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.

Christmas 1909: Big Snow, Big Gifts

As December 25th, 1909, approached, citizens of Prescott were optimistic about the local economy. Ore prices had revived, and it was announced that the Humboldt smelter would restart the following Spring.

Yet that particular Christmas would be remembered for a colossal snow blizzard and two gifts so extraordinarily generous, it was thought that they would never be forgotten—although they largely have been.

The Stay-at-Home Christmas of 1918

Above all other Christmases, 1918 was the biggest “stay-at-home” Christmas in the 20th century. This was due to the practicalities of dealing with the lethal Spanish influenza pandemic. Yet 1918 would also provide the world with one of the best Christmas gifts imaginable.

1921: The Birth of the Smoki People

As the end of the 20th century approached, Smoki ceremonies, performed by Anglos disguised as Native Americans, became increasingly controversial and were finally discontinued. 

However, the first of their performances was held as fundraisers to save the cash-strapped Frontier Days, and was called the “Way Out West” show. In these, the Smoki were only a portion of the festivities.

Indian Wars Dispirited Early Thanksgiving Celebrations

The first Thanksgiving Day, November 9th, 1866, was a solemn one in Prescott. Some were thankful that the Union had been preserved, while others that the killing and destruction had finally ceased.

It was “the first time a day of Thanksgiving [had] been set apart in this territory,” the newspaper reported, and was “duly respected” with a community remembrance. However, the annual festivity would soon slip into neglect in Prescott and elsewhere in Arizona.

The Mysterious, Phantom Fort Misery Near Oro

Many are familiar with the first building in Prescott, and the oldest surviving log cabin in Arizona, “Fort Misery.” 

Then there was a second Fort Misery near Oro—or maybe there wasn’t. The mystery and controversy about the military presence near the banks of Humbug Creek during the Indian conflicts has flared up in recent years.