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 http://www.sharlot.org/library-archives/category/days-past/ 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 928-445-3122 for information.

(s113pf) The Smoki building under construction, 1934.(s113pn) Shown here nearing completion, the Smoki building was completed in 1935.

(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.