BISBEE, ARIZONA, USA
10/23/13
Bisbee is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, USA. In 2009, the
population of the city was 5,962. The city is the county seat of
Cochise County. It is known as an oasis in Sonoran Desert.
Bisbee was founded as a copper, gold, and silver mining town in 1880. It
was named in honor of Judge DeWitt Bisbee, one of the financial
backers of the Copper Queen Mine.
Mining in the Mule Mountains proved quite successful. The population of
Bisbee soared with the mining success, with the highest population of
9,019 in 1910. In 1917, open pit mining was successfully introduced
to meet the heavy copper demand due to World War I.
High quality turquoise was a by-product of the copper mining and has been
promoted as Bisbee Blue. Bisbee is noted for the variety of copper
minerals and the high-quality specimens that have been taken from its
mines. Bisbee specimens can be found in museums worldwide. Cuprite,
aragonite, wulfenite, malachite, azurite, and galena are just a few of
the minerals that have been found underneath the town.
In 1975 the Phelps Dodge Corporation finally halted its Bisbee copper-
mining operations. The resulting exodus of mine employees might have
been the end of the town. Phelps Dodge Corporation closed the Bisbee
underground mines in the summer of 1975. Since there was no more
mining, there was an idea of opening a mine tour through a portion of
the world-famous Copper Queen Mine. They felt that history of mining
should be kept alive in Bisbee and in a manner that would attract
tourists to the community. Many faithful volunteers cleared thousands
of tons of fallen rock and re-timbered the old workings. They were
assisted by local individuals and groups who furnished support and
food for the workers. The local effort came to the attention of a
federal agency, the Economic Development Administration, which
approved a large grant to the City of Bisbee to help the mine tour
project and other improvements in downtown Bisbee designed to aid the
tourist business. The Queen Mine Tour was officially opened to
visitors on February 1, 1976. Since then, more than a million
visitors, from all 50 states and more than 30 foreign countries, have
enjoyed the ride into the mountain on the underground mine tour train.
Bisbee survived and remains as the county seat.
The nice climate and picturesque scenery, led to Bisbee's subsequent
rebirth as an artists' colony in the early 1970s. Artist Stephen
Hutchison and his wife, Marcia, purchased the town's architectural
gem, The Copper Queen Hotel, from the Phelps-Dodge mining company in
1970 after the company had failed to find a local buyer. The deed to
the hotel had been offered to any local resident for the sum of $1.00,
with no success.
Hutchison purchased and renovated the hotel, as well as other buildings in
the downtown, and began to actively market Bisbee as a destination
where travelers could find the authentic, old southwest. Hutchison's
endeavors attracted many guests at the hotel including celebrities
from nearby California. John Wayne was a frequent visitor to Bisbee
and The Copper Queen. He befriended Hutchison and eventually partnered
with Ed Smart in his real estate ventures.
Today, the original city of Bisbee is known as "Old Bisbee", and is home
to a thriving downtown cultural scene. Old Bisbee is also noted for
its architecture, including its Victorian style houses and elegant Art
Deco courthouse. Because its plan was laid out before the automobile,
Old Bisbee has an almost European feel. The town's hilly terrain is
exemplified by the old four-story high school: each floor has a ground-
level entrance.
Bisbee is 4.8 square miles of land. It's climate is considered semi-
arid. January is the coolest month with average temperatures between
34 and 57 degrees Fahrenheit. The warmest month is July with average
temperatures between 62 and 90 degrees F. They have some rain about
61 days a year and an average of 10 inches of snow a year.
Some of their sites of interest are the Copper Queen Mine, the Lavender
Pit, the Bisbee Mining & Historical Museum, and the art center.
Many films have taken place in Bisbee, or have mentioned Bisbee in
them. In 2000, William Shatner's film "Groom Lake" was filmed in and
around Bisbee. In the 1990 film "Young Guns II", the classroom scene
was filmed in Bisbee's historical district. Stephen
King's "Desperation" was primarily filmed in Bisbee and its
surrounding areas. Bisbee is featured in the 1957 film "3:10 to Yuma"
including the 2007 remake. The 1955 film "Violent Saturday" was
filmed in and around Bisbee, showing many scenes of the downtown
area. Bisbee is mentioned in the films of 1997's "L.A. Confidential"
and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind".
Some of the famous people involved in Bisbee have been John Wayne, Jake
LaMotta, and Paul Newman who is the current Arizona Corporation
Commissioner, former State Representative, and former Cochise County
Supervisor. There have been many other artists, writers, and sports
players from Bisbee.
Because the information part of this vacation is so long, the pictures
will be on the connected page. I hope you have enjoyed this trip.
~Marsha~
This is a MelloMarsha creation
I do not take credit for the pictures
Thanks to the respective photographers
10-22-13