Ghosts from Arizona's past...

[monet61]

AZ ghosts

Thanks for those great photos everyone.

 

[Superflywimpy]

Thanks Paladin,very nice. I love Arizonas old towns

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

 

[madmikeb]

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.

 

[whitecoyote]

Back to the top for a favorite post.

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

 

[BigBill]

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

 

[retiredbadge8091]

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.

 

[italiansport]

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!!

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

 

[chaparrito]

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

 

[walkin jack]

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

 

[PALADIN85020]

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

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

 

[cowboy4evr]

If you're a ghost hunter , take the hike to Fort Bowie , It's east of Willcox , head out towards Chiricahua Nat'l Monument . About 20 mi's from town turn left on Apache Pass Road . Park your car at the parking area and hike back into the Fort . About 1/2 way on your hike you will pass Apache Springs , anyone that ever spent the night there , only stayed one night and would not come back . claimed it had apache warrior spirits and did not want the white man there .
Geronimo's son is buried in the cemetery . The very first army soldier to ever receive the congressional medal of honor received it there fighting the Apache Chief , Cochise .
There is a visitors center at the location of the fort . The park rangers that live up there don't stay at the visitors center after dark . A few have tried . The Chiricahua Apaches (led by Cochise ) were the fiercest of all the Apache tribes .
I spent practically my whole life living in the area of the county , cowboying -- raised a family there too .

 

[ddixie884]

I lived in Bisbee as a small child. Nearly my whole family moved there in the late 40s and early 50s to work in the mines. I like to say they moved to Arizona for their health. They were starving to death share-cropping in NE Texas......

 

[webley green]

Thoroughly enjoyed seeing the pictures in the thread. Early '70s I lived in Northern AZ, and would cruise southern AZ on my time off. Rode a CB-450 Honda in those days. Those old mining towns were a favorite stop over on my loop runs.

 

[S&W Fan]

Thanks for the both the original post and the revival. When I lived in Tucson (1968-1983) it was one of my favorite spots for a motorcycle ride and weekend stay.

I distinctly remember some interesting times in Miracle Valley Cochise County in 1982, Jimmy Judd (the sheriff) was a no nonsense guy.

One of these days I may have to visit again though it'll only be in winter . My brother and his wife are still in Phoenix, have one cousin still in Tucson though not close to her.