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Chronicling America
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Newspaper The Pick and Drill (Prescott, Ariz.) 1897-1899

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About The Pick and Drill (Prescott, Ariz.) 1897-1899

The Pick and Drill was a short-lived newspaper published 1897-1899 in Prescott, Arizona. It was preceded by the Arizona Populist published in Phoenix but was wholly different in name and purpose. The Arizona Daily Citizen reported in January 1897 that “the Arizona Populist has been transmogrified” into the Pick and Drill, and that “the editor evidently believes there is more in ‘picks’ than in ‘pops.'” The newspaper, as the slogan in its masthead would declare – would be “devoted to the mining interests of the Southwest.”

Albert F. Banta, who had published the Argus in Holbrook, Arizona, in 1895-1896, purchased the Populist in 1897 and promptly changed the name and moved publication of the paper to Prescott. According to “Albert Franklin Banta: Arizona Pioneer” in the New Mexico Historical Review, Banta’s friend Buckey O’Neill, publisher of the Hoof and Horn and a candidate on the Populist Party ticket, had encouraged Banta to buy the newspaper, rename it, and move its location.

The uniqueness of the Pick and Drill‘s name was matched by the ornateness of its masthead, with the “D” in its title filled in with a drawing of miners at work. It also indicated 1894 as its initial year, but that was when the Populist began, and the volume numbering also continued from the Populist. For a brief time, it carried the slogan, “The Only Mining Paper in the Southwest,” though there were other mining-focused newspapers published at that time. The Pick and Drill was filled with mining news from Arizona, Mexico, and other locations. Production of and prices for gold, silver, and copper were sometimes listed. A July 1897 issue announced a “Miners’ Drilling Contest,” for which there was a $500 prize, as part of Prescott’s Wild West Show.

While initially very focused on mining, Pick and Drill also published political news and commentary, train timetables, a local and personal column, serialized fiction, and many advertisements. The weekly newspaper varied in length from, initially, eight pages, to six pages, and finally four pages in its last year.

In October 1899, Banta decided to retire from journalism and sold the Pick and Drill to Thomas Schultz, who then renamed the paper the Prospect. Upon Banta’s retirement, the Williams News noted that “with Mr. Banta’s leaving goes one of the most striking and original characters among Arizona journalists.”

Research provided by the University of Arizona Libraries.

Provided By: Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records; Phoenix, AZ

About this Newspaper

Title

  • The Pick and Drill (Prescott, Ariz.) 1897-1899

Dates of Publication

  • 1897-1899

Created / Published

  • Prescott, Ariz. : A.F. Banta

Headings

  • -  Prescott (Ariz.)--Newspapers
  • -  Yavapai County (Ariz.)--Newspapers
  • -  Arizona--Prescott
  • -  Arizona--Yavapai County
  • -  United States--Arizona--Yavapai--Prescott

Genre

  • Newspapers

Notes

  • -  Weekly
  • -  Began in 1897; ceased in 1899.
  • -  Description based on: Vol. 3, no. 14 (Feb. 14, 1897).
  • -  Prospect (DLC)sn 95060802

Medium

  • volumes

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • sn95060797

OCLC Number

  • 33190664

ISSN Number

  • 2997-4666

Preceding Titles

Succeeding Titles

Additional Metadata Formats

Availability

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress believes that the newspapers in Chronicling America are in the public domain or have no known copyright restrictions. Newspapers published in the United States more than 95 years ago are in the public domain in their entirety. Any newspapers in Chronicling America that were published less than 95 years ago are also believed to be in the public domain, but may contain some copyrighted third party materials. Researchers using newspapers published less than 95 years ago should be alert for modern content (for example, registered and renewed for copyright and published with notice) that may be copyrighted. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item.

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

The Pick and Drill Prescott, Ariz. -1899. (Prescott, AZ), Jan. 1 1897. https://www.loc.gov/item/sn95060797/.

APA citation style:

(1897, January 1) The Pick and Drill Prescott, Ariz. -1899. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/sn95060797/.

MLA citation style:

The Pick and Drill Prescott, Ariz. -1899. (Prescott, AZ) 1 Jan. 1897. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/sn95060797/.