The White Spar Road is Born

 

The White Spar Road is the portion of Arizona State Route 89 that is located within the boundaries of the Prescott National Forest. And for that reason, it was the US Forest Service that paid for the entire 18-mile stretch of the road, committing $145,000 in 1922 (worth nearly $3 million today) for the project, but much more money and over two years would be required to finish construction. 

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?

A Day Trip to Historic Stanton (A Pictorial)

Stanton, Arizona, is not open to the public or tourists. Instead, it is owned, operated, and occupied by the Lost Dutchman's Mining Association (LDMA) and its members. However, in driving his friend Parker Anderson to the town for a book signing, this author had the opportunity to capture some photos of the historic town as it exists presently.

Deep Well Ranch Hosted Annual Cowboy Camp Meetings

Before becoming a subdivision, Deep Well was a working ranch. It was also the site for Yavapai County’s cowboy camp meeting starting in 1945 and stretching into three decades.

Remembering the Mingus Mountain Inn

Mingus Mountain Inn, 1949.

In the 1920s, cars were far less dependable and, as a result, service stations were more numerous and spaced closer together. Particularly, the tops and bottoms of mountains were excellent locales for a motorist to take the necessary precautions of checking his water and brakes before traversing the steep grade.

It was from this need that the Mingus Mountain Inn was born on Forest Service land in 1925. Yet the Inn was far more than just a gas station; it also provided light groceries, camping and hunting supplies, and a sit-down restaurant.

Prescott Moms Support the "Prairie Dog Boys" (First Cub Scouts)

When scouting first came to Arizona, it started in Prescott and became hugely popular. Not only were boys of the proper age being turned away for lack of space, but the younger brothers of scouts became jealous of their activities and wanted a group of their own.

“These youngsters invaded the regular meetings of the various scout troops in such numbers that something just had to be done to keep them away from the regular Scout meetings,” the paper reported.

The History of Palace Station

Palace Station, located 17 miles south of Prescott, is one of the most famous stage stops in Yavapai County. Having been built in 1875, its history is long, and its future is bright. 

“Palace Station is one of the few remaining stagecoach stations dating from the settlement of the Arizona Territory. The station played an important role in the social and economic development of the new territory and is now…on the National Register of Historic Places.”

1933-41: Army of Young Men Save & Improve the Prescott National Forest

One of Franklin Roosevelt's most popular Depression programs was the Civilian Conservation Corps.

The CCC enrolled unskilled and unemployed men between the ages of 18 and 25. The men primarily came from families on government assistance.

Each worker received $30 per month (that's $600 today) plus room and board at a work camp. However, the men were only allowed to keep $5 of their pay. They were required to send the rest back home to help support their needy families.

The Prescott National Forest had many of these work camps, and the legacy of their work is still with us today.

1903: Ed Shumate Opens the Granite Dells Resort

Although some had attempted to develop the Granite Dells into a recreational attraction previously, all had fallen short. Enter businessman Ed Shumate. "When he took hold of it, all manner of predictions were made that it would prove a failure for the reason that Prescott was said not to be large enough a (city) to support such a place."

Defying the naysayers, the newspaper reported: "Mr. Shumate is the first person who has been able to make a complete success of this resort, and he has accomplished it in a most admirable manner." Indeed, during special events, the resort regularly hosted 1400-1500 guests.

1853: The First Christmas in Northern Arizona

"Ten years before the tents of Ft. Whipple were pitched in Chino Valley in 1864, the man for whom that post was named, with a small reconnoitering party, spent two weeks exploring the southwestern slopes of Bill Williams mountain and the basins between it and Picacho Peak [Partridge Creek and the Big Chino Wash]."

This time included December 25th, and the first Anglo Christmas ever celebrated in northern Arizona would combine with modest commemorations from cultures here previously.

6 Crypt-id Monsters That Live In Northern Arizona (Part 1: Land Dwellers)

Most locals have heard of the Mogollon Monster, but descriptions of exactly what kind of creature it might be have changed over the years. A rash of sightings of a particular type of creature would make that animal a sort of "Mogollon Monster du jour."

As a result, this author will not give the title of "Mogollon Monster" to any of the forthcoming six.  Instead, it is hoped that people who have seen these strange creatures and are afraid of coming forward might learn that they are not alone in their experience.

Some of these monsters are truly bizarre, but every one of them has been seen in other locations on our planet.

Part 2 of this duet will focus on "The Cave Dwellers." This article focuses on "The Land Dwellers."

The Birth of Watson Lake

Nestled along the Granite Dells, Watson Lake makes for one of the most picturesque scenes in Prescott.  Watson is a man-made lake created in April of 1915 with the completion of the Granite Creek dam by a company from Indiana.

Needless to say, water is extremely important in the desert, and the anticipation of a new lake close to the city brought the biggest celebration Prescott saw in many years.  

There were notable speakers, a free barbecue, Prescott's band, and a special train to get to the celebration, as the four-ton steel gates would be closed to store the waters of Granite Creek.  "Acting Mayor AJ Head...issued his proclamation declaring a general holiday from 1 o'clock until 5 on that auspicious day," the newspaper noted; even the courts were closed. 

There Were Cars in the Prescott National Forest Before There Were Whitetail Deer

  

Anyone who has spent any length of time in the Prescott National Forest is well aware of the large population of whitetail deer that call it home.  It seems they've been there forever.

But few locals and sportsmen are aware that the whitetail deer did not exist in the forest until the spring of 1915--a full half-century after the city was founded!  There were automobiles in the forest before the white-tail deer ever showed up! Their arrival came in large numbers and was a complete surprise.