Wednesdays at the Weatherford – Flagstaff Business News

When Texas businessman John W. Weatherford opened the doors of his grand hotel, a Victorian marvel, among the shanties in downtown Flagstaff on the first day of the new year of the new century, he created volumes of interest from a cast of characters who were writing new chapters in the Arizona Territory. Presidents, scientists, artists, ranchers, lumberjacks, those who maintained the law along with some who broke it, became hotel guests playing out colorful roles in Flagstaff’s early history.

Those chapters are being shared and celebrated during Wednesdays at the Weatherford, 5-7 p.m., on the first Wednesday of each month in April, May and June, starting April 3. The free event, presented by Weatherford Hotel owners Henry Taylor and Pamela “Sam” Green, is hosted in part by the Townsite Community Land Trust (TCLT), which renovates historic homes for affordable housing.

“Learning about Flagstaff history adds quality to my life,” said TCLT Executive Director Duffie Westheimer. “When I see buildings and know who lived there and what they contributed to this place; when I know where the first Northern Arizona weather station was and who staffed it; when I learn about the local materials used to build structures; my life is richer and I feel like I’m a part of the ongoing Flagstaff story.”  

Wednesdays at the Weatherford is free to the public and created out of a love for historic preservation and Flagstaff’s storied past, said Henry Taylor, who purchased the declining property in 1975. “I’ve always felt that Sam and I are curators of this beautiful building and to some degree, the memories it holds within its walls. Restoring the Weatherford Hotel has been a decades-long commitment. Our hope has always been to share it with the world.”

Wednesdays at the Weatherford presenters include local historian, actor and screenwriter Drew Purcell, who will be bringing little known stories about the hotel’s colorful past to life on Wednesday, April 3, with “Unanswered Questions from the History of the Weatherford Hotel.” Mysteries include why a well-regarded Prescott community member shot up the hotel’s lobby in 1912 and why Mr. Weatherford was called “Colonel,” despite not having any military background.

On Wednesday, May 1, Richard McGaugh, a fourth generation Arizonan, will present “Steam on the Mountain: The Early History of Flagstaff’s Railroad and Logging.” McGaugh quotes the late historian Platt Cline, author of “They Came to the Mountain: The Story of Flagstaff’s Beginnings,” who said, “If Flagstaff was fathered by the railroad, then its mother was the lumber industry.”

On Wednesday, June 5, Barbara Bates and Susan Olberding, members of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Coconino Chapter, will speak about “Yesterday and Today with DAR” and how 13 women gathered in 1927 with the goal of supporting historic preservation, education and patriotism in Flagstaff. Ninety-seven years later, DAR continues its efforts here today.

“Old buildings and the stories behind them make Flagstaff different from other mountain towns,” said CJ Lucke, a TCLT board member. “Remembering who and what came before us is a gift to help us appreciate why we live here and what we need to protect.” FBN

By Bonnie Stevens, FBN

Wednesdays at the Weatherford will be in the hotel’s Exchange Pub, 23 N. Leroux St. Discounted appetizers and specials will be offered to attendees. For more information, visit weatherfordhotel.com or call 928-779-1919.