The Pine Cone

The Pine Cone Experience

“It's about dancing”

On my first visit to Prescott, Arizona on March 22, 1958, I was taken to a lovely, live dancing music club named the Pine Cone Inn. I was truly impressed with the dedication and hands-on-management of the Branch family, owners since the late 1930’s.

The original owners, Mr. White and Mr. Mink, established the Pine Cone in the year of 1932 and titled it “The White Mink”. However, after the Branch’s took ownership they proudly named it “The Pine Cone Inn”.

After almost 86 years of operation, the history of the Pine Cone Inn is deeply embedded in the history of the City of Prescott. A multitude of documents that illustrate the Pine Cone Inn history, such as The Daily Courier newspaper articles, vintage photographs, and other visual memorabilia are archived locally at the Sharlot Hall Museum.

Historic documents spanning from 1940 – 1990 showcase The Pine Cone Inn as the place where the “action was” in Prescott.

The Branch family, consisting of great grandmother Pokey, grandmother, Laura Branch, grandfather, Jack Branch, father, Twig Branch, his wife, Linda Branch, and many of the Branch children, were ambitious and uncompromising regarding their dedication to music, dancing and food; they simply wanted people to be able to listen and dance to live music while dining on delicious food.

The Branch family invested in several renovations during their ownership to improve the original The Pine Cone Inn property. They added a full basement where it is reported that a “speak easy” and poker parties were held during prohibition. In the basement are several large walk-in freezers and coolers. These areas were offered to customers as free storage for Pine Cone Inn customers who wanted to cure their elk, deer, and other large game.

In 1967, the Branch family added a large rock featured dining room, named “The Gold Room”, which boasts a caricature of Ms. Jayne Mansfield carved into the stonework.

Further, the Branch family paved and added over one-hundred parking spaces to complement their stand-alone building.

The newest renovations implemented by the current owners consist of a metal roof, new carpeting, tile, fixtures, window seating, and a spacious enclosed dining area overlooking Granite Creek. This dining area is lovely for weddings, receptions, holiday parties, and other large gatherings.

Finally, the ample dance floor has been quintupled in size by removing the carpeted area and professionally refinishing the original 1932 hard wood floor.

The Pine Cone has been the performing venue for many renowned performers and world famous visitors. The main dining and dancing room is named after The Pine Cone Inn’s 102-year-old trumpet player, Mr. Rosie Ross, who was featured in Barbara Walters” special, “Living to be 100”. Barbara Walters sent her camera crew to spend an entire evening filming Rosie playing his trumpet and entertaining guests as they danced into the evening. After, 100-year-old, Mr. Rosie Ross was flown to New York, compliments of Ms. Walters, to perform on her show.

The Pine Cone Inn has entertained many world famous patrons who have patronized the Pine Cone Inn, such as: Eartha Kitt, John Wayne, Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, Tom Mix, Jim Purvis, Sam Peckinpah, Steve McQueen, Robert Preston, Ida Lupino, Ben Johnson, Joe Don Baker, and the entire cast from the movie made in Prescott: “Junior Bonner”.

Locally, the Pine Cone Inn has been honored with performances by Prescott’s own, Metropolitan Opera Star Charles Edwin Taylor, and Liz Story, a Windom Hill recording star.

We, the current owners of the Pine Cone share the same goals as the Branch family: We want to offer our customers the best possible experience in dancing with the enjoyment of live music. As such, we strive to continuously upgrade our menu items, music selections, and special hours of operation to meet and exceed the expectations of our customers.

Our motto is: “It's about dancing.”