A Brief History

In the midst of the Civil War in 1863, the U.S. Congress enacted legislation creating the Arizona Territory.

The War was costly for the government and federal leaders were most likely influenced by the prospect of mineral wealth in the area that became the Arizona Territory. A few months later in May 1863, that promise came to fruition as an exploration party led by Capt. Joseph R. Walker discovered gold in the Bradshaw Mountains, just south and east of present-day Prescott.

A subsequent discovery of gold in the Antelope Mountains set in motion a chain of events that led to the establishment of Fort Whipple on the banks of Granite Creek, the founding of the town of Prescott on May 30, 1864, and its designation as the first capital of Arizona Territory, as well as the seat of government for newly-created Yavapai County. Adventurers – miners in search of gold – and farmers and ranchers seeking a new beginning on land made available through the federal Homestead Act, and joined merchants, lawyers and others simply seeking a new opportunity came to Prescott.

Together they created a community with schools, churches, business establishments, other social organizations and, of course, saloons and brothels. Eventually came the railroads and other indicia of 19th century modernization, such as electricity and public water service.

To be sure, Prescott in its territorial years was a frontier town and had its share of crime, rowdyism and an occasional gunfight on Whiskey Row. Over time it matured and developed into a commercial center for the central highlands. The settlement and development of Prescott and its surrounding region came at the expense of the Yavapai, the native people who had occupied the region for centuries before the influx of those drawn there by the promise of riches and other opportunities. The inevitable conflict between the two cultures forced the Yavapai onto a reservation at San Carlos in southeastern Arizona. In the early 1900s,

Photo by Blushing Cactus Photography

the Yavapai returned to Prescott where – as the Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe – they now play a vital role in the region’s economy as the owner/operator of a modern shopping center and two gaming casinos.

Prescott lost its standing as the territorial capital in 1867 when the capital was moved to Tucson by an act of the Legislature. Prescott regained it in 1877. As the population and political influence shifted, the capital was permanently relocated to Phoenix in 1889. Prescott continues to serve as the county seat of Yavapai County. Prescott continued to prosper and develop, and by 1920 could boast a population of approximately 5,000.

THE SHARLOT HALL MUSEUM: A STORY OF VISION AND GRIT

by Lisa Hayes, Ph.D, Executive Director, Sharlot Hall Museum

Sharlot Hall was 57 years old when she began transforming the Old Governor’s Mansion into a museum that would showcase the many objects and stories of old Arizona that she began collecting as a young woman.

She arrived in Prescott with her family at the age of 12 by covered wagon and grew up helping her parents scratch out a living on a ranch. Her passion for the region’s history first found expression in poetry, which led to a position as associate editor of Out West Magazine, and in 1909 her appointment as Territorial Historian. She was the first woman to hold public office in Arizona. Her 1925 trip to Washington DC to cast Arizona’s votes at the Electoral College for Calvin Coolidge gave her the opportunity to tour many museums in the East and solidify her vision for a museum in Prescott. Soon after, she signed a life lease on the Old Governor’s Mansion and the grounds around it.

When she moved into the dilapidated building, the water pipes were broken and the light wires too dangerous to use. She pulled old cloth and paper from the walls and ceiling “and with homemade soap I tackled the soot and dirt of sixty-four years.” For weeks she was the color of the soot, holding court with various guests as she scrubbed. She welcomed the first visitor to the museum in June 1928. “I hope,” she said, “to make this building and the grounds around it a center of historical and literary interest and a sort of civic center for the pioneers of Yavapai County.”

This rancher, poet, historic preservationist, historian and now museum director was a force to be reckoned with. She put up a stockade fence around the property, which prompted a group of

bootleggers (who were used to crossing the property to make deliveries) to storm the city council with demands that she be abated. The city attorney told them that she had an ironclad lease and an iron will and was a “nice lady to leave alone.”

In 2028 the Sharlot Hall Museum will celebrate its centennial and the remarkable legacy of this trailblazing western woman. As Sharlot said, “the muse of history must teach us how splendid is our past and how great should be our pride in it—and how great lies the responsibility upon us to be worthy of it.”

Sharlot seated in the Governor’s Mansion

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