Who Was Buckey O'Neill, and Why Is There a Rough Rider Statue on the Square?

If you've strolled the courthouse square in downtown Prescott, you've seen him: a bronze rider on a spirited horse, set high on a big granite boulder. It's one of the first things people ask about. Here's the answer. The statue is the Rough Rider Monument, and it depicts William Owen "Buckey" O'Neill, a Prescott mayor who resigned in 1898 to become captain of Troop A of the Rough Riders and was killed in Cuba that same year. Sculptor Solon Borglum created it, and it was dedicated on July 3, 1907.

Let's walk through who Buckey was, and how a small territorial town came to commission one of the finest bronzes in the West.

According to a Days Past article by Mick Woodcock in the Sharlot Hall Museum archive, O'Neill was born February 2, 1860, likely in St. Louis, Missouri, to Irish immigrant parents. He came to Arizona in 1879, spent time in Tombstone and Phoenix, and reached Prescott in 1882.

He wore a lot of hats in his years here. The same article lists them:

• Court reporter
• Editor of the Arizona Miner
• Editor and publisher of Hoof and Horn, a paper for Arizona's cattle industry
• Elected Yavapai County offices, including judge, school superintendent, sheriff, and assessor
• Mayor of Prescott

He also ran for territorial delegate to Congress, without success. It's a resume that tells you something about frontier Prescott: a capable person could do a little of everything.

Here's the part most people don't hear. "Buckey" wasn't a family name. Woodcock writes that he earned it by betting heavily at faro, a card game of the day. Betting against the house at faro was called "bucking the tiger," after the tiger pictures on the cards. The name stuck, and it's the one Prescott still uses.

When war with Spain began in 1898, O'Neill was mayor of Prescott. A Sharlot Hall Museum photo record of his headstone says he resigned to become captain of Troop A of the Rough Riders and embarked for Cuba. Woodcock adds that Arizona volunteers formed Troops A, B, and C of the regiment, trained in San Antonio, and were nicknamed the "Rough Riders" by the newspapers.

Prescott's own Fort Whipple played a part too. Its story, including the enlistment of men for the war, is in our post on the history of Fort Whipple.

The museum's headstone record says O'Neill was killed at the base of Kettle Hill, next to San Juan Hill, by a Spanish sniper. A lieutenant in his troop later described how other officers took cover while O'Neill walked among his men under fire.

There's a famous line tied to him, that the Spanish bullet that would kill him had not yet been made. Woodcock is careful to call that a legend, and we'll leave it there.

He was first buried in Cuba. On May 1, 1899, his remains were reinterred at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. His headstone there reads, in part, "Who would not die for a new star in the flag," a nod to Arizona's hopes of becoming a state.

Prescott wanted a lasting tribute, and it aimed high. According to a Days Past article by Marguerite Madison Aronowitz, here's how it came together:

That last detail about who paid is our favorite. Children chipped in. The statue really does belong to the town.

A Days Past article by Drew Desmond describes the unveiling. The parade began promptly at 10:30 in the morning on July 3rd, and the crowd gathered to honor "brave Buckey O'Neill." His adopted son Maurice was there. The Journal-Miner's report the next day called it a tribute to the memory of Captain William Owen O'Neill, in command of Troop A, shown "mounted on his charger."

The Aronowitz article calls the monument one of Borglum's finest works, and more than a century later, it's still the heart of the square.

The statue stands on Courthouse Plaza, in front of the Yavapai County Courthouse, right in the middle of downtown Prescott. It's an easy stop on a walk around the square, before or after lunch on Whiskey Row. Here's what to do around Whiskey Row and Courthouse Plaza.

If you'd like to dig deeper, the Sharlot Hall Museum, a short walk west of the plaza, keeps the Days Past archive and a large collection on the area's history. Here's what you can see at the Sharlot Hall Museum.

Many people who end up living in the Quad Cities first fell for the area on a day just like this: a walk around the square, a stop at the museum, and a drive back through Prescott Valley. If you're thinking about a move, we're glad to help you build a timeline for your visits, so you can see the area in more than one season without feeling rushed. Here's what to know before you relocate to Prescott.

Who is the statue on the Prescott courthouse square?
The bronze rider on Courthouse Plaza is the Rough Rider Monument, which depicts William Owen "Buckey" O'Neill. He was mayor of Prescott and captain of Troop A of the Rough Riders, and he was killed in Cuba in 1898.

Who made the Buckey O'Neill statue?
Solon Borglum. The Sharlot Hall Museum's Days Past archive says it was commissioned by the City of Prescott, paid for by area adults and school children, and dedicated on July 3, 1907.

Why was he called Buckey?
He earned the nickname betting heavily at faro, where betting against the house was called "bucking the tiger."

Where is Buckey O'Neill buried?
He was first buried in Cuba, and on May 1, 1899, his remains were reinterred at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

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