Introduction

The Yavapai County Library District and Sharlot Hall Museum initiated a multi-phased project in 1999 designed to collect, preserve and make available to the public archival materials and artifacts in Yavapai County. To date, we have produced two guides designed to provide researchers with information on historical resources in Yavapai County. These reports were complete in 2000 and 2001. Some entries may be out of date or contain information that is now inaccurate. At the time of the creation of this Web based version (2002) there were no immediate plans to update the information found here.

The first guide was Yavapai Heritage Roundup: A Guide to Archival Repositories in Yavapai County. It was published in 1999. The second guide, Yavapai Heritage Roundup: A Guide to Historically Significant Artifacts in Yavapai County (2000-2001), contains information that will facilitate your access to historically significant artifacts in the County. 

Those who use these guide will note immediately that the various institutions in the county have collections that tell us a great deal about all aspects of the County's History. It should also become clear that, in addition to more general materials, there are exceptionally strong examples in the areas of ranching, railroad development, mining, and military operations. There are also several excellent collections of Indian/Native American artifacts.

We obtained the information contained in the Yavapai Heritage Roundup by conducting on-site investigations, which we carried out with the assistance and patience of the professionals and volunteers who staff the listed institutions. We apologize for any errors and assure readers that they are the fault of the enumerator, not the sponsoring or host institutions.

Each site we visited in the County is listed separately. Prior to listing the arcives and artifacts located in each repository, we have a brief history of the area and/or the organization itself. We hope that you enjoy this information and find it useful in your research. Please note, however, that most of the information included in the overviews is based on secondary sources, which sometimes contain errors. For a more thorough history of the area, you should use the archival materials that most of the sites make available to the general public.

Despite possible errors and inconsistencies, what we have produced here is a reasonable guide to archival repositories and historically significant artifacts in the County.

I must tell those using the Yavapai Heritage Roundup how I have come to respect the professionals and volunteers who run museums, historical societies, National Monuments, State Parks, and the libraries in Yavapai County. I could not have dreamed of working with a more dedicated, well-informed group of people. They were delightfully helpful to me, as they will be to you.

Kathryn Reisdorfer,
Project Investigator, Yavapai College