Prescott National Forest lies in a mountainous section of central Arizona between forested plateaus to the north and arid desert to the south. The natural beauty of mountain tops, clear lakes and rivers, great varieties of fish, unique wildlife, and remnants of cultural heritage provide settings for a diversity of outdoor recreation activities
The Prescott National Forest is divided into three Ranger Districts: Chino Valley, located in the Northeast and Northwest portions of the forest; Bradshaw in the West Central and Southwest; and Verde in the East Central and Southwest. In addition to these districts, the forest has a Supervisor's Office and the Prescott Fire Center - both located in the city of Prescott. The forest accomplishes its mission with about 140 permanent full-time employees, 50 seasonals, and workers from other special employment and volunteer programs.
Records / History:
Portions of the Prescott National Forest today are much the same are they were when Sam Miller panned for gold in Lynx Creek and was wounded by a cougar, or when General Crook's flag fluttered over Palace Station.<br><br>
The Prescott Forest Reserve, predecessor to the Prescott National Forest, was established on May 10, 1898, by a proclamation issued by President William McKinley. The Reserve consisted of 16 sections of land laying southwest of Prescott. Generally, its boundaries were Copper Basin on the west, Aspen Creek on the east, Bootlegger Spring to the south, and Williams Peak to the north. The establishment of the Reserve came in response to the community's need to protect its domestic watershed; the town's water plan called for dams to be constructed on Banning and Potts Creeks. In 1891, Congress had passed legislation authorizing the president to set aside from the public domain, forest reserves to protect timberlands and watersheds. The Prescott Forest Reserve was the second established in Arizona; the first was the Grand Cañon Forest Reserve, established in February, 1893.
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The mountains surrounding Prescott had already been heavily mined and its timber severely cut since 1863 when gold was discovered in the Bradshaw Mountains. This, despite federal laws forbidding the cutting of timber from the public domain. Timber could only be cut legally from homesteads, mining claims,and private property. By 1898, most of the mature timber had been stripped from the mountains and hillsides, sawed into timbers and construction lumber, and transported to the mining operations. At first, even the Reserve and the hiring of a Ranger was not protection enough. Within a year after its establishment,approximately 1,000 additional trees had been cut from it. In October, 1899, the Reserve was greatly enlarged to offer additional protection for the timberlands. The Reserve then stretched from Granite Mountain to the north to Black Canyon City to the south.
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In 1908, the Reserve, renamed "Prescott National Forest," absorbed the Verde National Forest. The Verde National Forest was established the previous year to protect the watershed of the Verde River. Over the years, Forest boundaries have changed as land was turned back to the public domain or traded with private owners to consolidate boundaries for easier administration.
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