Blogs from Bisbee, Arizona, United States, North America

Bisbee & the Coronado National Memorial: After finishing our hike at City of Rocks State Park, we drove about 3.5 hours to Bisbee, AZ, where we checked into the OK Street Jailhouse. The jailhouse has been transformed into a surprisingly comfortable B & B (though you have to cook your own breakfast). Built in 1804 as the county jail, it was part of the prison system until 1915 when a larger facility was needed. It is believed to have once been owned by John Wayne. In fact, there's a life-size cardboard photo of John Wayne in the corner which took us by surprise every time we looked in that direction! The former drunk tank is now a living room, kitchen, and half bath. Upstairs where the serious offenders were housed is now a large bedroom and ... read more

WARREN FIELD Baseball was first played on Warren Field near Bisbee, Arizona Territory in 1908. It was the last year of Teddy Roosevelt’s second term as President. One of Roosevelt’s proudest accomplishments was passage of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. Trusts were a business arrangement in which the owners of the trust gained monopolistic control over the nations growth industries. It was good for them, the trust holders all became extremely wealthy, but it was bad for everyone else. The trust system gave rise to trade unionism and a strong socialist movement in America. In 1916 America had finally declared war on Germany and we were gearing up to send troops to France. Within a year industrial production was in full tilt and copper from the mines in Bisbee was critical to the war effort. ... read more

Nestled within the Mule Mountains, the historic town offers visitors a window into the past. This picturesque town founded in 1880 is home to the old Queen Mine, the very heart of riches and economic growth when the town was at its height of growth. The old West mining town was then the richest mining town in the United States producing large tons of gold, silver, lead, zinc and copper. Until the early 1970s Bisbee was a thriving town, but then the minerals became unprofitable, leading to the departure of many employees who sought work elsewhere. Today, Bisbee is one of Arizona’s main tourist attractions drawing thousands each year. Whether you are a resident of Arizona or just a visitor, a weekend getaway to Bisbee will engage you, your friends, family or colleagues in different activities. ... read more

It’s 2010 and, for the life of me, I’m amazed there are still cities in our country that somehow function at less than the average mach speed. I live in the Southwest, and today I took a trip to Old Historic Bisbee, Arizona where I moseyed along and took shots of the random sights that make it so unique. Bisbee became famous in the late 1800s thanks to the discovery of copper throughout the area. The elevation is just shy of 6,000 feet, and in the main historic district, homes are stippled throughout the varying tiers of hills that roll along for about a mile. This is the start of a Southwest Chapter for me, so please, enjoy a few glimpses back into the historical moods that make Bisbee so eclectic after all these years. Stop ... read more

It was a very windy night. I couldn't get to sleep. Maybe I read too long. I got up to go to the bathroom a few times. Got up around 7:30. Denny said the wind woke her a few times. Whenever someone moves around in the RV, you can feel it slightly if you are laying in bed. Denny said she felt it. She thought we were perhaps 'carrying on'. Not! We invited everyone over for lattes. After our lattes we had a big breakfast: eggs, hashbrown, bacon, sausage, toast, orange juice. We had reservations for a tour of the Queen Mine at 10:30am. It is within walking distance, just down the hill. We got to the tour and suited up, heavy coats, helmets, flashlights; seemed quite realistic. The pictures are great. The tour was fantastic, ... read more