As many of you know, one of my favorite places to visit and relax is Bisbee, Arizona, an old mining community where my mother and her family lived back near the turn of the 20th Century. Particularly interesting to me is Bisbee's Main Street. All of the buildings you see in this picture were constructed by people born in the 19th Century, at the dawn of the 20th. Bisbee in those years was one of the hot spots of the West, a bustling, brawling mining town with amenities such as opera, schools, a well-stocked library, and stores that rivaled those in San Francisco. Alas, the mines eventually petered out, leaving the original buildings in place. These buildings have been occupied now by shops and restaurants, but the outward appearance of them is just as it was a century ago. Here are some photographs I took last summer.

The first is a shot looking West on Main Street taken from the middle of the street at twilight. You can imagine yourself in the Bisbee of 1906 - the view would have been much the same. The building to the left, with the tall pillars, is the city library, the first floor of which is the post office. It's been that way for over a hundred years. There is no door-to-door mail delivery in Bisbee because most houses are built on mountainsides, with columns of stairs winding up to the houses. Therefore, Bisbee residents have post office boxes, and collect their mail there at the post office daily. My grandfather's box (I remember the number) is still right there where it always was. The vertical sign to the left, "The Review" is the placard of the town newspaper, and that same sign was there over 100 years ago. It hasn't changed.



In this picture, night has fallen, and the streets are eerily quiet. This is a view of Main Street looking East from the other end. As I took the picture, a gentle breeze was blowing, and I swear I could hear the ghosts of Bisbee past whispering in my ears. The bay windows are situated in what was once known as the Letson Block, a structure built by a Mr. Letson, a merchant in town in 1905. Today, a small hotel is located on the second story, and those bay windows look out from the four hotel rooms. The original walls and flooring in the rooms are intact.

Bisbee is known for ghost sightings in the evening, by the way, and my wife and I have had an encounter while staying at the old Copper Queen Hotel about a quarter-mile from this location. One morning we woke up to find blood spatters on our hotel bathroom floor. Neither of us had cuts on our feet or anywhere else. It turns out that this is the same room where a locally famous lady of the evening killed herself after being jilted by her lover. It was also the room where police shot and killed an escaped criminal, as I recall, in the 1920s or thereabouts. Incidents such as these are not unusual, the locals can tell you of many more unexplained happenings.



Here's a picture of the Copper Queen Hotel, taken last year at Christmastime:



Hope you enjoy the photos!

John

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

I want to see the blood spatters.

I want to see bisbee this winter if for no other reason then that I have a colt SAA that was sent to the copper queen mine in 1906.
Also it looks like it would break up our long winter here if I go at the end of january or so.

Like idiots, Barb, we simply marveled at them and then wiped them up without taking pictures. There's a notebook at the Copper Queen Hotel where guests can write of their encounters. It's chock full of things like this, and my understanding is that a book will be published before too long on the hotel and its ghosts. I think if you Google the Copper Queen Hotel and "ghosts" you'll find a segment of the TV show "Ghost Hunters" which showed some of their investigations. Try this link:

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3f...ee-part-1_blog

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

If you ever want to sell that Colt, let me know. My grandfather had one back in those days, but my grandmother sold it after his death in 1944. He was a foreman for the Copper Queen mine, in charge of the "powder monkeys" who set the explosive charges in the mine. Retroactively, I want to kick her for ever selling that old single action Colt instead of keeping it for my grandfather's heirs. It was part of Bisbee history.

John

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

Been there, Took the mine tour.
Would recommend going to anyone considering it.

From 1980 to 1990 I lived in Hidden Valley (about 20 mi. so. of Maricopa). I was fortunate that my job entailed travel in Southern Arizona and the Northern Mexico.

Bisbee was one of my favorite towns to visit; as mentioned, you could "feel" the past. I have fond memories of these places that everyone should see. Unlike the "cartoonish" image of Tombstone (the town too tough to die), I got into the people of Bisbee (the town too high to care).

Thanks for the pics and post John! As you know, Bisbee and Tombstone are at the top of my "want to see" list. Not only because of the rich history, but also for the paranormal opportunities, which I'm also interested in.

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Misty

...I don't know if you mean "ghost hunting" or if you've been ghosthunting before. I went through that myself. I didn't believe in them at the time and will not go into detail (don't ask) except to say I now am.

I'm merely offering something for you to think about: sometimes it is best to leave Pandora's Box closed...a lot of these old towns are great and I explore many in southeast and central Texas from time to time...many have very violent histories as well. As a result, there are often still "very traumatic things" that turn up. From personal experience, they are best not looked for and best left be if you see them.

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The Last Standing Knight

I am origanly from Eureka Springs Arkansas and Bisbee reminds me alot of Eureka Springs.There is alot of supposed paranormal stuff goes on there also.Ghosthunters went to the Cresent Hotel and a few other places in Eureka also.It's a neat little town but Alaska is MUCH better lol

Misty, let me know if you ever decide to make that trip. If my wife and I can arrange it, we'd be pleased to give you a guided tour of both Tombstone and Bisbee.

John

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

Wow, those photos are fantastic. The place looks almost enchanted. And I don't usually use words like that. Thanks for posting those.

If you go to Bisbee, be sure to stop at St. Elmo's or the Stock Exchange for a cold one while you rest your legs. Bisbee is at 5000' and it takes the legs out of us flatlanders.

The drive from Tortilla Flats to Roosevelt Dam is the most scenic way to get to Bisbee from Phoenix

Wow Klondike you are really being rough on any flatlanders with that route. It is a well worth it drive but from Phoenix to Bisbee and with out any warnings. I like that.

We got a quick look at Bisbee on our way to Tombstone years ago. Never stopped. Always wanted to go back. Didn't.
Always liked novels by J.A. Jance who has Joanna Brady as a female sheriff in Bisbee, after the killing of her husband. Good series of books.
Sonny

I live 75 miles from Bisbee, and love the town. But the Tortilla flats drive is just awesome. Looking North to Four Peaks with nothing but Mother nature in view is just stunning. I studied Desert Tortoise's at the base of Four Peaks for a number of years.

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My Mother likes me.

Paladin, you take some damn nice pictures!

I'm going to be back West next fall for the first time in almost twenty years,my mom wants to go to Toumbstone but I'd like to drop by Bisbee myself as well.

Going to go from AZ through NM and into TX then back to AZ going to be fun I'd bet

Palidin85020, we surely have passed on the streets of Bisbee as my wife and I go there at least once a month to play tourist and have dinner. An overnight stay at the Copper Queen Hotel is a requisite.. room 107 above the Saloon. Dinner at Rosa's Italian restaurant..
Scoutsdad, is there much between Rodeo and Paradise?
Krull, Bisbee to Tombstone is only 25 miles.

Mike

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Mike Maher #283

Mike,

We usually stay in the Julia Lowell Room, #315. In spite of the room's ghostly reputation, it's one of the most comfortable in the hotel. We often eat at Rosa's Little Italy in the Warren District of Bisbee, and breakfasts are either at the Bisbee Breakfast Club in the Lowell District, or Dot's Diner, next to the old Evergreen Cemetery, where my maternal grandparents are buried. For really 5-star dining, it's hard to beat Cafe Roka on Main Street. Really first class. Of course, the Copper Queen has Winchester's restaurant, which is quite nice, and next door is a fine Mexican restaurant, Santiago's, on the corner of Howell and Brewery.

John

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

Misty, this next pic is for you. There are active ghost hunting groups in Bisbee. This was posted on a telephone pole in Bisbee:

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

Yes, it does snow in Bisbee, adding to the charm and ghostly mystery of the town in the winter. This shot was taken last year at Christmastime, after dark; the POV was from the second story balcony of the Copper Queen Hotel. The structure to the left with the bell tower is the old fire station. At the turn of the century, the bell was used to signal shift changes in the mines. When rung continuously, it was all hands on deck for a fire. Bisbee had several disastrous fires in the late 19th Century and the early 20th, which is why the buildings on Main Street were susequently made of brick to be more fire resistant. I can remember my grandfather taking me to that fire station when I was just a toddler, to meet his buddies there, and sitting me on the fire engine. That same old fire engine is still around, but only brought out now for parades on the 4th of July.

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

Yea I know,that's why we're gonna swing through and have a look.

She likes the ghost stuff (as do I) so that's a draw for us.

One of the salutary effects of the Bisbee fires Palladin mentioned is that many of the town's core buildings were rebuilt at a time when the town was particularly prosperous --- so among the indulgences of the day was fancy and elaborate architectural sheetmetal work in the form of roofs, cornices, gutters and downspouts, and etc., many buildings have excellent examples of the period design and workmanship, and are worth "looking up". The Copper Queen is charming, its bar is a friendly watering hole peopled about equally by locals and tourists, and the hotel's Winchester restaurant is better than average. A "sleeper" place to stay, pun excused I hope, is two doors up the street from the Copper Queen, across from the "Y", the Gym Club Suites --- nicely remodeled, airy, generously sized (unlike the Queen's cramped quarters) apartment style suites with kitchens and implements --- an economical alternative to the Copper Queen, and far more commodious.

Thanks for the thread and pics. Very interesting.

Very nice pictures & history!
I felt like I was walking through a time warp.
Thanks!

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ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

looks like a hollywood back lot.

i hope to make there one day and see it.

Thanks John! For the pics and history and tour offer! I'll definitely let you know when/if I head that way!

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Misty

This shot offers an interesting insight into Bisbee's past. These buildings were built in the 1890s in Brewery Gulch and it is believed that they housed a high-class bordello at that time. Prostitution was outlawed in Bisbee in 1907, and the buildings became an apartment complex. You can see the remnants of the second story balconies, once accessed by stairs. When the mines closed in the 1970s, the building fell into disrepair, and hasn't been used since. I suspect that ghost hunters would find a bonanza here...




Farther up Brewery Gulch was the cut-rate red light district. This shot was taken in 1907 just before the trade was outlawed. Notice the woman in the streets, attempting to hide her face, and the steps leading to the cribs on the right. When water came sluicing down the gulch during the summer rains, everything in the Gulch was often swept away. Hence the elevated buildings and the concrete steps.



Many of the old crib steps still remain at the top of Brewery Gulch. Here's a contemporary shot of some of them:



Someone with a sense of that area's history constructed this fence made of bedsteads above the old steps. These have been here for many, many years.



Bisbee is indeed a lady with a past. Is it any wonder people see and sense ghosts in this area?

John

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

Back to top for one of my favorite threads.

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ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

Thank you for the tour. As stated, you take wonderful
pics. A person could just about walk right into them. TACC1

I'm honored that this thread was resurrected! Here are some additional photos. The Old Copper Queen Hotel, which has been continuously operated since 1901, has been the subject of many ghost stories.

Here's an exterior shot of the hotel:



Here's the lobby of the hotel. It hasn't changed a whole lot in over 100 years. The original safe is still behind the counter.



This is the Julia Lowell room. Julia was a madam and prostitute who committed suicide in this room over being jilted by a lover in the early 20th Century. Many have reported seeing her ghost here; single men say she has tickled their feet... and other things. My wife and I enjoy staying in the room, and as mentioned, we found actual blood on the floor of the adjacent bathroom one morning. A bit strange, but not unusual happening. The TV show about ghost hunting did an episode in this very room.



For those of you who are John Wayne fans, here is the room that Duke often stayed in. The bed in the room is quite large. Wayne and Lee Marvin played cards until the wee hours of the morning at a table on the mezzanine of the second floor, not far from this room. Pilgrim, he still may be around in one form or another - who knows. This was a favorite place of his.



I think you all might enjoy visiting Bisbee. I do believe the population of the town is more than just those living there, and so do plenty of others!

John

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

If you are going to take in Bisbee, which is a worthwhile trip, might as well go on down to Douglas. You'll find the Gadsden Hotel on the main drag, "G" Avenue. It is said to have spooks and haints and strange things going on there both night and day. I lived and worked in Douglas and Naco from 1987 till 1995. The only thing I ever saw coming out of the Gadsden was double!!

A similar mining town with some real history and magnificent architecture; Butte Montana with Helena the State Capital a close second. The folks building the various "Blocks" had the money to get quite extravagent. A friend of mine owns the Iron Front Hotel in Helena. The facade is totally cast IRON!

Great thread.

FN in MT

This thread is great! Giving me some ideas for my next trip to Arizona.

Hiram it just depends on what kind of country you like. I guarantee it is not all desert and cactus.

I live in Texas and I'm envious; Arizona has some of the most beautiful and varied country I've ever seen.

These photos have brought back some memories.

Back sometime around 2002/2003 3 friends and I rode our bikes from Phoenix down through Tucson, to Tombstone and Bisbee. There were 2 BMWs, a Suzuki SV-650, and I was on my KLR-650...because my BMW was in the shop.

We took longer tooling around Tucson, going to an Air Museum, and then at Tombstone than I had expected. I didn't mind in the least, but I had my tinted visor on my helmet, because I hadn't anticipated that it would be dark before we arrived in Bisbee...and it was already dark when we left Tombstone. Boy...was that a dark little run from Tombstone to Bisbee.

It was kinda cool riding into Bisbee in the dark, though. It seemed like there were a fair number of people in the streets watching the 4 of us wind our way through the streets to the Copper Queen. Then we grabbed our saddlebags and made our way inside. There was a tiny flicker of an image in my mind of what it might have been like 100 years earlier, riding into town on horseback.

We dined that night on the patio at the Copper Queen. That was quite nice. That night, I wandered around the empty hallways of the hotel...snapping photos. If I recall correctly, there is a really interesting little stairway tucked into a corner at the back of one of those hallways...kind of a creepy feeling going up and down that staircase...at least at 3 AM. I remember thinking that I couldn't wait to look at the photos later, to see if anything unusual had appeared.

I also took quite a few exterior pics, some of them similar to yours. Unfortunately, somewhere on the ride back, my camera was either lost or stolen...I never have been able to figure out which exactly. Unfortunately, no one else took any photos of that trip, so I'm limited to my memories. Now, looking at your pics, I realize I'm ready to jump on a bike and make the trip again.

Tim

Those are fantastic pics.

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Dyin ain't much of a livin

Thanks for those great photos everyone.

One of my favorite things to do is to travel the less known cities of Arizona. They for the most part for me are the most interesting thing to do and see here. I have lived her 5+ years and have barely scratched the surface. I went to Tombstone 4 years ago in the fall and on the way down I think the town is called Saint David,where I met a very nice man that sold pecans on the side of the road. With the hustle and bustle of the valley its very nice to see quiet little towns where the people are very nice and genuine. I plan to go to down there and check it out some more soon. Thanks for sharing Paladin.


Super

If you're in Bisbee you folks need to check out the Second Amendment Family Gunshop and chat with the owner David Greenberg, a great guy! My wife and I bought land just above Douglas a few years back and spend a couple weeks in southern AZ every spring just to hold us over until we can move out. It's going to be the last 2 weeks in April this year and we always spend some time in Bisbee.

Paladin I'm hoping you have more photos. Don't be holding out.

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ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

Keep these ghost stories, haunted places and mining stories coming its going to be a long winter.

We visited Tucson a few years back and took the drive to Tomestone and then on to Bisbee. While on the way we stopped in a town I believe was called Benson and ate and took in an antique shop where I bought a couple of "smalls."

Tomestone was fun, it's easy to take in the Old West there, even if it's geared to the tourist. Bisbee's an old mining town with an interesting past as well. We enjoyed Bisbee so much we drove back the next day.

If you're traveling in that area don't miss the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum just outside of Tucson. There's also a great air museum and airplane "bone yard" on the outskirts of Tucson as I recall.

We had my mom and dad with us on that trip and other than being to scared to go down in the mine in Bisbee, they had a great time. Thanks for rekindling the memories.

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Gadsden:
My wife and I stayed at the Gadsden several years ago. It was Winter and they didn't bother to tell us the rooms lacked any heat. This made for an interesting nite in a hotel with other "issues". I believe the hotel guy tried getting the place fixed up an that TV program.
However if you're ever there stop in and have a look at the grand staircase. There are still chips in the marble stairs where purportedly Pancho Villa rode his horse up and down them. There's also a full Puma mount on the 1st landing. You can also throw a rock into Mexico from there as the border is about 100 yds away.
Jim

The Gadsden is a wonderful place. The chipped staircase is a great story but has been debunked a bunch of times. The current Gadsden was completely destroyed by fire and rebuilt in 1929. Villa died in 1923. Maybe his ghost rode up that staircase, but he didn't.
Sadly, the Gadsden is for sale by its 90-something year old owner and, lacking any buyers he is threatening to close it down. It's currently for sale with no asking price. Any and all offers are being considered.
Fabulous Bisbee pics!
Gadsden Hotel at risk of closure | Features | douglasdispatch.com

Absolutely fascinating post and pics!! I mean, WOW! I just LOVE stuff like this. Many thanks, John.

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Real men love cats!

Due to my computer having a hard drive crash with few photos backed up, I don't have many photos quickly available, except for being on the original camera memory cards. Here are a few I've salvaged.

Here is a photo of the old Bisbee High School, where my mother graduated in 1929 at the age of 17. She is the lady in the dark pants waving her cap in the group of people at its base - we were celebrating her 90th birthday in 2002. This high school made it to some notoriety by each of its 3 stories having entrances at ground level - it was built on the side of a hill. It's no longer an active school; it now houses administrative offices for Cochise County.


This is me in 2002 sitting in the very same ancient fire engine (1938) upon which I once sat with my grandfather around 1943. It was custom made to be not very wide so as to negotiate Bisbee's winding tight streets.


Here's a shot of the Post office/Library where my grandfather had a PO box, and where my mother studied as a girl. The red fire plug saved the building from a disastrous fire in 1908.


Ominous monsoon clouds over the old bank building on main street.


Fire in the sky over main street at sundown.


A view of the Copper Queen Hotel, the longest continuously-operated hotel in Arizona (since 1901).


Birds flocked to roost at sundown in front of the Copper Queen.


This is the grave of Captain Harry Wheeler, who held every position in the Arizona Rangers at the turn of the 20th Century. He also became sheriff of Cochise County. The gun, a 1903 Colt automatic, once belonged to him, and was probably carried by him during WWI in France, when he was a captain in the Army. The repro badges represent him as Captain of the Arizona Rangers and as Sheriff of the county. This grave is about 30 yards from the grave of my maternal grandfather and grandmother, in Bisbee's Evergreen Cemetery.


This is an overview of Bisbee's Main Street plaza. The PO/Library on the left, the old building that used to house the Bank of Bisbee in the center, and the old Phelps Dodge Mercantile building on the right. It was built in 1939 to replace the original, which burned to the ground in 1938. A young fella named Del Webb had this as one of his early projects. He later became famous building retirement suburbs west of Phoenix. Above it on the far right is a partial view of the Copper Queen Hotel. The dark brown building to the rear of the bank now houses some lawyers' offices - I'm not sure of its original purpose.


Hope these will be found of interest.

John

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