Prescott, AZ History

History of Prescott, Arizona

First Territorial Capital and Governor's Mansion, 1864

Old Downtown Prescott

Old Whisky Row

Prescott Courthouse in 1885

In the midst of the Civil War in 1863, the U.S. Congress enacted legislation creating the Arizona Territory. The War was costly to 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 Captain 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 which 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, 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, 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.

Explore Prescott's History Through the Heritage Trail (Video)

A Brief History
by Fred Veil, Executive Director of Sharlot Hall Museum

Sharlot Hall

One Woman’s Legacy Remains Strong 90 Years Later at Sharlot Hall Museum. At the age of 12, a young Miss Sharlot Hall arrived in Prescott by covered wagon with her family. The year was 1882 and, after three months of hard travel along the ol’ Santa Fe Trail, the family established roots in the Prescott area. It was on the family homestead this home-schooled young woman developed an intense interest in the local history. She began writing... about the stories she heard from old-timers of the frontier about Prescott’s early days as the Territorial Capital of Arizona, about her experiences on the trail and of ranch life, as well as the hardships experienced in ranching, mining, and surviving on the frontier of the Arizona Territory. Sharlot Hall was a forward-thinking woman of vision and daring, living at a time when most women didn’t dare have a visibility nor a vision at all. With her fascination and love for Arizona, Southwestern frontier life and history, Sharlot sought to conserve and preserve what she understood to be its vanishing heritage and traditions. Her writings became popular and she became an associate editor of Out West magazine. By 1909 she was appointed the Territorial Historian, the first woman in Arizona to hold public office. Her first volume of verse, “Cactus and Pine,” was published two years later. A political activist for her time, Sharlot Hall lobbied in Washington to defeat a bill in the U.S. Congress that would have brought Arizona and New Mexico territories into the Union as a single state. This was punctuated with her publishing the famous “Arizona” poem and having copies of it placed on the desk of every senator and representative. In 1925, Sharlot represented the state of Arizona at the Electoral College during the election of Calvin Coolidge as President. While there, she toured many private and public museums in the East and returned to Prescott determined to preserve Arizona’s pioneer and Native American history for subsequent generations and in perpetuity. She secured a lease on the grounds where the first Territorial Governor’s Mansion stood, restored the building, and began gathering, preserving and presenting artifacts. She opened the old log-style building as a museum in June 1928. For more than 90 years, the Museum that now bears her name has grown to become a cultural and heritage center, as well as historic site. The eleven exhibit buildings (six of which are historic) stand today as a testament to this remarkable pioneer’s foresight, tenacity and determination. It stands as the “Crown Jewel” of Arizona’s Central Highlands and the “Mother of Arizona’s Museums.”