by Edd Kellerman

Born in 1915, George Phippen was raised on farms in Iowa and Kansas and had no formal art education.  As a youngster he modeled clay figures of animals, eventually working his way up to lifelike images of the ranch hands and cowboys who came through on the Chisholm Trail cattle drives.  While serving in World War II, he taught himself to paint and, soon after the war, he briefly worked with artist Henry Balink in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  As he began to work in oil and watercolor, art became his life.

In 1949, George and his wife, Louise, settled in Prescott where he built his first official studio, rapidly establishing his reputation as a western artist.  He researched the background, elements, people, settings, and historically-accurate gear to portray his subjects with as much authentic detail as possible.  In time, the family relocated to Skull Valley where he established the Bear Paw Foundry and, in the 1950s, George and friends Joe Noggle and Joe Vest revived the nearly forgotten process of lost wax casting of fine art sculpture – especially western art.

Although George had a brief career (only 20 years), he produced approximately three thousand works and is best remembered for his bronze sculptures including amazing pieces like “Cowboy in a Storm.”  He was one of the original founders and first President of the Cowboy Artists of America.

When he died in 1966 at the age of 50, his work ethic and inspirational character encouraged a group of friends, family and artists to pursue the creation of a facility that would specifically represent artists from the American West.  The George Phippen Memorial Foundation was formed in 1974 and the first annual Memorial Day Show and Sale was presented featuring some of the finest western sculptors and painters from across the nation.  In the early 1980s, the James Family Trust donated a parcel of land to the foundation for the construction of the Phippen Museum which opened its doors to the public for the first time on October 13, 1984.

A recent expansion project at the museum in 2011 has seen the addition of 5,000 square feet of gallery space, with another 6,000 square feet for a research library and multipurpose classroom to be completed in the near future.  The new gallery space is home to the Kemper & Ethel Marley Western Art Gallery and includes a western heritage area featuring artifacts, a working chuck wagon and the Arizona Rancher and Cowboy Hall of Fame.  This permanent exhibit contains biographical information, photographs and memorabilia highlighting Arizona’s notable ranchers, rodeo and working cowboys.  New inductees are added each year at the museum’s annual Fall Gathering barbeque.

Today, the Phippen Museum’s permanent collection consists of numerous paintings, etchings, drawings, bronze sculptures, photographs, artifacts and jewelry that date from the late 19th to the early 21st century.  On display are numerous selections from this collection, including some of Phippen’s works.  Presentations and rotating exhibits are offered throughout the year as well as educational programs that enlighten and entertain school children, special interest groups and visitors.

The museum is also especially proud to be the new home of the Prescott Area Art Trust’s Solon H. Borglum collection.  This special exhibit features seventeen of Solon’s bronze sculptures, several pieces of furniture from his Stamford, Connecticut home as well as a painting and other items.  In 1898 he was named the “Sculptor of the Prairie” for his realistic sculptures of Indians, cowboys and horses, all subjects from his days as a working cowboy on his father’s ranch in the Wild West.  He is the sculptor of the Rough Rider statue on the Courthouse Plaza and the “Cowboy at Rest” bronze also on the plaza.

The museum’s major annual fundraiser continues to be the much-anticipated Western Art Show and Sale on Memorial Day weekend.  Presented on the Courthouse Plaza in Prescott, this special event draws artists and visitors from far and wide and features Quick Draw competitions, Denim to Diamonds Gala, the Miniature Masterpiece Show and Sale and much, much more.

So saddle up for a western adventure and come experience the Phippen Museum.  It is located on Route 89 just north of Granite Dells.  Docents conduct tours on the first Saturday of every month at 11 a.m.  The museum is open Tuesday-Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.  Admission is $7 adults; $6 AAA members, $5 students with ID, under 12 and museum members are free.

(Phippen Museum courtesy photo) George Phippen in his cabin studio, c.1950s.

(po1601p) George working on a bronze in his Bear Paw Foundry in Skull Valley, c.1950s.

(pb132f1i9) George in his studio, late 1950s.

(Phippen Museum courtesy photo) The current Kemper and Ethel Marley Foundation Western Art Gallery at the Phippen Museum.

by Al Bates

(Al Bates, local historian, has written several articles for Days Past (1999 and 2000) about the history of Fort Whipple.  The following is the last of a two-part condensed and edited rendering of those articles by Kathy Krause.)

In 1872, the original buildings and stockade of Fort Whipple were demolished and more permanent frame buildings were erected on higher ground about 70-feet above Granite Creek.  The official guide to posts, camps and stations declared them to be excellent quarters “in all respects.”

By 1873, a military telegraph line connected Fort Whipple with San Diego, Yuma, Tucson and the newly established town of Phoenix.  The military roads connecting Fort Whipple to the Indian reservations at Camp Verde and Fort McDowell formed the basis for the original Black Canyon Highway.  This alternative to the established though longer Skull Valley – Wickenburg route provided Prescott residents an improved way to reach Phoenix.

By 1874, a single regiment of cavalry at Whipple handled routine patrols, Indian chases and police duty on the reservations.  The Army in the next decade was a combination of a constabulary keeping order on the Indian reservations as well as a corps of laborers engaged in building military posts and roads and stringing telegraph wire.  By early 1875, the fort had taken the configuration it would keep for the next 30 years.

A new post commander, Gen. August Kautz arrived in 1874 with his wife, Fannie.  Social life at the fort became foremost and nearly every week brought a social event for officers and ladies of the post.  By the spring of 1877, the weekly “hops” held each Wednesday had become a Prescott institution frequently open to the enlisted men and townspeople.  As of 1881, Whipple housed 136 officers and enlisted men with varied community social interaction.  Supplies for the fort brought hard cash, a rare commodity at that time, to farmers and ranchers.  The fort dispatched its fire company to help extinguish major town fires.  Military “ambulances” (lightweight covered wagons) were loaned for funerals and to transport military offspring to school in town.

During these times there were still die-hard Native American bands and Gen. Crook dealt with them harshly.  His policy was that Indians were required to stay on the assigned reservation; off the reservation, every Indian male old enough to string a bow was considered as a hostile target.  He forbade any liquor on the reservation; no whiskey and no manufacture of the Apache moonshine called tizwin which became a key factor in Geronimo’s breakout in 1885 when he and 35 warriors fled thus beginning a 14-month “Geronimo War.”  During this time, General Crook left Whipple and his replacement, General Nelson Miles, was subsequently credited with Geronimo’s surrender in September of 1886.

The railroad finally reached Fort Whipple in 1887.  With the Indian threat over, it was time to downsize the fort.  By 1895, the buildings and utilities of Whipple had deteriorated badly.  The army surgeon general stated that “all the buildings at Whipple Barracks are old and dilapidated, overcrowded, drafty and poorly ventilated.”  Congress refused to appropriate funds for renovation and, in the autumn of 1897, the post was scheduled for deactivation.  The last troops had departed and the officer who was to “take the final inventory and lock the gate” was on hand April 25, 1898 when congress declared war on Spain.  Four days later, the closing officer became mustering officer and began enlistment of 200 men for the Spanish-American war!

The Prescott area recruits gathered at Whipple from April 29 to May 4, 1898.  The Captain of Troop A “Rough Riders” was William O. “Buckey” O’Neill.  After the Rough Rider departure, the Fort was inactive until 1902 when the Army moved in a company of infantry and the Whipple razing and reconstruction started three years later.  Many of the buildings erected between 1905 and 1908 are still in use.

In 1912, Arizona achieved statehood and Fort Whipple was declared obsolete; all but caretakers and a few hospital personnel were withdrawn.  Then in May 1918, the Army reactivated Whipple, not as a fort but as a general hospital and tuberculosis sanatorium.  It was transferred to the Public Health Service in 1920 for continued use as a hospital for disabled Veterans.  In the 1930s, the facility was transferred to the newly created Veterans Administration.

Today, Fort Whipple, now the Northern Arizona VA Health Care Complex, continues to serve the people of Prescott and the surrounding area although in a way far different from its role in territorial days.  “Fort Whipple” lives on today at the Fort Whipple Museum located in one of the 1909 military officer’s quarters, the only building on the grounds painted in the original crème with green trim.  The museum, a joint project of the Sharlot Hall Museum and the Bob Stump VA Medical Center, traces the history of the fort with exhibits and artifacts.  Admission is by donation, 10 to 4 Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.  Call 445-3122 for schedule of Living History demos at the museum.

To read the three complete, informative articles by Al Bates on the history of Fort Whipple, go to articles 11-7-1999, 2-27-2000 and 5-28-2000.

(mil191pb) Headquarters at Fort Whipple, 1890.

(mil194p) Company B, 11th Infantry at Fort Whipple, 1896. From this group of men was formed the popular Whipple Band under the leadership of Achille La Guardia. The band played at all fort and town functions under his baton from 1892-1898. His son, Fiorella, attended schools in Prescott during those years (he was age 10 through 15) and, from 1934 until 1945 was the mayor of NYC. The bridge on Whipple Street at Granite Creek Park was named in honor of Fiorella.

(mil243ba) Whipple Barracks General Hospital No.20, as it was known in 1918 with officers’ quarters on the hill to the right.

(mil273pa) The Fort Whipple VA Hospital, 1930s.

(courtesy A. Krause) Northern Arizona VA Medical Complex, January 2012.

by Al Bates

(Al Bates, local historian, has written articles for Days Past (1999 and 2000) about the history of Fort Whipple.  The following is the first of a two-part condensed and edited rendering of those articles by Kathy Krause.)

Fort Whipple was a U. S. Army post located originally in Val de Chino (Chino Valley) in December of 1863, moving in late May of 1864 to the banks of Granite Creek (on the site of the current Northern Arizona VA Medical Center).  The fort was moved in order to be nearer needed timber and the miner encampments a few miles south and west of the fort.  The miners were dependant upon the protection offered by the military.  Cavalry and infantry soldiers stationed there were involved in skirmishes with the area Indians for many years.  President Lincoln had established the Territory of Arizona in February of 1863 and by mid-1864 people began to flock to the tiny village named Prescott which had just been established as the capital of the territory.  The fact that the area was rich in gold and silver was an added draw.

As important as Fort Whipple was to this area, relations between the civilians and the military were sometimes strained in the early days.  Two particular incidents could have escalated into serious conflict between the miners and the military but for the timely intervention of Governor McCormick.

The first incident occurred sometime during 1865 before news of the confederate surrender reached Prescott.  A forged document indicated that an armed insurrection was at hand.  While the fort prepared for an attack, a sergeant and twenty-five soldiers set out on their own to “clean out” Lynx Creek miners, only to be turned back by territorial Gov. McCormick.

Then, in the summer of 1867, a group of 30-40 soldiers of the 14^th Infantry Regiment decided to take over a Prescott bar for the evening.  The bartender was run off; in anger, the half-dozen miners present in the bar took up their pistols.  Only one soldier was killed (actually knifed) in the foray that ensued which also injured several others.  Again, it was Governor McCormick who prevented the soldiers from retaliating, and serious bloodshed was averted.

As soldiers were mustered out of the service at the fort, many remained in the area to contribute to Prescott’s permanent resident population.  An early example was Dr. George Demetrius Kendall who practiced medicine (beginning 1867), ran a drugstore (Pioneer Drugstore burned down in 1885) and served as the county coroner.  He also was a county supervisor (1875-76), mayor of Prescott twice (1876, 1883), was a member of the Territorial Legislature (1877) and served as Yavapai County Physician.

The Indian problem became so bad that President Grant assigned Major General George Crook to command Army forces in the territory.  Already famous as an Indian fighter, Crook did not want the job.  He was tired of Indian wars and was wary of the Arizona climate.  However, he assumed command on June 2, 1871 with the intent to drive the Apaches to the assigned reservations and to keep them there.  General Crook’s first move on arriving at Prescott was to return the department headquarters to Fort Whipple from Los Angeles.  With no railroad or telegraph at that time, the headquarters might just as well have been in Alaska!  Crook quickly established a corps of Indian Scouts; the scouts were enlisted soldiers, paid and armed by the federal government and under nominal command of a white officer.  A few civilian “guides” were also employed at the fort, among them Tom Horn and Al Sieber.

John G. Bourke, an 1869 West Point graduate was General Crook’s aide for 17 years beginning in 1870.  He had the opportunity during that time to witness every facet of life in the west and in the military.  He was even given time off from his field duties to live among and study the Indians.  He kept a diary and used the notes as the basis for his later prolific writings.  He was an anthropologist of the first order with insight, humor and writing ability that even today strikes a spiritual kinship with military historians.

General Crook’s Indian campaign began in September 1872 and within seven months the last of the large bands of Indians surrendered.  Crook discharged most of the Indian Scouts and their guides and brought the officers of his command to Whipple for parties, balls and such other diversions that Prescott had to offer.  It did not take long for the fort to become prominent in the town’s social scene.  Thus began the period, 1873-1883, later referred by some of the participants as the “days of the empire” at Fort Whipple.

Next week in Part II, Fort Whipple goes from a military fort to a general hospital and ultimately to the Northern Arizona VA Medical Center.

(bub8143pc) Fort Whipple in the early 1870s. Photo looking west, taken from the side of the hill along Route 89 below the current Prescott Resort.

(mil163pb) Fort Whipple, 1871.

(mil225p) John G. Bourke, Adjutant General A. H. Nickerson and Major General George Crook at Fort Whipple, circa 1800s.

by Goodie Berquist

In 1921, Prescott was financially troubled and a group of white local businessmen decided to keep the annual Frontier Days Rodeo ‘alive’ by staging a “Way out West” show.  They dressed up like cowboys and Indians using costumes, body paint and makeup.  Their performance was such a success that the fictitious tribe, the Smoki, was born.  In 1922, Sharlot Hall wrote a booklet titled, “The Story of the Smoki People.”  The organization appealed to many Prescott residents who became affiliated in one way or another and the yearly performances continued until 1990.  Women and children also became involved.

The Smoki People decided in 1923 that their mission would be to preserve and perpetuate elements of Native American culture.  In addition to replicating authentic Indian dances each summer, members began to collect “artifacts, books, costumes and dance paraphernalia” which they temporarily stored in the basement of the Palace Bar on Whiskey Row.  They also supported archaeological digs in the Prescott area, retaining the artifacts with their collection.

A permanent home for their growing accumulation was needed.  Three sympathetic supporters led the way: Bryon Cummings, dean of archaeological studies at the University of Arizona, Grace Sparkes, Executive Secretary of the Yavapai County Chamber of Commerce and Kate Cory, prominent Southwest artist.

Cummings believed Arizona’s artifacts should remain in Arizona rather than being shipped out of state.  He dreamed of having a central Arizona branch of the Arizona State Museum built in Prescott but funds were unavailable in the midst of the depression.  It was Cummings who persuaded the local chamber of commerce to establish an archaeological committee to foster efforts to explore, exhibit and educate.

Grace Sparkes was a tireless booster of county tourism who recognized the importance of establishing an Indian museum as a tourist attraction.  In 1935, she was in charge of federal funds to hire the unemployed – the work force that built the museum.

Kate Cory, an accomplished painter and photographer, went to the Hopi Reservation in 1905 and remained there for seven years while she studied and painted that culture.  It was she who urged the Smoki work crew to erect a double Zuni fireplace on the south wall of the museum and it was she who created the painted native figures and fixtures seen there to the present day.  Kate also donated a large body of her paintings to the Smoki collection, second in size only to those housed at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.  Also donated were many of her photographs and documents.

In 1935, fourteen years after their founding, the Smoki People built the 5100-square-foot museum seven blocks east of the courthouse.  The building contains a sixty-foot square exhibit room designed to resemble a village plaza with a covered roof.  The exterior floor is paved with randomly cut sandstone.  The ceiling is composed of 30,000 pine laterals and local Ponderosa pine tree trunks are used to support the roof.  Most of the display cases, hand-chiseled furniture and models were built shortly after the building was completed and qualify as antiques.  The builders, using native stone and wood were so skilled that in the year 2000 the National Register of Historic Places listed the Smoki building as a “national treasure.”

According to the final cost figures released by the federal government on August 25, 1935 the museum building cost $30,764.06 to build, half of which was devoted to labor.  Man-hours totaled 24,368.  The museum project was initiated by the Civil Works Administration (CWA) and completed by the Emergency Relief Administration of Arizona.

In the winter of 2009, the “American Heritage” magazine, a periodical devoted to topics related to American History, selected eight of their favorite historical sites in Arizona.  The Smoki Museum was the only site named in Prescott.

The mission of the Smoki Museum today is to instill an understanding and respect for indigenous cultures of the Southwest.  There are exhibits of kachinas, baskets, pottery, paintings, rugs and blankets along with many more artifacts representing Native American craftsmanship.  Many of the displays contain the artifacts from local archaeological digs.  The story of the Smoki People is told in both sight and sound at the museum.

The museum, closed until January 14^th for yearly cleaning and repairs, will re-open with a new display, “Cowboys and Indians in Sculpture,” which will continue through April 28^th.  Call for hours of operation and admission fees: 445-1230.

As always, see Sharlot.org/archives/history/dayspast for additional photos and many more Days Past articles.  You are welcome to submit an article of local historical interest for consideration.  Contact Scott Anderson at Sharlot Hall Museum Archives at 445-3122 for information.

(s113pf) The Smoki building under construction, 1934.

(s113pn) Shown here nearing completion, the Smoki building was completed in 1935.

(s111pa) In 1935, the new Smoki building became "home" for many artifacts unearthed in our local area during several archaeological digs. plus many personally donated items from the community. The collections have expanded and today, it is a "must see" museum.

(Courtesy photo) The Smoki Museum building looks today much as it did when it was completed in1935. The interior and exterior of the museum have seen very few changes or alterations.

by Jim Christopher

Just as all of the right conditions converged to create “The Perfect Storm” in the bestselling book and motion picture, a similar occurrence came about in Prescott in 1931.  Grace Sparkes, the dynamic director of the Yavapai County Chamber of Commerce at that time was interested in promoting tourism in Prescott to compensate for the slow economy of the Great Depression.  Byron Cummings, the director of the Arizona State Museum in Tucson and Dean of Southwest Archeology at the University of Arizona, was interested in archaeological exploration in Arizona and in having the resulting artifacts remain in the state rather than being sent back east to established museums.

In mid-1931, Cummings visited Prescott and, with Grace Sparkes, assisted in the formation of the Yavapai Archaeological Committee.  It was chaired by Charles Elrod with members Sharlot Hall, Kate Cory, A. H. Favour, Lester Ruffner and Grace Sparkes.  All were members of the Smoki People, a Prescott fraternal-like organization that performed Native American dances and supported community activities.  The committee planted the seeds for responsible local archaeological investigations to take place and for retaining the resulting artifacts in Prescott.

On October 8, 1931 Dr. Cummings wrote to Grace offering $300.00 (to be matched locally) to begin an excavation near Prescott.  Almost simultaneously, an article titled “The Black on Grey Culture of Western Yavapai County” by J. W. Simmons appeared in The Yavapai Magazine.  The author was a self-trained archaeologist who had lived and worked in the Prescott area since the mid-1920s.  He worked as a building laborer when he was not engaged in some type of archaeological endeavor.  He was the first person to attempt to describe the prehistoric culture of the surrounding area.  Mr. Simmons was hired by the Archaeological Committee to select a site and begin excavation.  He visited a number of ranches in late October and early November, talking with the owners and finally choosing a ruin on the King Brothers’ ranch in Williamson Valley.  Excavation began at King’s Ruin in November and continued until 18 inches of snow covered the area in December.  He returned in May of 1932 and a month later he and 12 students resumed work at the ruin.  Edward Spicer was put in charge of the project and the digging went on into early August.

The King’s Ruin project was the first truly professional excavation of a Prescott cultural site.  Edward Spicer’s thesis for his master’s degree was about the project and the report was published in 1936 by the University of Arizona as part of their Social Science Bulletin series.  With this, Prescott became part of the professional archaeological profile of the Southwest.  King’s Ruin apparently began as a pit house community later replaced by a 12-room pueblo built around 1204 A.D.  The site contained an abundance of artifacts, all of which were retained in Prescott to be displayed in a proposed new museum.

In March of 1933, the possibility of a museum became a reality for Prescott.  Grace Sparkes announced that funds had been obtained from the Civil Works Administration to construct a “Smoki Building Annex” which continues today as the Smoki Museum.  In the summer of 1933, excavations were conducted at the Fitzmaurice Ruin in Prescott Valley, currently part of Fain Park and those artifacts were also retained for the new museum.  During the fall of 1933, construction on the museum began and a permanent home for Prescott’s archeological artifacts became a reality.

Next week, in Part II, the Smoki Museum, designed to represent an Indian pueblo, becomes a national gem and active museum.

The Smoki Museum is located at 147 N. Arizona Avenue, across from Ken Lindley Field.  Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, $3 students with ID and children under 12 are free.  Museum memberships are available.  Hours are Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sundays 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.  Note: The museum will be closed January 1-13 for annual cleaning and repair.  It will re-open at 2 p.m. on January 14^th with a reception (free to members and $10 for guests) to introduce the new exhibit of ‘Cowboys and Indians in Sculpture,’ by artists including Bill Nebeker.  This exhibit runs through April 28^thduring regular museum hours.

(Courtesy photo) One of the unique items found at King’s Ruin in Williamson Valley is this effigy pot, often referred to as the “Otter Pot” because that is the animal that it most closely resembles. This is one of many unique artifacts found at the ruin. Most of the items recovered from the excavation became part of the Smoki Museum collection and many of them are on permanent display. It’s a good example of the type of cultural artifact that Byron Cummings hoped would remain on display within Arizona.

(SHM inpr1433pc) Ruins at King's Ranch, Williamson Valley 1930s. The King's Ruin project was the first truly professional excavation of a Prescott cultural site. The site contained an abundance of artifacts, all of them retained locally and many displayed currently at the Smoki Museum.

(SHM inpr1410pd) The Fitzmaurice archaeology excavation site in Prescott Valley was toured by many prominent area citizens in the mid-1930s.

(SHM po2452) Grace Sparkes, dynamic director of the Yavapai Chamber of Commerce, in her office in 1935.

by Mick Woodcock

In 1863, celebrating Christmas was new for most people in the United States.  It was popularized in part by the first drawings of ‘Santa Claus’ by Thomas Nast for Harpers Weekly magazine in December of 1862.  The following year, many accounts of Christmas celebrations can be found, owing perhaps to the fact that it was the year Arizona was named a Territory.

The Arizona Territory was established by congress and signed by President Lincoln in February of 1863.  A governor was named, along with other officials and they set out from Washington to take up their posts in the newly established territory.  The portion of the Governor’s Party coming overland from Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas had encountered problems in re-outfitting the wagon train in New Mexico.  It was after the middle of December when the expedition continued.  Far behind schedule, the territorial officials had expected to be at Ft. Whipple by Christmas Day.

As of December 22, they had gone only as far as Ojo De Pescado (Fish Springs), between Inscription Rock and Zuni in New Mexico.  One member of the party, Judge Joseph Pratt Allyn said it seemed that all the winds had concentrated in the canyon where the spring was situated and it was the chilliest night they had spent in camp.  Arriving well after dark, there wasn’t any wood for a fire nearer than half a mile so they hurried to bed; the next day, within a mile of the spring, coal was found.  A two-day stop was made to repair the wagons and rest the animals.  By then it was Christmas Eve.

Judge Allyn described the festivities in the wilderness: “We determined to celebrate Christmas Eve, for in this sort of traveling, one never knows what a day may bring forth.  A wagon was sent off for wood and greens.  It went three times, and just as we got all ready it began to snow.  The wood, however, was heaped up, the wagons corralled to keep off the wind, and draped with the old flag.  The rear of a wagon served for the orchestra, and a feed box, for the rostrum, while a huge caldron of hot water was hissing on the fire.  Speeches were made that, no matter what was their merit, had attentive, earnest, and enthusiastic listeners.  Captain Chacon made a speech in Spanish, translated by Col. Chavez that was touching and eloquent; he told of the love he had for the flag, of his sacrifice and aspirations for the republic; it thrilled the mixed audience that stood in that pelting storm, and three rousing cheers went up.  The toddy proved excellent, through we had no eggs.  The music was admirable, the John Brown chorus carrying the Mexicans off their feet, and a German soldier gave us ‘I fights mit Siegel.’  The whole affair was closed just as the moon peeped out of the clouds, by some remarks by the chaplain and a short prayer.  On the whole, it was unique, impromptu, and a success.”

While most of the Governor’s Party had traveled overland, Superintendent of Indian Affairs, Charles D. Poston, and U.S. Marshall Milton B. Duffield, along with J. Ross Browne, an author for Harper’s New Magazine, found themselves in Yuma, Arizona Territory on Christmas.  Browne wrote of his experiences in the new territory in his book ‘Adventures in Apache Country.’  He noted, “I never experienced such exquisite weather as we enjoyed during our sojourn.  Christmas Day came and with it some natural longings for home and the familiar faces of the family circle.  Yet we were not so badly off as one might suppose in this region of drought and desert.  Colonel Bennet and his amiable wife got up an excellent dinner at the fort; and in the evening we had a baile, or Spanish dance….Next day superintendent Poston and myself held a grand pow-wow with the Yuma chiefs and their people….Every village had its delegation…lizards and snakes and mice were hastily cast aside in the wild anticipation of muck-a-muck from the Great Father.  Hungry and lean…they came in to receive the bounty of the mighty Federal chief.  Great were the rejoicings when we opened the boxes and bales of merchandise so liberally furnished by the Government contractors…blankets, military suits, old swords…sun glasses for lighting cigars, and penny whistles for the small fry.”

A wagon train with a Major Willis arrived from New Mexico in what is now Prescott on December 24, 1863.  Among those traveling with Willis was Archbishop Lamy of the Roman Catholic Dioceses of New Mexico and Arizona.  He told of celebrating Christmas Day with “the Holy Sacrifice, to which 20 or 25 persons assisted, kneeling on the ground still covered with the snow which had fallen the day before.  We were on the slope of a mountain, surrounded by forests of oak and pinon, silver leaf and cedar trees.  The altar placed in the shadow of green, had been improvised with the material on hand, consisting of trunks of trees.  Some old boards which had done service, were used as seats and tables. At that time there were only two miserable huts.”  Miners were the only inhabitants of the area at that time.

In all the new Arizona Territory and surroundings, one-hundred forty-eight years ago, folks were pausing to celebrate Christmas, beginning a tradition for “Arizona’s Christmas City.”

Cutline(book 979.1, p64): This drawing from “Adventures In Apache County” shows the ‘Yuma’ Indians enjoying the new gifts that the federal government had brought to them near the settlement of Yuma in the Arizona Territory in 1863. It was an impromptu Christmas on the frontier.

by Parker Anderson

The first legal hanging in Prescott’s history of Manuel Abiles is not remembered as an extraordinary event.  The people involved are not colorful and legendary, though it has been written about a number of times.  (Note: There are three spellings in various documents and accounts of the first Prescott hanging pertaining to his last name.  The oldest documents at the time of the hanging spell his last name Abiles.  Later written accounts use Aviles.  There is even one newspaper article that spells his name Abelis.  To maintain consistency, we will use the name as given in the oldest documents.)

In one of Arizona’s beleaguered Mexican settlements just outside of Camp Verde, violence erupted at the wedding of Santino Morales in April of 1875.  One of Morales’s guests, identified as Gregorio Eredia, apparently became intoxicated and threw a large stone at a guest, Antonio Aldecor, knocking him unconscious.  Three men, two Mexicans identified as Manuel Abiles and “Cross-Eyed Jesus” Eredia (no relation to Gregorio, the perpetrator) and a white man, William Malone, chased Gregorio from the house.

The following day, the groom, Santino Morales discovered the dead body of Gregorio Eredia in a wash, his head smashed in with a spade.  Yavapai County Sheriff Ed Bowers was notified and after interviewing all of the wedding guests, he arrested Abiles, Malone and Jesus Eredia.  All three were indicted by a grand jury that consisted of such noted Yavapai pioneers as Levi Bashford, Charles Genung and W. M. Fain.

When their trials came up, Jesus Eredia was acquitted of all charges, a remarkable event considering the racial attitudes of the era.  William Malone was freed after his jury became hopelessly deadlocked.  This left Manuel Abiles alone to face the wrath of the law – he was convicted of killing Gregorio and sentenced to death.

Surprisingly for this period, a number of people petitioned the Territorial Governor asking for clemency for Abiles.  Yavapai County was still in its infancy and the people of Prescott were perhaps a bit unnerved at the thought of their very first hanging.  The Governor denied the petition and the execution plans went forward.

On August 6, 1875, a mere four months after the murder, Abiles stated before his execution that he was indeed present at the murder of Gregorio but insisted that it was Malone who delivered the fatal blow.  Manuel Abiles then swung into eternity as Yavapai’s first hanging.

The story of Abiles’s death is fairly cut and dried based on the original newspaper accounts and Malone’s court records.  However, this has not stopped the folklorists from putting their spin on the story.  Sometime in the 1930s, Charles M. Clark of the Arizona Pioneers Association wrote a lengthy, radically different and very erroneous account of the Abiles hanging.  He contended that Abiles was walking along when he found a corpse by the side of the road.  Suddenly, a group of white men rode up and accused him of the murder.  Abiles was quickly taken to Prescott, tried, convicted and hanged.  According to Clark, a different man confessed to the murder 60 years after the fact, proving the innocence of Abiles.  William Malone and Jesus Eredia are not even mentioned in this version.

Clark’s story is false but was taken seriously at the time and has been repeated verbatim numerous times.  Some reputable historians have also been taken in by this version of events.  When writing about history, it’s very easy to assume that the researchers who came before you got it right.  This is not always the case; which is why this writer likes to go straight to the original sources whenever possible.

Having heard this version to the story so often, I had no reason to disbelieve it but, true to my researching nature, I wanted to verify the story from original sources in the Sharlot Hall Museum Archives.  Imagine my shock to discover the facts bear no resemblance whatsoever to the fable that has been spun for so many years!  In reality, Abiles and two other men (who are not mentioned in the folklore version) got raucous at a Mexican wedding party, a fight broke out and the three killed one of the other guests.  All three were arrested for the murder; one was acquitted, another other got off due to a hung jury, leaving Abiles to face the hangman alone.  And no, there was no deathbed confession from anyone else 60 years later.  Contrary to folklore, Manuel Abiles was indeed guilty of at least being an accessory to murder and possibly the murder itself.  Very detailed court papers and news accounts back this up; too detailed to be a fabrication.

Whether Abiles delivered the fatal blow or not, his was Yavapai County’s first legal hanging, but it was not the last.  At least ten more people went to the gallows in Prescott between 1875 and 1927.

In recent years, the western historian/author R. Michael Wilson has compiled several books on executions in the western frontier states.  He uses original sources for his research and tells the Abiles’s story in print for the first time as it happened rather than the legend.

(po0990p): Prescott’s first legal hanging victim, Manuel Abiles, 1875

by Kathy Krause

The 36-foot replica of the USS Arizona battleship (fondly called ZOE by the builders, Cecil and Pat Gates) was put into “dry dock” at the end of 1991 after 7 years, 6,700 water miles and 8,000 road miles.  Her mission had been to teach the history of our proud Navy and especially to teach children about the sacrifices that were made to give us the freedoms we enjoy.

In mid-1992, ZOE was donated to the Navy League in Phoenix, Arizona.  It was a bittersweet parting for Cecil and Pat.  Though difficult, they felt the ship would receive tender loving care and be seen in parades and at veterans programs.  An impressive dedication event in Phoenix with Governor Symington, Senator McCain, Navy officers and personnel and other dignitaries closed a chapter in Cecil and Pat’s lives.

The replica was subsequently donated to the Naval Recruitment District and used “maybe” twice for special events.  It was then “parked” (on its trailer) at the entrance of the Naval Reserve Center located at the intersection of I-10 and 35^th Avenue for about eight years.  The U. S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps met there and they were just about the only ones who knew of its existence.  It was deteriorating rapidly because it was outside during this time.  The Sea Cadets would go out after a rain storm and bail her out!

The U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps program is a non-profit, military oriented, youth education program designed to give motivated teen boys and girls the opportunity to grow in confidence as they learn about the Navy’s core values of Honor, Courage, and Commitment.  They participate in local and national programs, local parades and serve as color guards at major events showcasing the Navy and military service in general.  Though the location of the USS Arizona replica was theoretically ideal, the conditions were not.  Finally, in 2005, the Reserve Center wanted it off the property.  It needed much repair and no one wanted it.  A training officer for the Sea Cadets, LCDR Wanda Sartain (today the regional director for the Sea Cadet Corps), was very familiar with the ship, passing it regularly on the way to the youth training sessions.  When she learned that the ship’s future was in jeopardy, she offered to remove it.  Her hope was to restore it to its original glory, not fully realizing just what a tremendous job that would be.

Wanda and her husband, Perry, rescued the ship and are now the legal owners.  It was obvious that restoration was needed sooner rather than later.  The superstructure was sagging badly, the mast fell off and “she was a mess.”  The last time the “broken” ship was seen in public was on December 7, 2007 in Sun City.

The Sartains first took the ship to Falcon Field in Mesa where the Arizona Wing of the Commemorative Air Force Museum is located.  They were hoping to have it restored there but it was not to be.  It remained there at the field for about three months; the museum was requesting that it be removed.  The ship was then taken ‘home’ and a search for someone to help with the restoration was on.  Two volunteers stepped forward with a heart for the job: Bill Schoneman of New River and Dennis Roeper of Phoenix.

The overwhelming job of restoration began in Phoenix with 95% of the work being done by Bill and Dennis.  Other volunteers pitched in wherever and whenever they could.  The Sartains did their share of work as well.  It took three full years aside from their “day jobs,” including nights and weekends to complete the restoration.  The replica was stripped down to the hull.  Dennis scanned the replica pieces to determine the size and appearance of the original model for the purpose of rebuilding the superstructure.

The ships motors had been removed prior to its arrival in Phoenix in 1992 and there were no plans for replacing them with the restoration (it would then have to be classified and registered as a ‘boat’).  Cecil Gates, the original builder back in 1984, had hand-built the two OS2U Kingfisher floatplanes that were on catapults on the stern.  Somewhere along the way, both Kingfishers were lost (or taken?).  Dennis Roeper built two new Kingfishers of fiberglass and balsa wood for the restored model.  They are beautiful.

Slowly but surely, the restoration progressed.  During the process, many photos were sent to Cecil Gates sharing with him the conversion of his previous masterpiece to its original splendor.  The project was completed in October of 2010.  The rebuilt replica was accompanied by the Sea Cadets in the November 2010 commemoration of Veteran’s Day parades in Anthem and Phoenix, receiving top honors.  The cadets will continue to accompany the replica to future events.  The ship will continue to be used as a display for veterans and at schools to educate children about the sacrifices that were made to give us the freedoms we enjoy.  There will be no commercial use of the model and no fees for its use.  Donations are accepted and if you would like to make a contribution, please contact Wanda Sartain at 43020 N. 3^rd Avenue, New River, AZ 85087 or telephone 602-757-8209.  The ship may be seen at three upcoming events: the Tucson Centennial Best Fest January 20-22, 2012, at the Peoria Sports Complex for the Military Vehicle Show January 28-29 and at the Phoenix Centennial Best Fest on Washington Street February 11-14.  Painted on the trailer which holds the replica are the phrases, “Dedicated to All Veterans Who Have Served, Fought and Died” and “Freedom is not Free!  Just Ask a Veteran!”

The USS Arizona replica has been shipped to Pearl Harbor to be displayed at the USS Arizona Memorial Visitor’s Center November 28^th through December 8^th for the observance of the 70^th Anniversary of “A day that will live in infamy,” December 7, 1941.  The Sartains, Bill Schoneman and his wife, Kathy, and Dennis Roeper will be with her.  Cecil Gates’s widow will also be at Pearl Harbor.  It will be the first she has seen her “ZOE” since the restoration.  God Speed, little USS Arizona.

(Courtesy Wanda Sartain) The entire superstructure of the replica was removed, rebuilt and replaced.

(Courtesy Wanda Sartain) Bill Schoneman working on the finishing touches of the rebuilt superstructure.

(Courtesy author) The USS Arizona replica is restored and shown here at the Best Fest Centennial celebration in Prescott, AZ September 17, 2011.

This photo taken at Pearl Harbor December 7, 2011 shows the USS Arizona restored replica with its "crew," Bill Schoneman and wife Kathy, Dennis Roeper and owners Wanda and Perry Sartain of New River, Arizona.

by Kathy Krause

Many of you in Prescott, Arizona had a real treat in mid-September at the ‘Best Fest’ statehood celebration marking the beginning of the state-wide centennial activities when, among many other wonderful sights, you came across the 36-foot replica of the USS Arizona BB-39 parked at the intersection of Goodwin and Montezuma streets.  The beautifully restored replica had been “missing in action” from about 1995 until 2005.  Few seemed to know its whereabouts; most didn’t notice or care.

This “super-dreadnought” miniature battleship replica of the USS Arizona had its beginning in northern California in 1984.  Cecil and Pat Gates already had built six seaworthy miniature replicas of various ships beginning in 1972.  They eventually headed a corporation called the “Friendship Fleet.”  Included in the ‘fleet’ were four 18-foot battleships, a 20-foot carrier and the 23-foot RMS Titanic… “a hobby out of control,” according to Pat.  Then in 1984, they met a gentleman who offered another challenge.  He had purchased, on an impulse, two 18-foot hull sections of fiberglass that had been used as props representing the USS Arizona and the USS Pennsylvania in the 20^th Century Fox 1970 movie, “Tora, Tora, Tora.”  The hulls had been stored for a while on the backlot of the studio before being publicly auctioned.  After purchase, they sat deteriorating in an unused shed in Pasadena.  The man asked, “Would Cecil be interested in them as a gift?”  Really?  Why not?

Cecil Gates was a 17-year-old on the slopes of Kaimuki on Oahu when Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7, 1941.  He had watched the USS Arizona burn.  “I saw her go down.”  It had changed his life.  Here, in 1984, was his opportunity to reach out to a patriotic nation by transforming these two hulls given to him into the very ship that had meant the most to him through the years.  The completed miniature gray lady was launched on Lake Almanor, CA on July 3, 1984.  At her launching, Pat read to the waiting crowd, “This ship is to honor the 1102 men entombed in the Pearl Harbor Arizona since December 7, 1941.  May all Americans who see this ship remember the sacrifice of these men who gave their lives that we may enjoy the freedoms we have today.  I christen you the image, the reflection, the likeness, the replica of the original USS Arizona.  God speed you on your way to honor the brave men enshrined in the Pearl Harbor Arizona.”

Sixty-nine years before, on June 19, 1915, a 17-year-old girl from Prescott, Esther Ross, stood on a platform amid thousands at the Brooklyn Naval Yard to christen the Navy’s USS Arizona.  The ship had been authorized by Congress in March of 1913 and was named to honor the 48^th state’s admission on February 14, 1912 into the union.  Now it lies at the bottom of Pearl Harbor.  So, Prescott’s connection with the USS Arizona is a real and lasting one.

After the 1984 christening of the 36-foot replica, a 1:20 scale model, it was the center of attraction for several years of boat shows, river trips, publicity stints for TV, radio and magazines, teaching opportunities and adventures never even imagined.  Many invitations for the miniature USS Arizona were accepted all across the country.  Altogether, the ship (nicknamed ZOE by Cecil and Pat) logged 6,700 water miles and 8,000 road miles (on a trailer) with the sole purpose “to teach history of our proud Navy through a high profile miniature ship.”  And that she did!  Showing off ZOE across the country also attracted many veterans, especially survivors of the Arizona and Pearl Harbor, encouraging them to share their experiences.  Young and old alike were fascinated by the replica and many were brought to tears.  Pat’s book, “You Can’t go Incognito in a Battleship,” written in 2002 tells of many exciting (and oftentimes scary) adventures with their miniature ships beginning in 1975 and ending in 1991.  Pat writes, “Many times things would go like clockwork, but always something unexpected erupted, emergencies arose…”  The best part of all was the wonderful American people they met who readily helped them and understood what they were trying to do.  Its one of those true adventure books you just can’t put down!

Cecil’s ship, using the donated hulls to bring the overall length to 36 feet, had a deck of marine plywood, a plywood superstructure that copied exactly the original USS Arizona with its mass of turrets and cannons simulating the 14-inch guns of the original.  A tripod mast, gantry cranes, two liberty boats; everything hand-crafted and then painted battleship gray.  The superstructure, complete with strategically placed windows, hinged open to reveal two seats inside for piloting.  Two 25 hp OMC sail drive engines would power the twin screws.  She could turn 360° in her own length and could travel at seven knots.  ZOE was magnificent!  Some USS Arizona survivors have commented, “It looks just like the old girl.”

The gray lady’s last appearance with Cecil and Pat was in December of 1991 on Oahu in the lobby of the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel as a part of the 50^th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack.  The experience there with the remaining survivors of the Arizona was indeed the apex of all their journeys with the miniature ship.  After nine days of a continuous flow of onlookers and a parade through the streets, it was time to take ZOE home to California.  She was showing signs of wear.

(In Part II, ZOE comes to live in Phoenix, Arizona in 1992.)

(Courtesy photo) The USS Arizona BB-39 at sea circa 1930s

(Courtesy photo) Launch day for the USS Arizona replica on Lake Almanor in northern California, July 3, 1984.

(Courtesy photo) Cecil Gates, builder of ZOE, shows how the hatch is opened to reveal the pilot seats inside.

(Courtesy photo) Cecil and Pat Gates aboard the miniature USS Arizona.

by James F. Vivian

The remarkable attraction is called the ‘Miner Statue,’ crafted during the spring and summer of 1916.  It is on permanent display today at the Capitol Museum in Phoenix.  The citizens’ group that sponsored the well-known sterling silver dining service for the USS Arizona intended the statue as a companion piece in commemoration of the launching of the ship on June 19, 1915.  The custom was, at that time, that a state for which a battleship was named would provide a silver service that would be featured in the officer’s galley.  The statue, in combination with the burnished copper serving tray, punch bowl and twelve goblets attached a decidedly local embellishment to the sixty-six-piece collection.  Nearly all the other sixteen battleships in the Atlantic Fleet had their sterling silver dining sets on board, but no other would have the added attraction of a bronze sculpture.

One early photo of the statue is seen in its original aspect (or nearly so), according to the sponsors’ own announced description prior to casting: “The statuette, of bronze is to be the figure of a miner, thirty-nine inches high, (standing) on a 17-inch platform, with a pick and 27-inch shovel over his shoulder, (and) a miner’s candlestick with its candle in his right hand.”  The pose apparently was beyond the manufacturer’s technical ability and the candle and holder were omitted….or were they?

Yet, the early photo, taken from the cover of the October 15, 1916 issue of “Yavapai: A Monthly Magazine Devoted to Northern Arizona” shows a different view, clearly appearing to have the candle and holder in his left hand.  There is no duplicate of the photo to be found anywhere.  Reed & Barton of New York had agreed to manufacture the silver dining set as well as the statue for a total of $9000 based on the previous year’s price of silver – 49 cents per ounce.  No money had exchanged hands; Reed and Barton had explicit faith in the people of Arizona.  But, the sponsors were having a difficult time raising the money.  At the time the magazine appeared with the statue photo on the cover, the sponsor’s fund-raising tour of the state’s cities coincided with the Fourth Annual Northern Arizona State Fair.  The silver service and statue were on display at the fair and many cities statewide from mid-summer to mid-November, including a dazzling exhibit which could be viewed from two or more of the Bashford-Burmister Company’s store windows on Gurley Street.  A front page photo of the complete silver dining service was in the Weekly Courier on October 14, 1916.

The impending war in Europe, America’s growing involvement and subsequent declaration of war in April of 1917 all but put a complete stop to the project of raising money for the silver set and statue.  They were placed in storage through the next half year.  Then, as luck would have it, a $5000 donation was sent from William A. Clark, a secretive proprietor of Jerome’s United Verde Copper Mine!  The donation satisfied more than half the obligation.  Other Arizona mining companies donated funds in order to “fall in line.”  The full amount needed for payment was finally secured.  In June of 1917, the silver service was returned to Reed & Barton for polishing and preparing it for presentation to the USS Arizona.

The entire collection, including the statue, was turned over to the U. S. Navy in a ceremony held in New York Harbor on board the ship on December 27, 1919.  By then, the candlestick and candle had been removed from ‘The Miner,’ leaving the figure partly empty-handed.  Whether purposely or accidentally is not understood.  Replacing them seems not to have been thought necessary.  Both the silver service and the statue were removed from the ship in 1940, along with many sports trophies, just before the ship was ordered to Pearl Harbor.

Predictably, at a later stage, the silver service, trophies and statue got separated and disassociated.  The silver service was returned to Arizona in 1953 and is on display at the Capitol Museum in Phoenix.  The Navy lost track of the statue until 1999, when it was returned to Arizona after it was found ensconced in the storage facility of the Naval Historical Center in Washington D. C.  Surprised and somewhat perplexed Arizonans had all but forgotten about it in the interim.  Many of the ship’s survivors thought it all went down with the ship at Pearl Harbor and didn’t realize it had all been removed.

The missing candlestick and candle has never been explained and a close and concentrated examination of the statue only adds to the mystery.  The statue bears no visible clues, no logos or stampings toward identifying its provenance.  Who designed it?  Who sculpted it?  Was it, indeed, made by the same company that fashioned the silver service?  None of these basic details were presented in 1916.  They remain no less elusive yet today.

Arizona is looking forward to its series of centennial observances.  Perhaps a visual arts student, art historian or other motivated person may wish to accept this curiously inviting challenge to solve the mystery?

(Photo courtesy of author): The ‘Miner Statue,’ gift to the USS Arizona in 1919, as seen on the cover of the October 15, 1916 magazine “Yavapai: A Monthly Magazine Devoted to Northern Arizona.” The now missing candle and candle holder are seen on this photo. The statue is on display at the Capitol Museum in Phoenix, along with the silver service.

(Photo courtesy of Author): The bronze statue of an Arizona miner appears today at the Capitol Museum in Phoenix to be without the candle and candle holder seen in the photo of 1916. The missing candlestick and candle has never been explained.

(Photo courtesy of author): A formal plea for donations for the silver service and statue for the USS Arizona battleship in 1916-17. The European conflict and America's growing involvement at that time controlled the news and donations were sparse. It wasn't until 1919 that transfer of the items was made to the battleship.