Simple Roast Chicken with Gravy (1892)

 

Bing AI

A dish they may have served at many of the hotel restaurants in Phoenix during the 1890s.

Ingredients

1 whole chicken (3-4 lbs)

2 tbsp butter (softened)

Salt and pepper to taste

1 onion, quartered

1 carrot, cut into chunks

1 celery stalk, cut into chunks

1/2 cup water or chicken stock

For the Gravy:

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp flour

1/2 cup drippings from the roasted chicken (or stock)

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat your oven to 375°F. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Rub the softened butter all over the chicken, both inside and outside, and season generously with salt and pepper. Place the onion, carrot, and celery inside the cavity of the chicken. These add flavor but are not meant to be eaten.

Place chicken in a roasting pan, breast-side up. Pour 1/2 cup of water or chicken stock into the bottom of the pan to keep the chicken moist. Roast for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the juices run clear and the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Baste the chicken occasionally with the pan juices.

Once the chicken is done, transfer it to a serving platter and let it rest while you make the gravy. In a small saucepan, melt 1 tbsp butter. Add 1 tbsp flour and whisk together to form a roux. Gradually whisk in 1/2 cup of the drippings from the roasting pan, cooking until the gravy thickens. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Carve the chicken and serve with the homemade gravy. You can accompany it with simple vegetables like boiled potatoes or peas.

Unclaimed and Unknown: The Strange Case of George Woods and His Three Names

BingAI/Val Prompt

In January of 1892, the body of a man known as George Woods, though he also went by the names Wiley and Willis, was discovered lifeless in a room at the Pioneer Hotel. A laborer for the Arizona Canal Company, little was known about him beyond the strange fact that he had three names, each found among his personal belongings. His funeral was a lonely affair, paid for with his remaining wages, and not a single mourner attended. Who was this enigmatic figure now resting in Loosley Cemetery?

-Val "Shadow Archives"

Library on Congress Sanborn Map 1889

(Pioneer Hotel, formally known as Phoenix Hotel)

The Arizona Republic, January 29, 1892

 

Elena Redondo Garfias (1862-1890) - Wife of Marshal Henry Garfias

 

Photo from PCA Archives

Elena Redondo was born in 1862, probably on the family ranch outside of Yuma.  She was one of eight children born to Piedad Contreras and Jose Maria Redondo.

She married Henry Garfias on April 13^th, 1883, in Yuma, Arizona Territory.  The newlyweds subsequently established their home in Phoenix.  They had two children: Maria Claudina, born in 1884, and Emmanuel Henrico “Manuel Henry” in 1887.  Elena died 22 March 1890, apparently due to complications from her third pregnancy.

Elena’s husband, Henry Garfias, led a colorful and well-documented life in Phoenix.  However, his wife's family history is also a notable record of Hispanic influence in the Arizona Territory, California and Sonora, Mexico.

The Redondo family's roots go back to Spain but they had been in Sonora, Mexico, for several generations prior to Elena's father and other family members going to the goldfields of California in 1849.

Jose Maria Redondo married Piedad Contreras in California and in 1859, they and their two children (with one more on the way), moved to Yuma, Arizona Territory, along with Piedad's extended family.  They first established a home in Laguna outside of Yuma, where they ran a bakery and store in the mining community.

Eventually, Jose acquired a very large ranch in Yuma called Hacienda de San Ysidro.  He dammed the Gila River and used the water to irrigate vineyards, orchards and fields of grain and vegetables as well as growing fodder for cattle, horses and sheep. He was the first grower of lettuce in Yuma County.

He had mining interests as well and served in the Arizona Territorial Legislature, where he was instrumental in getting the Territorial Prison located in Yuma.

Elena's brother, Jose “Joe” Redondo, ran the first Hispanic newspaper in Phoenix, El Progresso.

Although there is little information about Elena after her marriage, Henry Garfias' status in Phoenix must have meant they were socially active in both the Hispanic and white communities.

Elena is buried in the City/Loosley Cemetery at the Pioneer Military and Memorial Park in Phoenix, Arizona.

-story by Susan Wilcox

Tragedy on Adams Street: The Murder-Suicide of Thomas and Anna Secrest (1894)

 

Bing AI/Val Wilson Prompt

On the evening of September 21, 1894, a horrific scene unfolded on Adams Street and Second in Phoenix. Thomas Secrest, 45, fatally shot his wife of 20 years, Anna Secrest, 38, before turning the gun on himself. The tragedy occurred shortly before 6:30 p.m., as Anna stood near the gate of the cottage. He shot her twice.  After shooting her, Thomas crossed the street and shot himself in the temple.

A crowd quickly gathered as the wounded couple was brought into the house and tended to by physicians Purman, Helm, and Martin. Despite their efforts, it was clear there was nothing more to be done. Within the hour, both husband and wife were dead. Their son, Barry, was at his mother’s side when she passed.

The Secrest family’s history added a somber complexity to the event. Thomas Secrest had moved to Phoenix 14 months earlier from Aspen, Colorado, to work as a mining engineer for the Mammoth Mine. Prior to Aspen, the family had resided together in La Grande, Oregon. The couple had three children: a son, Barry, 13, a married daughter, Mrs. Madaline Guardinier, 18, and another son, Wanda, 20.

Nine months before the murder-suicide, Anna and her two sons had joined Thomas in Goldfield Mining Camp from La Grande. However, Anna disliked life in the mining camp and left for Denver in June, though her reasons and whom she visited remain a mystery. Her older son, Wanda, returned to Oregon and lived with his sister Madaline, while Barry stayed with his father at Goldfield. A month before the tragic night, Anna returned to Phoenix, staying briefly at the Gregory House before renting a cottage from J.L.B. Alexander, the place of the fateful event. Barry moved in with her, and during this time, Thomas visited her, marking their final interactions before the fatal evening.

While the exact motive behind the shooting is unknown, there were troubling signs of discord. Barry, their son, described his father as increasingly unstable, saying Thomas had experienced “absence of memory” and had grown jealous. Anna’s last words suggested that Thomas shot her because she refused to return to the mining camp. A letter Thomas had sent two days prior hinted at reconciliation if Anna returned, but ominously warned of darker consequences if she did not. Rumors circulated about Anna taking late-night carriage rides and an unnamed man visiting her at the house, adding fuel to Thomas’s jealousy.

The weapon used was a .38 caliber revolver of the American Bulldog pattern.  Newspaper reporters stated that such a revolver was commonly used for suicides and murders. 

In the aftermath, the bodies of Thomas and Anna were removed together and placed side by side at the morgue, a chilling reminder of the tragic event that left the community shocked and devastated.

-Val-Shadow Archives (Resource, Arizona Republic, September 21, 1894)

 

Frances Musser (1868 - 1898) - Chicago Nurse Graduate

 

Mary Thompson Hospital
Library of Congress

**Repost from 2020

Frances E. Musser, the cousin of the south side representative of The Republican, C. M. Zander, came to Phoenix shortly after graduating from the Women's and Children's Hospital of Chicago in 1893.  The hospital was created by Mary Thompson, who was one of the first female physicians in Chicago.  

This hospital would later train female physicians and nurses, since the formal education of women in medicine was extremely limited.  Frances took advantage of this training, and had become known as one of their stellar nurse graduates in Chicago.  

Sadly her health failed her.  Suffering from cirrhosis of the liver, she went to Omaha to improve her health, and continued with her nursing practice.  When her physician recommended that she leave because of the winters, she came to Phoenix.  Despite efforts by a fellow classmate, Julia E Hay, and her cousin, she died from her illness, and is buried in Porter Cemetery.  Sadly, the only relative who could attend her funeral was her cousin due to the distance.  

Happy Labor Day - Labor Day Parade 1906

 

Library of Congress, Labor Day Parade 1906

Labor Day, celebrated on the first Monday of September in the United States, honors the contributions and achievements of American workers. The holiday was established in the late 19th century during the labor movement, which advocated for fair working conditions, reasonable hours, and better wages. Labor Day was first recognized as a federal holiday in 1894, following widespread labor strikes and the Pullman Strike, which highlighted the need for a national day of rest and recognition for workers' rights. The day also marks the unofficial end of summer and is often celebrated with parades, picnics, and other community events.