Arizona Revealed: Prescott

The roots of Western heritage run deep in Prescott.

Indigenous cowboys roping in the town’s first rodeo. Ranch families generations in the making. Saloons forged from fire. Western artists capturing the scene with a paintbrush — like George Phippen, the first president of the Cowboy Artists of America, whose namesake museum makes its home here in Prescott. And holding court in the heart of town, the Capitol Building, which served as Arizona’s first territorial capital from 1864 to 1867, and again from 1877 to 1889. Surrounding this downtown square is the famed Whiskey Row, where Old West saloons shrouded in mythology still thrive today. It’s also where the July Fourth parade ambles by, kicking off the biggest event of the year: the annual Prescott Frontier Days and the World’s Oldest Rodeo.

This episode of “Arizona Revealed” traces Prescott’s Old West past to its modern present — and introduces viewers to the people whose lives are imbued by the city’s Western culture.

There’s Manuel Lucero of the Museum of Indigenous People. As Executive Director, Lucero shines a light on Native American history and art through the museum’s exhibits that span pre-historic to contemporary works. Lucero shares how it’s these influences that have shaped Western heritage as we know it.    

You’ll see Autumn Kline, owner of Prescott Trading Company, a shop stocked with authentic Western wear — from cowboy boots and hats to shirts, skirts, jeans and jewelry. More than a clothing store, the friendly atmosphere here embodies the welcoming Western hospitality Prescott is known for.

Matt Brassard co-owns the legendary Matt’s Saloon, where Bruce Springsteen once bellied up to the bar, and where today, locals and visitors alike crowd the dance floor to kick up their heels— er, spurs — to the tunes of live country music.

By day, Sarah Kieckhefer oversees operations at her family’s ranch. By night she takes the rodeo arena by storm as a roper and barrel racer. Kieckhefer lives and breathes the rhythms of the West: hard work, long days and a passionate and indomitable spirit to everything she does.

Finally, there’s internationally renowned Western artist Steve Atkinson. His sought-after works — which showcase the beauty and grit of cowboy life — hang in homes and museums around the world, including at Prescott’s Phippen Museum. Atkinson’s keen eye for details lends an authenticity to his pieces that showcase the West vibrancy.

‍Historical images provided by Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records, History and Archives Division.