1893 - 1963
There was a time when progress in Yavapai County was spelled S-P-A-R-K-E-S. Grace M. Sparkes came to Prescott, Arizona Territory, at the age of 14 in 1906. By 1911, she was working for the Yavapai County Chamber of Commerce as Secretary, a job she held for 34 years. In this capacity, and due significantly to her influence, the economy of Yavapai County remained stable through her tenure with a diverse base of tourism, health, mining, ranching and forestry. Among many other accomplishments, Miss Sparkes was the producer of the Prescott Frontier Days Rodeo for 30 years and developed the "Prescott Rules" used widely for rodeos across the West. She was involved in funding for the Hassayampa Hotel, was the publisher and editor of Yavapai Magazine, helped organize the Smoki People, and joined historian Sharlot Hall in securing a reservation for the Yavapai Indians in 1935. She worked to enlarge the Montezuma Castle National Monument and campaigned for good roads across the state. As Yavapai County Immigration Commissioner and member of the Arizona State Board of Welfare, she directed the Works Progress Administration for the County. Projects constructed under her supervision include the Sharlot Hall Building (the House of A Thousand Hands), the Hospital at Ft. Whipple, the Smoki Museum, Ken Lindley Field and Stadium, Prescott High School (now Mile High Middle School), Goldwater Dam and several street bridges.| HM Number | HMM3Y |
|---|---|
| Series | This marker is part of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) projects series |
| Tags | |
| Placed By | City of Prescott |
| Marker Condition | No reports yet |
| Date Added | Sunday, September 21st, 2014 at 4:00pm PDT -07:00 |
| UTM (WGS84 Datum) | 12S E 366165 N 3823237 |
|---|---|
| Decimal Degrees | 34.54215000, -112.45851667 |
| Degrees and Decimal Minutes | N 34° 32.529', W 112° 27.511' |
| Degrees, Minutes and Seconds | 34° 32' 31.74" N, 112° 27' 30.66" W |
| Driving Directions | Google Maps |
| Area Code(s) | 928, 602, 520 |
| Closest Postal Address | At or near 824 E Gurley St, Prescott AZ 86301, US |
| Alternative Maps | Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap |
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