Downtown Prescott’s Historical Whiskey Row & Whiskey Row Alley
This virtual tour is satisfactory but not what I had originally imagined as an end result. So it’s temporary until I can get downtown at a better time of day so as not to have super bright spots. I also plan to shoot more images so you can see more of the businesses that live on Whiskey Row.
Founded in 1864, Prescott was the Territorial Capital of Arizona. Phoenix later became the Capital city in 1889.
Some history about the Row: There were several fires in the late 1800’s along the row and on July 14, 1900 the largest fire decimated 4.5 blocks of downtown Prescott. Basically burning the Row to the ground. It was rebuilt quickly after that using brick and stone, much of which still stands today. Then again on May 8, 2012 a fire destroyed 4 businesses, the Bird Cage Saloon, Prescott Food Store, The Grand Highland Hotel, and a BBQ restaurant(where the fire originated). You’ll notice the gated courtyard area in the middle of the Row; that’s where the buildings stood. It was originally supposed to be used as a shortcut from the alley to the row. Unfortunately the town decided it is not for public use but rather reserved for events and rented out for special occasions.
Fun Fact about Whiskey Row: The Palace, which opened in 1877, served the likes of the Earp Brothers and Doc Holliday. As a matter of fact, Virgil Earp (Wyatt Earp’s brother) not only lived in Prescott but owned a saw mill near Thumb Butte and he was also the town Constable.
Downtown Prescott, Whiskey Row, and the surrounding streets are rich with history. Many business owners have a story or two to tell about their location.
The Whiskey Row Alley: What used to be an alley that was used as a backdoor/shortcut by downtown employees and locals has been going through some recent revitalization and restoration. Aside from just cleaning it up, the town reduced the number of dumpsters, added a Prescott mural, and are working on atmospheric lighting for walking at night.
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I moved to Arizona from Ventura California and looking for historical places to see
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Good evening from Explore Prescott!
There is a lot of history in Prescott and the surrounding towns. A great place to start is downtown where you’ve got Whiskey Row, the Yavapai County Courthouse and square, the Sharlot Hall Museum just a couple of blocks from the courthouse. And don’t forget Fort Whipple.
A little northeast of town is Jerome which is a spectacular small town just on the other side of Mingus Mountain. It was an old mining town and as you drive down the mountain you can spot old mine carts and tracks decorating the hillsides. In Jerome is the Gold King Mine & Ghost Town, it costs a few bucks to get in but it’s worth it.
Not too far from Jerome is Montezuma’s Castle, Montezuma’s Well, and the Tuzigoot Ruins. All historically rich spots.
Sedona is almost always an interesting visit, if not just to see the gorgeous landscape.
Obviously the Grand Canyon is here, but the little town of Williams (we have a lot of little towns) is always worth a stop. On the way there (or back) is Sunset Crater and the Wapatki Ruins both on the same road just at opposite ends. Flagstaff is full of History too. Its excellent to park downtown and just walk around. You never now what you’ll find.
All those places should give you a few days or weeks worth of exploring. I’d also recommend talking to locals, everyone has their favorite spot and are usually pretty enthusiastic to share.
Thank you for visiting Explore Prescott. We hope this information will help you plan some trips and see some new and fun places.
Awesome job I love how we can zoom in and out! Love it!
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Thanks! We love that you love it!