The Great Date Creek Train Wreck

The Date Creek Wreck the next day.

It was the night of August 26th, 1915.  Oscar and Frank Pemberton were sitting on their porch watching a violent storm move from the mountains to engulf them and their surroundings.  In the distance, the Santa Fe, Prescott, and Phoenix Railroad train was approaching a bridge three miles south of Date Creek station.  As they were watching the engine make its way, the lights on the engine suddenly disappeared.  More ominously, the steam whistle was left open, sending a scream of mourning across the valley.

The two men quickly saddled up to ride out to the scene at full gallop.  At best, it was a simple derailment; at worst, people were dead and dying.

As the fierce rain pelted both man and horse, the pair rode up upon the worst train wreck to date on the SF, P&P.

1870 Indian Conflicts: Outskirts of Prescott Sit Helpless

After suffering losses going head-to-head with American troops, Native Americans turned to guerrilla tactics of warfare, raiding small parties.  Sometimes these raids involved taking the Anglos' necessities.  Sometimes they meant to kill them outright.

In the summer of 1870, nearby Fort Whipple had an extreme shortage of men.  To keep a skeleton crew guarding the fort, they could only send out around half a dozen soldiers at a time. (*1)

When the local Native Americans learned this, the surrounding settlements around Prescott quickly found themselves in serious trouble.

22 Undiscovered Buried Treasures Near Prescott *UPDATED*

There are at least 22 lost treasures of cash and gold waiting to be found in the Prescott area in Yavapai County.

These could be categorized by four motives: treasure buried by miners for safekeeping; gold reburied by the Indians to keep it away from the whites; the ill-gotten gain of thieves; and those who did not trust banks.

Gold Hidden by Miners:

The Whacky 1910 Prescott to Phoenix Automobile Race

They were racing for the premier awarding of the Arizona Gazette Cup in a contest organized by the Prescott Auto Club.

Nineteen cars would attempt the trip.  When it was all over, only one was able to drive back to Prescott. (*1)

1866: Mexican Volunteers Fight the Battle of Five Caves

Fort Whipple

The Buffalo Soldiers were not the only segregated minority group fighting in the Indian Wars.  Companies E and F of the Arizona Volunteers were made up of Mexicans.  Although they spent much of their time in the Verde Valley at Fort Lincoln (later Fort Verde), they were initially stationed at, and finally mustered out, at Prescott's Fort Whipple.

Many openly questioned the effectiveness of using Mexicans to protect area settlers.  However, once tested in battle, the office of the Governor of the Arizona territory stated: "Those who doubted the ability of our native troops to do good service are now convinced of their error." (*1)

It started on the evening of February 12th, 1867, and Company E was preparing for its most lauded victory in what would become known as "La Batalla de Cinco Cuevas" (The Battle of Five Caves).

The Christening of the U.S.S. Arizona had Prescott Ties

It was the afternoon of June 19th, 1915, in New York.  Battleship 39, one of the greatest super-dreadnaughts the United States had ever built, was to be named after its three-year-old state, Arizona.

"Amid the shrieks of 10,000 whistles and the cheers of 40,000 American citizens, the great battleship Arizona slid" into the East River, the Journal-Miner reported.

Prescott's tie to the interesting story of the christening of the USS Arizona involved the choosing of her sponsor, Prescott belle Esther Ross, to christen her.