The Treasure Hunt That Keeps Prescott History Alive,,,An Arizona Roundup conversation with Debbie Mathern of the Thumb Butte Questers

A vintage comic book can become a Christmas gift. An old woodworking plane can return to a craftsman’s hands. And an afternoon spent looking for treasures can help save a piece of Arizona history. On this episode of Arizona Roundup, host Stuart Rosebrook welcomes Debbie Mathern to explain how the Questers turn curiosity about the past into preservation for the future.

Mathern, president of Prescott’s Thumb Butte Questers chapter, came to the organization through an antique show more than 20 years ago. Her interest began much earlier. As her family moved around the world for her father’s engineering work, they made a habit of visiting places of historical importance. Today, she helps others discover the stories behind objects and the places that hold them.

The Questers’ work reaches well beyond collecting. Mathern says her chapter has given more than $150,000 to projects during her years of involvement. Its support has helped put a roof on a small museum in Skull Valley and restore the mining locomotive that greets visitors at Sharlot Hall Museum. Prescott’s Yavapai and Thumb Butte chapters also helped restore the museum’s Arizona Bicentennial wagon.

That wagon gives Rosebrook and Mathern one of the program’s best stories. Driven by Bud Brown as part of the 1976 Bicentennial wagon journey, it now stands in the museum’s transportation hall. Its restoration required skilled work on wheels so large that Quester Phil Kasdorf drove them from Prescott to South Dakota. It was another journey for a wagon that had already traveled across the country.

Then the conversation turns to a particularly enjoyable way to support such work: the Prescott Antique Show & Vintage Market, October 9–10, 2026, at the Prescott Rodeo Grounds. Rosebrook recalls finding vintage comic books that became a perfect family gift, while his son Jeb discovered old woodworking tools he could put to use. Mathern describes pottery, jewelry, signs, rugs and other finds, along with a country market, artisan goods and food vendors. No one can promise what treasure will be waiting in a booth. That is part of the fun.

Admission also serves a purpose. Mathern says the proceeds the Questers raise go back into historic preservation projects. Visitors can enjoy the search knowing their day out helps keep local stories visible.

Rosebrook closes with a question that reaches beyond antiques: What will the next generation know about the lives we are living now? A family keepsake, a photograph or an object from 1976 may already be part of the historical record. The challenge is to notice its story, share it and help preserve what matters before it disappears.

Things to remember

The Questers support preservation, restoration and education through local chapters and community projects.

The restored Arizona Bicentennial wagon and the small mining locomotive are two visible examples of their partnership with Sharlot Hall Museum.

History does not have to be centuries old to matter. Objects within living memory can help tell a community’s story.

Things to share

Tell a friend why you have kept a family object, photograph or tool. Its story may be more valuable than its price.

Invite someone who loves antiques, craftsmanship or local history to hear this Arizona Roundup conversation.

Bring a friend to the market. A shared treasure hunt may lead to a story neither of you expected.

Things to take action on

Visit the Prescott Antique Show & Vintage Market at the Prescott Rodeo Grounds on Friday, October 9, from noon to 5 p.m., or Saturday, October 10, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday early entry runs from noon to 2 p.m. at $15; general admission is $10. Details: prescottantiqueshow.com.

Explore Sharlot Hall Museum, including its transportation hall and the Bashford House. Consider becoming a museum member to support its ongoing work: sharlothallmuseum.org.

Learn about joining the Questers or an Arizona chapter. Mathern also describes a membership-at-large option for people who support the mission but cannot attend regular chapter meetings: questers1944.org and azquesters.org.

Listen to Arizona Roundup with Stuart Rosebrook and Debbie Mathern, then choose one story from your own family or community that deserves to be remembered. A good place to begin may be closer than you think.