First, let me introduce myself; you can call me John, because that's my name. I'm getting on in years now, against my will, but that's what happens to most of us, and probably will to you, too. In my retirement, I've become a professional writer and photographer. I also consider myself an historian; one of my close friends is the official state historian, and we swap stories every now and then. I have a special interest in Arizona history, as my roots are in this great state going way back. I'm particularly fond of the old mining town of Bisbee, down on our southern border. My mother was born there in 1912, and my grandfather worked in the mines there as a foreman beginning around the turn of the 20th Century. I tend to look at things not as they are, but as they must have been 100 years ago... Here's a pic of me, taking in a scene in Bisbee.



Bisbee is fascinating, because the old mining town has been left pretty much as it existed over 100 years ago. Take a look at these two pictures, taken from about the same vantage point; the first in 1906 and the second by me in 2006. Virtually identical. The place oozes history, legends... and ghosts.




This is where the mortal remains of most of the old-time residents of the town reside. It's the old Greenwood cemetery, located near the Bisbee suburb of Lowell, southeast of the main part of town. My maternal grandparents' graves are near the center of this picture. Just recently, some of the ashes of my recently-deceased older cousin, who adored our mutual grandfather, have been added to that site.



Up North of the city, along the stretch of road long known as Brewery Gulch, are some steps, now covered in weeds and leading nowhere. Most folks don't know or even care why they are there. But they are part of Bisbee history when the area was a hell-for-leather mining district. Those steps once led to the cribs of the soiled doves who plied their trade until prostitution was outlawed in 1907. These ladies then went "underground," and we'll talk more about one of them later.



The main street of Bisbee is now cluttered with antique shops, museums and restaurants. It's relatively quiet today, but now and then a dog will roam about unsupervised, occasionally snapping alert to things that perhaps most humans can't sense.



Bisbee at night is a different place. The nighttime hours give one a deeper sense of the place's past; a strange noise or a fleeting motion in one's peripheral vision allow your imagination to take hold of how things used to be a century ago.



But let's move on now to the Copper Queen hotel, which for more than a century has been operating continuously. It can be seen in the two "before and after" pictures above. This is a shot I took of it one cold winter...



It snowed that night, and the city became hushed with the silence that only falling snow can provide...



My wife and I took refuge and entered the old hotel to register, as we had many times. This is the lobby, appearing much today as it did in olden days.



We registered at the front desk, and requested the Julia Lowell room. I'll tell you why in a moment...



Here's a shot of the interior of the room named for Julia Lowell. Remember those ladies who were kicked off Brewery Gulch in 1907? Well, Julia was one of them, and took up more or less residence in this particular room to operate "off the books." It seems she became madly infatuated with one of her patrons, but he did not return her feelings. Despondent, she shot herself, dying in this very room.



Some years later, an armed felon was confronted by the police in this same room and was shot down on the floor, dying in a pool of blood.

Today, it's reported that when single men take this room, the ghost of Julia enters and "plays" with them, often beginning by tickling their feet. These antics have been recorded time and again by guests in the hotel's "ghost book" that is kept at the front desk.

My wife and I knew about these things, but we favor the room for its unusual flavor. A TV show once did an episode centered about this room, seeking a supernatural happening. It didn't happen to them, but it did for us.

Upon awakening the next morning, I went into the bathroom of that room to shave, and I happened to glance at the floor. In my bare feet I was walking in... blood. Yes, real blood. I called to my wife to ask her if her feet were cut; the reply was negative. We examined my own feet, and there was no trace of any cut. But the blood was real. We looked at the ceiling, but nothing was dripping down from there. We wiped it up, and continued with our day. I know, I should have photographed it, but in honesty, we considered it just one of those strange things that can happen in a century-old hotel, and let it be. We did write it up in the ghost book...

Do you believe in ghosts? Well do ya?

John

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

John, thats a interesting story and town. We were there a couple years ago the same time that rancher, Krentz was killed by illegals. Looked inside that hotel too. Was a little exspendsive and stayed at a cheap motel at naco.
I belive in "something", too many first hand family storys to ignore, too many "coincidences". I also belive in guardian angels and had too many personnal experiances to not ignore them.
I have a restored colt saa that was sent to the copper queen mine in 1906.

John, great story. I'm glad that you were able to share it with us, and as always great photos.

Nice read, thanks!

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SWCA #1917

Most interesting, if illogical.

Yeah, I about half believe in ghosts and I may well have a guardian angel. Had a few close calls that may have been overseen by an angel or simple miracle.

As ever, John, this is a superior post. Your presence here adds much to the board.

A writer myself, I wonder where you publish this material. Is there a magazine with a name like "Arizona Highways"? Could you sell to an airline magazine?

Oh: that's an interesting dog. Looks about like a cross between a spotted hyena and a Cape hunting dog.

I tend to write about what I know best, so most of my stuff is published in the firearms press. As you know, I write regularly in Dillon's Blue Press, where I'm a contributing editor, but I've also written for American Gunsmith, Guns & Ammo Handguns, and was the Amber Award winner for a 2003 article in Gun Digest.

Maybe one of these days I'll branch out - who knows. When I find more time on my hands, at any rate.

Thanks for asking.

John

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

Hi John. I love your writings to. I am not a religious man. But I do know that there are some things unexplained. There is one time we will find out. But I will extend that moment with many many years.

Pleace keep on posting.
Regards
Henk an Dutch gunwriter.

Hi John, great post and photos - as they always are! Don't know if I believe or not, but I'm open minded. You should branch out with some these stories into travel mags and such. Many would enjoy finding out about this type of history when traveling to an area on vacation. Don't retire - you're to interesting and knowledgeable to hang it up!

Regards,

Pete

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Don't tread on me

Good post. Bisbee is a big part of this country's history. I would love to go there one day.
I too, believe in things outside of our everyday world.

For the living know that they will die,

but the dead know nothing;

they have no further reward,

and even the memory of them is forgotten.

Their love, their hate

and their jealousy have long since vanished;

never again will they have a part

in anything that happens under the sun.


Ecclesiastes 9

No. I don't believe in ghosts.

GF

Great story and history of the town John. I enjoyed it as well as your pictures. You have the "gift" i wish i had.
To answer your question : No i personally do not believe in ghosts.
But to each his own and live and let live is my motto.
Thanks for the post.

Chuck

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They hold no Quarter

Bisbee is a really neat town, We used to go there when we lived at Fort Huachuca in the mid 1970's, used to hang out in Tombstone also.

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CSM, U S Army(Ret) 1963-1990

Good post, John. You do indeed add much to this board.

I love Bisbee. I did a "tour of homes" there in the late 1990's. On home on the tour was owned by a retired engineer from the Phelps Dodge Mining Company. He had a very large rock and gem collection and a real "Shrunken Head" he had aquired in South America many years before. It was a great tour!

I lived in the High Desert for 2 years and miss it alot. Great State you have there John and thanks for reminding me.

I do not believe in ghosts.

I like history and really enjoy your pictures. There are not any such things as ghosts, goblins and haints. I believe that the reason people used to think they saw things was that you can't see good at night with a pine knot or kerosene lantern and they let their imagination run away with them. Larry

Bisbee is an amusing little town... as is Tombstone... as is Yuma!

Lots of old buildings and ghost towns to explore. Are there ghosts? Maybe! Over the years I've seen and heard too many things that can't always be explained by science. Does that make it a paranormal event? Honestly I don't know... but I'll continue to keep an open mind and consider ALL possibilities!

You should get with a publisher and make the first (that I know of) horror picture book.

Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk 2

"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dream't of in your philosophy".

-Hamlet

Thank you for another great post.

Thanks for posting that question. If there ARE ghosts,
I'd like to encounter one. Whatever the truth is, it's fun
to speculate. Thanks for the great story. TACC1

If this is it. And if there is no God, devil, souls, spirits, ghosts, haints, no nothing after death, consider this. Since the dead know nothing, why do we bother haveing funerals, memorials, honnor the fallen soliders, name parks, buildings and roads after dead people? Why waste ink on them in the history books?
Why bother? It dosent help them with that thinking.

I tend to believe because my mother has had numerous unexplainable experiences in their old farm house. And I'm pretty sure that she's not crazy. Some of her friends and relatives also experienced it.

Great story and the photos allow our minds to enter into the events. Very enjoyable. I'm a new member here and hope to see more of this type of history explained by an experienced traveler and interesting writer, Thanks

After hearing that story, I may just start to believe. Very interesting and spooky.

Yes, i believe in ghosts.

Great story and pictures. I never believed in ghosts until the strange happenings in the 1980s in an old farm house I had. Blood on the walls, strange noises at night like someone walking up the stairs and chains rattling. My dogs went nuts and followed each other in circles and I couldn't get them to stop. Many other strange things happened in that house and stopped when I moved out in 1986. When driving by there now I've often been tempted to stop and ask the present owners what they've experienced there but they might think me nuts.

I very much believe there is God and the devil and an afterlife that we will spend in Heaven or Hell for eternity. I do not believe that anything dead is coming back in any shape or form that living people can see them other than in their imagination. Larry

My feelings about this may have changed

Last night at 11:30 I left to clean up after a wedding reception at my club. A half hour after I left our 3 1/2 year old goes up to my wife and says "the man in the den told me to be quiet", and put his finger to his lips and went "ssssshhhhh". She asked him who he was talking about and he said "the man in the pink shirt and brown pants with a hat". Freaked her out. She sent the dog through and found nothing. A short time later she was in the basement doing laundry, our son was down in the basement with her. Coming up the steps he said "the white ghost with black eyes said it's OK,he didnt't hurt or kill anyone". He led her to the toy room and pointed to the ceiling and told her "that's where the den is". We don't watch any scary or slasher movies, and can't figure this one out. Not sure what to think at this point.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

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Now That's Bullet Maintenance!

I have written on this eslewhere in this forum on this issue. I used to not believe in them. To those here who do not, I hope you do not lose your beliefs as I did.

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The Last Standing Knight

I can't say there are ghosts..or that there aren't. I've never had a paranormal experience happen to me but I'll keep an open mind about it. If I was standing in a pool of blood in a hotel room, I'd be checking out PDQ! Good story and pics. Thanks for the thread.

Good reading. Do I believe in ghosts? I have to say that in my 74 years I have never seen anything that leads me to believe in them. Until I do ...NO I don't believe in them.

Great reading as always John. I believe in ghosts... I've lived in some very old houses with a lot of history and have experienced many things first hand! I've also done a weekend tour on the series Ghost Hunters in RI.

When I was still in high school living with my mother I would wake up in the middle of the night hearing foot steps. The kind where it sounds like someone is trying to sneak up on you but you hear their feet brushing on the carpet. The sounds would come right up to the edge of the bed and stop and would never continue unless you closed your eyes. Did not matter if door was open or shut but it was always around 1-4 am when it happened.

Also would hear foot steps going up and down the basement steps... once again like someone trying to sneak up on you.

I've had some experiences (as has my wife) that keep my mind open on this. John, always a pleasure to read and view your posts. I lived in Tucson for years and have stayed at the CQ and also the Hassayampa in Prescott. Love those old hotels. We're now in Northern California and stay in gold rush era places, in fact we ate in the Holbrooke Hotel in Grass Valley this morning, it too has had many spooky stories...

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I used to be disgusted..