Drove up to Prescott yesterday afternoon for the 60th Annual Arizona Historical Society History Conference.
The Arizona Historical Society
Mascot of Semi-naked Truth
Last night, Stuart Rosebrook and I did a tag team dinner talk at the Palace Saloon on Whiskey Row. We talked quite a bit about this flick.
Stuart and BBB in front of the
giant Junior Bonner billboard in the Palace
Of course, Stuart's late father, Jeb Rosebrook, wrote the classic rodeo picture and we each spent some quality time at the dinner reminiscing about him and Prescott.
This morning I had an appointment at the Sharlot Hall Museum Archives to talk about Orchard Ranch and train travel to Ashfork circa 1900, which is a key part of my graphic novel. Thanks to the director Fred Veil, I got to utilize these three experts:
L to R: Reference Desk Coordinator
Tom Schmidt, Archivist Brenda Taylor and Chief Archivist Mick Woodcock
Got some great photo reference of the P&E Railroad Junction in the Dells, on the Iron King Trail, and several railroad books I need to get and train experts to talk with.
Spent the afternoon at the Arizona History Conference. Ran into some major history and even some historic characters from local Prescott royalty.
Melissa Ruffner
Melissa's family arrived in Prescott in 1867 and her grandfather, Sheriff George Ruffner, is a local legend who won a funeral home in a poker game, which the family still owns and operates.
Sheriff Ruffner
In addition Melissa is the founding president and member of the Prescott Victorian Society and a member of the Arizona Pioneers Home Foundation Board, among many other honors. My favorite being she is an "onery" as opposed to "honorary" member of the Prescott Regulators and their Shady Ladies.
Anyway, when I asked Melissa about Sharlot Hall "having a mouth on her," Melissa explained that Sharlot was a ranch woman and would have had a solid Arizona vocabulary. Not as profane as a modern woman, but formidable, nonetheless. Melissa added that when some in Prescott gossiped about Sharlot having an affair, or two, some catty women around town referred to her as "Harlot Shall." But when Melissa's grandmother was asked if Sharlot was that kind of woman, she reportedly replied, "Well, I certainly hope so. She certainly deserved it."
“Don’t expect to counter a firehose of falsehoods with the squirt gun of truth.”
—Old Vaquero Saying
On the Mascot painting, who is the artist?
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