In the spring of 1916, an unknown photographer captured the heart of Prescott, Arizona. For decades the fruits of that labor, a collection of glass plate negatives, lay largely forgotten in the local opera house and theater. Now, an historic western town comes to life as it once was, through images of the town's business district as found on those photographic plates. Step into a soda fountain, a pool hall, a mercantile, a haberdashery, a saddlery and more, and experience life as it existed in the newly minted state of Arizona in the early twentieth century.

This photographic history of Prescott, Arizona, is based upon more than 100 images from the 1916 glass-plate negatives. Complementary images of business advertisements, trade tokens, and streetscapes supplement the main photographs. Richly detailed captions highlight many aspects of the pictures, and the text further explores and describes the town's historic downtown district, much of which still exists. Maps, a bibliography and an index complete the work.