism via duck hunting proclaimed to the Weekly Journal-Miner: “It is safe to say that 80 percent of all waterfowl flying from the north to the south use Williamson Valley as their course.”

Yet despite these incredible numbers, is it really possible to bring down thirteen ducks with only two shots, as one pioneer rancher claimed?

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 Mysterious Ruins at Sullivan Lake *UPDATED*

Sullivan Lake Dam under construction

The mysterious ruins: What are those smaller stone structures?

A couple of miles south of Paulden, off Route 89, is a loop spur marked "Old Hwy. 89." This aptly named stretch of the former roadway eventually crosses a bridge where some old ruins can be seen.

The usual passer-by often wonders what these buildings were for and when they were constructed.