Point of Rocks RV Park
Prescott, AZ
May 11, 2025
With winds forecast to be a bit gusty on Monday, Joe and I decided a walk in the historic district would be a good choice for the day. The temps have been wonderful and although we have had some gusty winds, we have also had nice cool breezes. It's the kind of breezes when we let up the windows and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine inside. This was not our first visit to Courthouse Plaza, but a much more relaxed visit as we were staying in Camp Verde on our first visit here (back in April 2016) and left the pups for a few hours in the MH.
The concept of a court square has a long history dating back to Greek civilizations. In our country the town square dates back to colonial times. Having grown up in the south, I remember Sunday drives thru small towns with my mom and going in what seemed like circles to get around town squares. Our little hometown of LaGrange, GA had a town square which housed the Troup County Courthouse from 1828 to 1936. I'm not sure what happened to the courthouse, but the space today is a community park with a fountain. The town square in Prescott was plotted by Robert Groom who came to the area to mine. It was known that he was also a surveyor and was "pressed into service" to plot the streets and blocks for both Prescott and Wickenburg. After Arizona's statehood in 1912, the current granite, Neoclassical Revival style courthouse was built and opened in 1916. Today, the Yavapai Courthouse and surrounding Plaza are the "defining" features of of historic Prescott.
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| Courthouse Plaza was listed in the National Register of Historic places in 1978. |
More than 170 trees, including 127 American Elms, form a tree canopy providing a natural air-conditioner. The shade along with the lush green grass makes for a pleasant morning walk. And the dancing shadows are fun !
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| The Yavapai County Courthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Buildings in 1977. |
This beautiful statue of Bucky O'Neill is a monument to one of Prescott's "favored sons". Bucky was a miner, a gambler, newspaper editor, lawyer, sheriff, and a mayor of Prescott. When he was mayor, the Spanish American War of 1898 erupted. Theodore Roosevelt organized the Rough Riders (the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry) and Bucky organized the Arizona volunteers who joined and he was appointed Captain of the Rough Riders. He was killed in battle in 1898.
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| Bucky O'Neill Monument 1907 Marble and Bronze Statue Artist : Solon Hannibal Borglum |
And then there is Whisky Row which is actually the name of a street in Courthouse Plaza. While some say the courthouse is a defining feature, others might disagree. A lot went on back in the day on Whiskey Row with drunken cowboys, painted ladies, and gunfights at the top of the list. A fire in 1900 destroyed the original wooden saloons and buildings as the entire block went up in flames. The district was rebuilt by 1901 and this time, bricks were used for construction. More that 40 saloons lined the street This historic street is full of some of Prescott's oldest history.
The Palace Bar (which was also a hotel in the early days) and Restaurant is both the oldest business and the oldest bar in Arizona.
It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
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| Original elements of the 1901 rebuild, including the metal ceiling complete with bullet holes left over from gunfights, the swinging saloon doors, and wood arches, and carved details have been preserved. |
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| When the fire of 1900 happened, the elaborate carved Brunswick-brand bar was carried across the street and is still used today. |
Today the other brick building on Whiskey Row are a mix of entertainment, food, shopping and art galleries.
For lunch we choose Brown Bag Burgers & Brewery. Casual dining with a nice view of the plaza and yummy burgers. We both enjoyed a BBQ burger...piled high with beer battered onion rings, cheddar cheese, pickles, applewood smoked crispy bacon, BBQ sauce, and house beer mustard with a side of sweet potato fries.
After lunch we made a stop at Pralines of Prescott...a family run confectionary that had its start in 1991. This little shop is best known for its chocolate, but has expanded thru the years to include not only hand made chocolate, but also gelato, pastries, coffee, and espresso. We each enjoyed a cup of gelato and brought home a piece of fudge.
On Wednesday, we wanted to try out a hike with Lucy and chose a hike we had done back in 2016 as well. Peavine Trail is close by at Watson Lake. It is very popular with walkers, runners and bikers. Lucy went bonkers ! The bikers zoomed by and not a single one called out "on your left" or had a bell. Other walkers had pups...well behaved pups...and Lucy loves ALL people and pups and was over the top excited. After a 1/2 mile we turned around and headed back to the parking lot and took her straight to the doggie park to play.
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| We will definitely give the trail another go when we visit again! |
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| So aswesome! |
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| A bit of color along the trail... |
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| A wonderful canopy... |
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| A happy Lucy... |
Back at the park, we do enjoy walks with Lucy...multiple walks everyday. We found red and yellow roses. There is roped off section at the end of our road to keep vehicles out. There are lots of picnic tables for gatherings and a very nice view of the valley. I did play on the rocks and spotted a gorgeous hedgehog cacti in full bloom peeking out of the boulders.
The sun rises on the drivers side of the MH. I love the dancing shadows on the shades at coffee time.
We head home tomorrow, but I have more to share and will pick up where I left off once we get settled in. Until then,
HAPPY TRAILS
The squares and plazas found in the historic towns are always a fun place to wander. And on the backside the Palace Bar looks a great as it was in its height.
ReplyDeleteThat Brown Burger is huge! You each finished one! Bet they were good!
Rude bikers have closed some of our more popular rides If they are riding for exercise ride on the streets, not the walkways.
Lovely cactus blooms! So colorful.
Do bull snakes eat gophers? I might want to look into a gopher snake ...
Hi Jeff…aren’t those old saloon doors so pretty! And just imagine the stories they could tell if they talked. The Palace is definitely a destination just by itself! Yes, we each had our own burger. Joe left a bite of his, but I did not. The house made beer mustard was yummy and I used the last bite of my bun to sop up all I could! It is no fun when folks don’t follow the rules of etiquette no matter what the activity…bikers are no exception. There were lots of rude bikers in Moab when we were there. We will add Prescott to the list and stay off multi-use trails here. It wasn’t hard to spot the hedgehog cactus…all alone nestled between the boulders…with its vivid color. And YES…bull snakes are sometimes called gopher snakes and they do eat gophers. They do bite, but are non-venomous. Joe went thru a phase in his much younger days and collected non-venomous snakes….gives me the hibby gibbies!
DeleteWe always enjoy an afternoon in Prescott and drive up for lunch a few times a year. We often park at the Courthouse Square and walk around the corner to Grama's Bakery, below sidewalk level just past the Palace Hotel for their yummy peanut butter cookies! Lunch is often at the nearby The Farm Provisions and for tapas we enjoy Gato Azul! Hiking around Watkins Lake is always fun to, following the dots on the boulders..... I love the photo of the shadows on your shades, so peaceful.
ReplyDeleteGood morning! A morning in Prescott is so fun. And how nice to have it near so you can enjoy a walk & favorite places to eat from time to time. I bet it is a beautiful drive as well! I enjoyed the shadows on the shade every morning…peaceful is a perfect description. I will definitely check out the peanut butter cookies next time!
DeleteI must get back to Prescott and give it another chance. I see great posts like this and know that we just didn't do it right. The entrance at the Palace is really stunning and makes me want to go in! Bull snakes are so pretty but are usually aggressive. Best to keep walking :-) Your MH interior is so, so beautiful!
ReplyDeleteHey Jodee! Thank you! I am always happy when we go on a vaca and don’t really mind the packing and unpacking to go in Belle. I am amazed and so happy Belle was our home for all those years of traveling. And I can hardly believe that she is 17 years old and we have had her for 13 of those years. I think you would like Prescott. There are several museums and the one we chose for this trip was awesome…I’ll post about it next. There are lots of restaurant and bakery choices too. Summers would be a nice time to go with the cooler temps there.
DeleteNo, Joe--there are no beautiful snakes! I'm with you Gay, I don't do snakes. We have frequently traveled to Prescott to Costco or for some other shopping reason--don't know why we haven't explored a bit. Maybe using your post we will explore--Mike would love that burger you photographed! :) I had to laugh about your walk with Lucy--Oh, the joys of puppyhood! Your hedgehog cactus find is gorgeous! I'm envious of your sunshine!
ReplyDeleteHi Janna. There are lots of good choices for places to eat in Prescott. I am a little embarrassed to say I ate every bit of the burger (but left lots of sweet potato fries) and had a gelato afterwards. I was stuffed and what started out as lunch was both lunch and supper! Those bikers were something else. We couldn’t tell if Lucy was scared, excited, or just anxious as they zoomed by with no warning. Sunny, dry, cool and windy was a nice forecast for our stay last week. It was nice to have the windows open all day!
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