Anecdotes of Prescott History Brought to Life From the Pages of Old Newspapers and Other Sources.
The Petrified Forest was never a secret, but initially, it was not widely known outside of Arizona (except among geologists, among whom news of the remarkable site spread quickly). North of the first known deposits, adjacent to the Santa Fe Atlantic-Pacific railroad, was Adam Hanna’s cattle ranch. It was at this point that he would found the town of Adamana—the old gateway to the Petrified Forest.
The first bridge to conquer Hell Canyon was a railroad cut-off that took the entirety of 1901 to complete. The new route would shorten the trip by only three miles, but more significantly, it would bypass “about 34 bridges and some very steep grades,” the Arizona Weekly Journal-Miner described. The project was under consideration for over two years, "but [was] deferred for various reasons, but there is no doubt now, but the work will be done and that at once.”
When whites first came to the Prescott area, the place known to us as the Granite Dells was first called Point of Rocks. The first newspaper mention of the Granite Dells was in 1887. It was the name given to James and Thomas Wing’s ranch. They knew they held some of the most beautiful land in the area, and they set out to turn it into the first Granite Dells Resort.
The Weekly Journal-Miner and the residents of Yavapai County were absolutely enchanted. The President of the United States, William McKinley, would be visiting the Arizona Territory, and his first step upon the young territory’s soil would be in Yavapai County!
Today, Skull Valley is a sleepy little burg, but there was a time when the town had several area mines, a quartz mill, a dairy, a number of saloons, and a 36-room hotel.
It was autumn when a representative of the Arizona Miner made a railway trip from Jerome Junction (today a part of southern Chino Valley), along the narrow-gauge line to Jerome. His description of the journey, published in the October 20th edition of the Weekly Arizona Miner, was delightfully descriptive.
It was the height of summer, late July 1912, when two railroad accidents occurred on the Santa Fe, Prescott, and Phoenix railway.
The town of Clarkdale was a pet project for Senator William A Clark, owner of the United Verde mine in Jerome. It was the first planned community in Arizona and included all the makings of a modern town. It provided telephone, telegraph, electrical, sewer, and spring water services for its residents. Situated at the bottom of Cleopatra Mountain, it would be the smelter town for the mines of Jerome and the surrounding area. “To build a perfect town [was] to be the aim and ambition of former Sen. Clark,” the Mohave County Miner wrote, “and money will be lavishly spent to make it as near [perfect] as possible.”
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| Roosevelt speaking in Phoenix, Sep. 1912 |
The day the Buckey O’Neill Rough Rider monument was unveiled on the Plaza (July 3,1907,) it was hoped that Teddy Roosevelt, the field commander of said group, would come to see the world-class sculpture for himself. After all, he donated an undisclosed amount toward its creation himself!
MH Dodge and Captain Donaldson were visiting in front of the Catholic Church around 2PM Tuesday, August 16, 1898. Dodge was facing toward the rail yard when he witnessed an immense piece of iron rise 200-300 feet into the air. Immediately, the concussion of a huge explosion reached the men’s ears. Even more disturbing, this giant, rotating projectile was heading straight toward them!
In the early prospecting days of the 19th century, the Senator and other adjacent mines were thought to be a bonanza of gold ore. They worked down until they reached water, and work was given up. However, in early 1905, a plan was announced that would completely revive the Mt. Union section of the Hassayampa mining district.
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| (Forgive the typo!) |
On the 17th of October, the special train would stop in Prescott, and he would be completely surprised at what he found.
It seemed a normal July day in 1888 Prescott, but soon a ridiculous, domino-effect of events would cause the most bizarre railroad accident in the city’s history.
It was early February 1894 when the announcement was made in the Journal-Miner that Robert Todd Lincoln, son of President Abraham Lincoln, would be visiting Prescott the following month. Accompanying Lincoln were three millionaires from Chicago: Marshall Field, “the many times millionaire” department store mogul; NK Fairbanks, the millionaire meat-packer; and Norman Ream, a manufacturer of agricultural implements.
The trip was extremely important to Yavapai County at a time when capital was needed to develop both mines and railroads, and it would ultimately be the first of three visits by Lincoln.
It was nearly 3:30 pm, August 17, 1909, when engineer Joseph Reese put his hand on the throttle, and Engine No. 11 began to pull a heavy six-car passenger train out from the Iron Springs Depot. Little did he know he was a mere two minutes from disaster.
It was all over some disparaging remarks made about a young Mayer woman “whose name none of the witnesses were able to pronounce or spell,” the paper reported. She confronted Louis Price, age 20, about the “sliding remarks” purportedly made by him at the Mayer mercantile. Price became embarrassed, and later, angry. When Price asked her where she heard the rumor, she evidently replied that it was Ned Cagle, age 18, and son of Prescott Methodist Pastor CM Cagle.
Now it was Price’s turn to confront Cagle.
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| Prescott's 1st depot for the Prescott & Central Arizona RR |
