Prescott Arizona: The First 50 Years is a collection and a reflection of the influence of the Press during America’s expansion west from the mid to late 19th Century. Small local newspapers were usually the only source of information available to the settlers. The owners of these newpapers, and the jounalists they hired, controlled the content and set the tone of everything the public read. Today, we know society and social values have dramaticlly changed since these articles were first published. As you read the articles in this book, please do not judge the people who wrote them 150 years ago. Today we realize words do influene the mind of the reader. However, understanding the term Presentism: Not judging the deeds of our ancestors by the values we have today is essencial when we study the past.