Dick Wick Hall
| Dick Wick Hall | |
|---|---|
| Born | DeForest Hall March 20, 1877 Creston, Iowa |
| Died | April 26, 1926 (aged 49) Los Angeles, California |
| Occupation | Writer, Real Estate promoter |
| Alma mater | University of Nebraska |
| Spouse | Daysie Mae Sutton |
Dick Wickenburg "Dick Wick" Hall (born DeForest Hall, March 20, 1877 – April 28, 1926) was an American humorist. As co-founder and initial resident of Salome, Arizona he began publishing The Salome Sun, a newsletter containing tall tales and humorous prose. Hall created a variety of characters for his newsletter, the most famous being a seven-year-old frog that had never learned to swim. Excerpts from the Sun became a regular feature of The Saturday Evening Post, appearing in the magazine from 1920 until Hall's death in 1926.
Hall was born DeForest Hall to Thomas and Florence Hall on March 20, 1877 at his family's farm near Creston, Iowa. During his youth he was interested in plants and animals, and produced a sizable collection of mounted birds and animals. The collection would later be acquired by the University of Nebraska. He was educated in public schools before enrolling at the University of Nebraska. In college he studied engineering and ornithology. He left the university before graduation and worked briefly as a journalist and fireman on the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad.
After seeing a display of Hopi artifacts during a fair in Omaha, Nebraska, Hall decided to visit Arizona Territory. He arrived in the territory in 1898, spending some time on the Hopi Reservation before moving to Pleasant Valley. There he worked at construction, as a gardener, and as a census taker. In 1900, Hall moved to Phoenix where his brother, Ernest, was employed as territorial librarian. During February and March of that year he was business manager of the Arizona Graphic. In 1901, the brothers moved to Wickenburg and began publishing a newspaper, the News Herald. The following year, Hall had his name legally changed to "Dick Wickenburg Hall". As to why the new name was selected, Hall had never liked his given name and had gone by "Dick" as a child. The addition of "Wickenburg" was done to satisfy Hall's desire to have a middle name and in honor of Henry Wickenburg. The new name was shortened in common use to "Dick Wick Hall".
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