In August 2020, son David and I spent a few days in Prescott, Arizona. We went sightseeing in and around the historic city and took a day trip to Jerome, a one-time mining town. Click HERE to read a short introduction about our pleasant and enjoyable trip.
This story, which is part of a series, is about our first day in Prescott.
This story, which is part of a series, is about our first day in Prescott.
Prescott, Arizona (August 16, 2020) First things first after we settled into the house we rented – a trip to the grocery store to buy the “essentials” for the next several days. Coffee, cereal, yogurt, berries, and nuts for breakfast? Check. Ribeye steaks, potatoes and salad for dinner tomorrow night? Check. Salty snacks and ice cream for whenever. Check! Alcoholic beverages for the quiet nights ahead? Double check. Yep…got ‘em all!
We stowed the groceries and walked to Rosa’s Pizzeria on Gurley Street for dinner. On the way, we passed the open-air Sharlot Hall Museum, a four-acre heritage site created in the 1920s by its namesake historian, Sharlot Mabridth Hall (1870 – 1943), from her extensive collection of Arizona artifacts and documents. The museum’s parking lot is home to several large pieces of mining and farm equipment from the 1800s, and there are 11 exhibit buildings within the ornamental fencing that surrounds the site. One of those buildings, visible from the street, was “Fort Misery,” the oldest surviving log cabin in Arizona (circa 1870s). I have not toured the museum and won’t have time to do so on this trip, so it is definitely on my “things to do” list next time I visit Prescott.
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David and I sat on the patio at Rosa’s to “watch the world go by” as we ate dinner – pizza and salad for David and pasta puttanesca and salad for me. Strengthened by our hearty and delicious meals, it was time for me to introduce David to Old Town Prescott – the historic downtown area, which is anchored by Courthouse Plaza.
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Strengthened by our hearty and delicious meals, it was time for me to introduce David to Old Town Prescott – the historic downtown area, which is anchored by Courthouse Plaza.
While Prescott (pop. 43,000) may be called a city, it exudes (IMHO) a small-town charm – a town square with green lawns and majestic trees, historic buildings including turn-of-the-century hotels and saloons, and nearby streets lined with Victorian-style homes. Many of the buildings in and around downtown date to the late 1800s and early 1900s – James I. Gardner Store (1890), Sam Hill Hardware (1900), Sisters of Mercy Hospital and Convent (1896), and Prescott National Bank Building (1902, corner building in photo to the left), to name a few.
Founded in 1864 as the territorial capital of Arizona, Prescott (pronounced “Pres-kit”) was named in honor of American historian William Hickling Prescott (1796 – 1859). The town served as the territory’s capital for 15 of the next 25 years (Tucson served for 10 years) before Phoenix became the permanent capital of the territory and state.
There were many colorful people associated with Prescott’s pioneer days, including Josephine and Wyatt Earp, Big Nose Kate and Doc Holiday, and Morris Goldwater. “Who is Morris Goldwater?” you ask. He was a patriarch of the Goldwater dynasty of businessmen and politicians who, together with his father Michael, opened retailer M. Goldwater & Bros. in Prescott in 1879. He also served as mayor of Prescott and later as a state senator.
There were many colorful people associated with Prescott’s pioneer days, including Josephine and Wyatt Earp, Big Nose Kate and Doc Holiday, and Morris Goldwater. “Who is Morris Goldwater?” you ask. He was a patriarch of the Goldwater dynasty of businessmen and politicians who, together with his father Michael, opened retailer M. Goldwater & Bros. in Prescott in 1879. He also served as mayor of Prescott and later as a state senator.
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It was 7 when David and I reached the plaza. Over our shoulder, the sun cast intense yellow and orange hues as it set behind the Sierra Prieta mountains. I never tire of the beautiful sunsets in Arizona!
The first thing we noticed was how many people were out and about even though it was a rather warm 85-degree evening. Courthouse Plaza, you see, is THE place in Prescott that people go to walk their dogs, play with their children on the lawns, sit with friends for a bite to eat and/or talk, listen to live music, people watch, or just hang out. In 2008 the American Planning Association recognized the plaza as one of the ten “Great Public Places” in America. |
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Four streets form a rectangle around the plaza – Gurley, Cortez, Goodwin and Montezuma, which is also called Whiskey Row because of the once-large number of saloons on this block. Yavapai County Courthouse, which was built of locally quarried granite in 1916, occupies the center of the plaza. Designed by architect William Bowman, the courthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.
We loved the front façade of the courthouse, which featured a large portico with six classical columns atop a tall porch. We later learned that the style was Neoclassical Revival, made popular by the 1893 World Exposition in Chicago. By the way, that is Arizona’s state flag on the poles along the walk leading to the courthouse in the lead photo for this blog.
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Speaking of flags, Debra and I were at Courthouse Plaza in October 2018 when a flag from the WW2 battleship USS Missouri (Mighty Mo’), on tour of the United States, was unfurled in a ceremony in front of the courthouse. The flag was big – so large, in fact, that a few dozen people, including members of the Arizona Rangers (photo to the left), lent a hand – literally – to hold the flag. (That’s my hand in the photo below.) Debra and I were honored to be a part of this memorial service!
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David and I stopped to admire two statues, both sculpted by Solon Hannibal de la Mothe Borglum (1868 – 1922), “America’s First Cowboy Sculptor.” (As an aside, Solon’s older brother Gutzon sculpted Mount Rushmore.) Near the base of the courthouse steps is a sculpture, unveiled in 1907, known as the “Rough Rider Monument.” It honors the Arizona Rough Riders who fought in the Spanish American War (1898) and Captain William “Buckey” O’Neill, who died in that war. Buckey, by the way, got his nickname by “bucking the tiger,” or betting against the house in the game of faro. Behind the courthouse, near Goodwin Street, was a peaceful-looking sculpture titled “Cowboy at Rest.”
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Whiskey Row, which might be the most interesting block in Prescott, starts at Hotel St. Michael (at the right in the photo below). It was built in 1901 after fire destroyed the Burke Hotel (completed in the 1890s) and many of the saloons and other buildings along Whiskey Row in 1900. Famous guests included Wyatt Earp, Doc Holiday, Tom Mix, Zane Grey, Teddy Roosevelt, and (some say) a ghostly lady in room 315.
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The Palace Restaurant and Saloon (the building with the US flag fluttering in the wind on its roof), first opened in 1877, is the oldest frontier saloon in Arizona. In those days, Prescott drew prospectors, cowboys, gamblers, “bawdy girls,” and other Old West characters, which led to a proliferation of saloons along Whiskey Row. At one time more than 40 bars stood next to one another! Scenes from several Hollywood movies were shot at the Palace Bar, including Junior Bonner, starring Steve McQueen, and Billy Jack, starring Tom Laughlin. In the “scene” to the right, Debra posed with a sherriff inside the Palace in October 2018.
The D. Levy Building, built in 1901 as a mercantile, sits between St. Michael and the Palace (in front of the blue pickup truck in the photo above). The not-so-historic Matt’s Longhorn Saloon, opened in the 1960s, occupies the first floor.
The saloons eventually gave way to other types of businesses – souvenier shops (or what I like to call “tourist traps!”), cafes and restaurants, candy shops, and art galleries. Two of my favorite galleries are Van Gogh’s Ear and Arts Prescott, a cooperative gallery that features local artists. Unfortunately, both galleries were closed by the time David and I got to Whiskey Row.
Back at our rental, David and I mixed a couple of Moscow Mules and retired to the front porch. The evening air was cooler, and there was a slight breeze. We talked about David’s developing side gig (he’s an online streamer on Twitch TV and YouTube) and made plans for tomorrow as we listened to the “love song” of male cicadas in the surrounding trees. It was a great way to end the first day of our father-son getaway!
The saloons eventually gave way to other types of businesses – souvenier shops (or what I like to call “tourist traps!”), cafes and restaurants, candy shops, and art galleries. Two of my favorite galleries are Van Gogh’s Ear and Arts Prescott, a cooperative gallery that features local artists. Unfortunately, both galleries were closed by the time David and I got to Whiskey Row.
Back at our rental, David and I mixed a couple of Moscow Mules and retired to the front porch. The evening air was cooler, and there was a slight breeze. We talked about David’s developing side gig (he’s an online streamer on Twitch TV and YouTube) and made plans for tomorrow as we listened to the “love song” of male cicadas in the surrounding trees. It was a great way to end the first day of our father-son getaway!