Weekly journal-miner., 1913-08-13
SCHOOL GENESIS |S SHOWN BY
 PICTURE
HOME OF JULIUS SANDERS USED TO TEACH YOUNG IDEA HOW TO SHOOT IN THE PIONEER DAYS

Recollections Of the early days oi the public school in this section are recalled by the receipt of photo graph by Acting County School Su- perintendent Persons, sent by Dr. F. H. Thibodo, of San Pedro, Cal, in which are portrayed bevy of young pupils, their teacher and the little cottage that was temporarily used as a school house.
 Many of the oldest residents have inspected this piece of the artists work, and it has been practically identified as the home of Julius Sanders, and the day in which the school was running, as far back as 1868. To add interest to the scene, this home still stands in Miller val ley, to the east of the county farm, and with not the slightest alteration to the structure, it remains the same now as in the day it was devoted to teaching the young idea how to shoot, nearly half century ago.
 The displaying of the old photo graph, however, has caused discus sion of the question where the first public school house in Arizona was situated. Prescott, of course, enjoys the distinction of being the first set clement in Arizona tc establish an institution of this character, ante dating any like habitation in the old territory by many years. Those con- versant with educational matters of the early days, state that the first public school in Prescott was situated on the site now occupied by the depot building Of the s. F., P. & P. railway, on which was erected a crude little slab house, sufficient to accommodate about eight or ten children. Professor Piatt was the principal, and among the pupils of that far-away day, Is John C.. Stephens, the meat merchant, who still survives the fleeting years of the early eos.
 North Prescott did not long har- Dor this school, as the original To- cation was isolated and there was danger of an Indian raid. Accord ingly, the board of trustees con- cluded to move south, to the center of life in the mining camp town that was springing up, and the old well built cabin on South Granite street was selected near the bank of the creek These quarters were splen- did, and the capacity of the place proved adequate for fifteen or twenty little ones. The building still stands and is more familiarly known as the Dawson cabin. Mrs. Fannie A. Stevens was the teacher, arriving a few months before from the East, with the military as her escort. This accomplished teacher presided ca pably, and with her charming per sonality, won the hearts of her pupils. She was married in this city to Lewis A. Stevens, and abandoned her professional duties, to the sincere regret Of many families. Mrs. Stevens still survives and is now a resident of Los Angeles. Removing later to the Point Of Rocks with her husband, she became nationally famous dur ing the Indian war as the "Nervy Little Schoolmarm" Through her courageous disposition, she is said to have protected her husband and an employe at work in one of the dells adjacent to the ranch, by sta tioning herself on the elevated boulders near by, to survey the many passes leading thereto. One fore noon her vigilance was rewarded, when three Apaches were seen turk ing in the distance, evidently de- sirous of getting within rifle range of Stevens and his help. At this critical moment Mrs. Stevens leveled her rifle on the trio, and one was shot down. A second shot wounded another fleeing one, while the third one made his escape without injury The old Stevens ranch, in later years gave way to various owners, and was more faniliarly known re- gently as the John Smith place, which is now owned by the Arizona Land and Irrigation Company.
 The next location of the public school building went to the site now occupied as the Washington school, growing in all these years from a half dozen pupils to a total in all grades of nearly 1000, and embracing three separate locations in the city. ' STRIKE ORDERED.