Rattlesnake Stories of Yavapai County

An Arizona Black Diamond Rattlesnake

Where there are rattlesnakes, there are bound to be some interesting and amazing stories, and Yavapai County is no exception.

Early Arizona Slang

 

The Weekly Journal-Miner of August 13, 1890, captured some of the unique language used around Yavapai County and Arizona in their earliest days. “Old Arizonans have tacked to the English language an addenda of colloquial phrases that are to the uninitiated wholly unintelligible,” the paper wrote, “but the old-timers express ideas in a manner that is both clear and succinct.”

What It Was Like to be an Extra in "Junior Bonner"

Sam Peckinpah was in Prescott directing the 199th movie made in Yavapai County, “Junior Bonner, when he noticed a nude painting titled “Olympia” by Earl MacPherson. Peckinpah thought it would be perfect hanging behind the Palace bar for some scenes he would shoot there. When asked if the movie could use his painting, MacPherson bargained that they could if he was hired as an extra. Peckinpah was happy to agree. Thus began an interesting, four-day, behind-the-scenes experience for the painter.

$7 Million in Gold Awaits to be Found

Initially, one might dismiss an account of over 230 pounds of placer gold just waiting to be found, but the Catholic Church had enough faith in the story that they employed fifteen men to try to locate it. Still, it remains hidden to this day.

1934: Christmas Spirits Prevail!

Pioneers' Home, Christmas Dinner

As Christmas 1934 approached, the Great Depression was hanging on doggedly. Yet by this time, people were anxious to begin to get back to normal. Although money and (due to prohibition,) whiskey were scarce, people adapted and determined to make the season bright.

NEWSFLASH: Small Town Prescott Still Exists!

After a thorough search, lasting twenty years, this author and observer found a treasure that many have been missing for some time: Small-Town Prescott. 

Where is it located, you may ask? I found it in the reflection of an equally small cup of coffee!

The Senator Highway

There was a time when Senator Highway was being considered as a part of the north-south territorial highway, connecting Prescott to Phoenix, but it would never make it.

1866: Indians Scare Off Pioneer Merchant

William Harrison Hardy had a good gig going. He owned businesses in a town named for him: Hardyville (present-day Bullhead City). He also owned an important and well-used ferry service at that point and a toll road that led to Prescott. Soon, he started opening businesses there that were successful, but in late 1866, he abruptly started to sell off all his interests in the Mile High City.

In 1901, at age 77, he revealed why to the Journal-Miner newspaper.

Wily, Creative Prohibition Stills

For Arizona, prohibition came early in 1915. Although stills were probably put to work almost immediately, law enforcement did not seize many for the first 4 years of enforcement. Then, starting in 1919, a crackdown on the illegal practice revealed just how wily and creative many of the bootleggers had become.

The Lost History of Howey Hall

For decades, the history of what was once an iconic building on the Plaza lay veiled. It was known as Howey Hall, and it stood in service to Prescott for over 80 years.

The reason for this lack of history was a lack of ink in surviving newspapers. This was because of a bit of a grudge held by Miner editor, Charles Beach, who “was most unhappy…because of the fact that (Howey Hall) productions were advertised by placard rather than the newspaper.” However, Beach did feel compelled to print a dozen words or so about community events held there. These lay buried in the dusty columns for over a century until the power of 21st-century newspaper search engines brought these nuggets to light. Together, they bring into focus the important community role Howey Hall held in Prescott.

The Amazing Mascots of the Arizona Rough Riders

Arizona Roughrider mascot "Cuba"

The Arizona Regiment of the Roughriders had three different animal mascots. Two were canine, and one was feline. All were extremely popular among the entire army.

Horsethief Basin: Heart of a Rustlin' Racket

The first use of the name “Horsethief Basin” in an Arizona newspaper was on November 1st, 1911, but its history as the heart of a criminal syndicate stretched back 30 years prior.

In the end, the illegal activities there would continue for decades until a road to the site was finally built. 

Wild Wagoner AZ: Founded 1864

Wagoner, Arizona, was the kind of town that Hollywood loves portraying. There were outlaws, gold, guns, fights , and killings.  Like desert grass, Wagoner bloomed in the monsoon of its gold rush and quickly perished soon after.

The Lost Ghost Town of Zonia

Main Street in Zonia as seen in the 1960s

Place name books that cover Arizona show no listing for the small ghost town of Zonia. Google Maps can locate the Zonia mine, but not the town itself. Even off-roading clubs that are well familiar with Arizona's backroads and ghost towns show no listing.

Yet this old mining town did indeed exist and flourished from 1899-1922.

1871: CB Genung Builds the Old Yarnell Road

Come 1871, the farmers and ranchers of Kirkland and Peeples Valley had a logistics problem. They wanted access to the Wickenburg and Phoenix markets for their products, but no wagon road down the rim was suitable for heavy loads.

"There was a road that could be traveled by light rigs and empty teams, but no (loaded wagon) could be handled over it." Additionally, the old trail was an excessive 60 miles long.

A new, better route was desperately needed, and Charles Baldwin Genung proposed a road that would cut off a whopping 33 miles from the journey.

The Battle of the "Pinole Treaty"

PINOLE: A food made of maize, cacao beans, and spices that originated with the Aztecs.

It was January 4th, 1864. A.H. Peeples had just given his friend, William Kirkland, a watchdog with a new litter of puppies.

It was a decision that Peeples would regret the following night.

1970: UFO Lands in Prescott

Dick Zabriski 

It all started when a 7th grader named Dick Zabriski looked up into the night sky and saw an object that, according to him, "seemed to stand still within a column of four stars and then it started to move [erratically]...It changed colors from red to blue, then to green." (*1)

This incident would be only the beginning. Soon, the town would be abuzz over a massive wave of UFO sightings, and the curtain would be raised for the most bizarre event in Prescott's history.

1865: The Shocking Twist at Battle Point (Skull Valley)

It was a usual day in the freight business for Sam and Jake Miller. Yet in 1865, freighting through the Arizona wilderness was unusually dangerous. Indian raids on the toll road from Ft. Mohave to Prescott were happening regularly, and this time the Miller brothers would be taking mostly passengers as well as some supplies and stock.

"People wishing to come to Arizona traveled with freighters for protection." Every precaution would have to be made to protect both riders and supplies. (*1)

Story Behind the Names: Mingus Mountain; Cherry & Yeager Canyon

The first mention of the mountain that would become known as Mingus is found in the origin story of the Yavapai people. A girl named Kamalapukwia was placed in a water-tight log to survive the worldwide flood. After the waters receded, she went to Mingus Mountain before dawn and allowed the rising sun to hit "her inside" in preparation for having a child. (*1)

1872: The Gruesome Fate of the Young Braggart

It was 1872 when the John Sturns family was making its way from Arkansas to Del Rio Springs. On the way, they picked up a young man heading in the same direction.

It was prudent for the family of five (as well as the lone traveller) to join together as they headed deeper into Indian country and the lawless wilderness. An extra gun could mean safety and survival.

The young man told the family not to worry. He wasn't afraid of any injuns. He boasted that he was going to shoot the first Indian that he laid his eyes on!

Perhaps he thought doing so would mark a passage into manhood. Perhaps he wanted to amass a fearless reputation in his new haunts. Whatever his motivation, it would all end up horribly wrong.