Captain William "Bucky" O'Neill and the Rough Riders Memorial
N 34° 32.476 W 112° 28.163
12S E 365167 N 3823153
Memorial to former mayor of Prescott, Arizona and the men he fought with.
Waymark Code: WM95Q8
Location: Arizona, United States
Date Posted: 07/03/2010
Views: 26
Bucky O'Neill is a local hero, former mayor, and a veteran of the Spanish American War.
William Owen O'Neill, the son of Irish immigrant parents, was born on February 2, 1860, either in St. Louis, Missouri, or Washington,
D.C. In 1879, O'Neill left home, heading for Arizona Territory. O'Neill joined the Tombstone Epitaph during the time of the infamous Gunbattle of the OK Corral. Some speculate that he may have been the one who reported on the gunfight. Shortly afterwards, he went to Prescott, Arizona.
In 1888, while serving as Yavapai County judge, he was elected county sheriff. After his term was up, O'Neill was elected unanimously Mayor of Prescott. In 1898, war broke out between the United States and Spain. O'Neill joined the Rough Riders and became Captain of Troop A.
On July 1, 1898, at about 10am, the Rough Riders and the 10th Cavalry were stationed below Kettle Hill. The Spaniards, who were on top of the hill, poured machine gun and Mauser fire down on the Americans. Bucky O'Neill was killed in action.
On July 3, 1907, a monument by sculptor Solon Borglum was dedicated to O'Neill and the other Rough Riders in their memory in Prescott, Arizona. According to the Smithsonian Art Inventory account of this statue, the rider is Bucky O'Neill.
There are several plaques on the boulder on which the equestrian statue rests. Among them is a roster of the Rough Riders.
Type of memorial: Statue
Location: Yavapai County Courthouse Plaza
Public or private: Public
Who placed it?: Arizona
When was it placed?: July 3, 1907
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Visit Instructions:
Please provide another photo of the memorial. If you want, you can be in it, but it's by no means necessary.