Kathy Lopez & Morgan Ranch Park Assoc – This new publication describes the history of the communities along a 66 mile road north of Prescott.
Centuries ago, Williamson Valley Road began as a game trail for native inhabitants. In the 1400s, ancestors of the Yavapai and Hualapai hunted along ancient footpaths. Later explorers widened these paths for horses. The 1800s brought military wagons transporting supplies between the Rawlins, Hualapai/Tollgate and Fort Whipple camps while traders and settlers followed in stagecoaches.
The fertile lands of Mint Valley, Williamson Valley and Walnut Creek were ideal for raising stock and produce. Farmers sailed from Europe and up the Colorado River before traversing the Hardyville Toll Road along with the military. Ranchers imported the fittest stock and exported the finest meat. Eastern store owners set up shop as railroaders laid far-reaching plans but short-reaching rails.
Proceeds will be used to support Morgan Ranch Nature Park in the Williamson Valley area. The park preserves a portion of the historic Cooper-Morgan Ranch
Oral histories told by residents of Camp Verde, Beaver Creek and the Yavapai-Apache Nation. Judie Piner of the Yavapai-Apache Nation’s Cultural Center will provide an oral history demonstration at the committee’s next meeting on February 8, 2010, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Yavapai College – Camp Verde, Room #802, 321 W. Apache Trail in Camp Verde.
City of Prescott’s Arizona Centennial Website (www.prescottarizonacentennial.org) 
