Prescott’s 1st Federal Narcotics Raid was AZ's Biggest (1922)

 

It was, at the time, the largest drug haul ever confiscated in Arizona—a take-down of “the center of the wholesale drug ring in Central Arizona,” according to the Arizona Republican. The drug kingpin was a Prescott resident and barber named Mayo Simpson. 

Mayo was no stranger to being at odds with the law. His first stint in jail was for burglary…at the tender age of eleven.

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.

Yavapai Co's First Prohibition Sting

Prohibition went into effect on January 1, 1915, and Sheriff Joe Young was intent on making it stick. It was the middle of May when he made his first big sting. Before all was said and done, however, one of the informants would be charged with soliciting a bribe.

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.

1932: Franklin Delano Roosevelt Visits Prescott

It was late September 1932, and in a little more than a month, the United States would be choosing a new President. That man would be Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt. 

At this time, he was traveling to Arizona to get a little rest and relaxation at the Greenway Ranch in Williams. Yet his popularity and his position would mix some work with his pleasure. The Arizona Democrats were meeting in Phoenix, and FDR was compelled to attend.

From there, on his way to Williams, Roosevelt’s train would stop in Prescott to meet an exceptionally large, well-wishing crowd.

Dutch John: Prescott's Audacious Bootlegger

"Dutch" John Berent was sitting in the defendant's seat in Superior Court. Across from him lay "273 bottles of beer; [along with] 23 pints, two quarts, and 3 five-gallon [glass jugs] of whiskey." Although he would soon be found guilty of bootlegging, he would successfully sue to have all that liquor returned to him!

If it was prohibition in Yavapai County and one wanted a drink, then "the distinctly individual countenance of [Dutch John Berent was] well known to practically every person in Yavapai County," according to the newspaper.

Soon, the sheriff's office would also become aware of Dutch John's notoriety, and with the assistance of paid snitches and the employment of private detectives, John would find himself before the court judge.

Rich Ranchman Tries to Get Away With Murder

1918's "trial of the century" was the first murder case ever heard in today's Yavapai County Courthouse. Details of the case were so lurid, salacious, and popular that column-inch coverage of the trial was greater than the concurrent, closing weeks of World War 1!

Cast of Main Characters:
Robert J. Miller: 36-year-old ranch-hand and kindly lady's man; worked on the Stephens' ranch and was gunned down April 2, 1918, in a clothing store downtown on Gurley St.

Joe Stephens: Wealthy cattle rancher from the Simmons area and family patriarch. It would take an average 1918 worker over 130 years to earn what Joe Stephens was worth. Despite prohibition, he was known for frequent drunken tirades.

Mrs. Stephens: 45-year-old, besieged wife of Joe Stephens. At the very least, she was a victim of drunken verbal abuse. Although the subject of domestic violence was not broached in 1918, contemporary readers might discern disturbing symptoms of such.

Harry "Bud" Stephens: Sophomoric son of Joe and Mrs. Stephens. Considered a World War 1 draft dodger. There was no disagreement that this 22-year-old was the gunman who killed Miller.

Historic News Clips of 1911

As this author researches newspapers for this blog, he finds some stories that are historic or interesting, but individually would be too short for a full blog. So then, here is a pictorial blog presenting these news stories.

"Prescott's Original Whiskey Row" by Bradley G. Courtney

A review.

Knowing that Prescott's Whiskey Row is central to her history, it's surprising that it took until the 21st century for such an important subject to be addressed thoroughly in a book.

Bradley G. Courtney not only brings this significant story to light, but he does so in a cohesive and entertaining narrative commensurate with the professionalism of an author holding a master's degree in history and a doctorate in education.

1890: The Dam, The Drunk, & The Disaster

Walnut Grove Dam

The Dam:

"Besides being the largest piece of solid masonry in the United States, [the Walnut Grove Dam] also drains [ed] the largest watershed in the world, being upwards of 400 miles of territory." (*1)

But in the dark, early hours of February 22, 1890, heavy rains would cause the dam to "literally explode."

"The disastrous breach of Arizona's first major dam poured 4 billion gallons of water into a canyon above Wickenburg and killed approximately 100-150 people, although no one will really ever know how many people drowned." (*2)

Prescott "Smoker" Events Featured Marijuana

The majority of the material for "Prescott, AZ History" is from reading weeks and weeks and months and months of old Prescott newspapers.

So imagine this author's surprise when he came across this headline:

PLAN BIG TIME AT 
CHAMBER SMOKER

SHORT SNAPPY SPEECHES,

PLENTY OF THE WEED,

LIGHT LUNCH & MUSIC ON PROGRAM

A "Smoker" event with "Plenty of the Weed"???  (*1)

Could it be true? A large, civic, pot-smoking party in Prescott?

This is going to take some further research!...

Back in the early 20th century, not only was cannabis legal, but it was widely used in medicines and had none of the negative stereotypes that it carries today.

But did people actually call it "weed" a century ago?

Back When Prescott Was "Opium Central"

There is no doubt that, like many other Wild West towns, opium made its first appearance in Prescott with the influx of the Chinese population.

"It is no coincidence that 1869, the year the Union-Pacific Railroad was completed, was the year that Chinese began to appear in (Prescott) in significant numbers." (*1)

So began a most uneasy relationship with a drug habit that would grow and endure for seven decades.

Publicly, Prescott hated opium. Practically, little was done to stop it. Ultimately, Prescott would become the manufacturing hub of opium for the entire state of Arizona.

Entertainment In Prescott a Century Ago

In later January 1915, nothing much happened in Prescott according to the Journel Miner newspaper.  Heavy snows made all travel but train nearly impossible.

The resulting slow news stories were charming:

* A couple of hundred words were given to the story of two boys who "shot the lock off the pump house (and)...After a stern lecture and cross-your-heart promises," the boys were released...

* It was observed that the mail-posts in downtown had received "so many degradations from local canines" that replacements were needed swiftly...

* It was reported, in detail, how a local woman slipped and fell on the ice. (No hospitalization was needed--simply bedrest)...

All of which gives the author an opportunity to talk in general about entertainment in Prescott a century ago...

1915: Prohibition Threatens to Close Prescott's Library

As the New Year dawned in 1915, everyone knew the saloons of Whiskey Row would be closed, but realization quickly set in that Prescott's library would be next.

Voter-initiated Prohibition just went into effect in Arizona. But the drying up of legal liquor also meant the drying up of city tax revenues on the sales and licensing of alcohol. This led the town fathers to make some tough decisions and severe cuts to public services.

The library, for example, required an annual budget of $600 ($24,000 in today's dollars), and the money was simply not going to be raised by the city in 1915 to keep the institution open.

WHAT TO DO?