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G has a "swell" time kayaking

G has a "swell" time kayaking
G has a "swell" time on Lake Michigan in an inflatable canoe

Dawn on the Gulf of Mexico

Dawn on the Gulf of Mexico
Dawn on the Gulf of Mexico

Warren Dunes Sunset

Warren Dunes Sunset
Warren Dunes Sunset
Showing posts with label Bisbee AZ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bisbee AZ. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

A Former Mining Town Gone Eclectic


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What happens to a turn of the century mining town when the mines are depleted and a century passes? I'm talking about a town founded about 1890.

To find out, go to Bisbee, AZ. It is currently a tourist site, includes hippies and other free living spirits. I say that based on some of the people we met and the posters in the windows of some of the artsy shops and other windows. Recently posters included "Vote for Bernie" and "Overthrow the Establishment."

The town promotes itself as having "a thriving art scene."  However, that's merely the tip of the iceberg. I suggest that the visitor look deeper. We did and we found a lot to like and to enjoy.


Frankly I find this "art scene" promotion interesting because the town was founded on the sweat of thousands of hard working copper miners. Today, the hippies sit outside the local mining museum playing their drums and hoping for handouts, while the tourists go into the local museum to discover the hard reality of mining ca 1912. What a change a century can make!

This window sign is one of several which sums up the attitude of some of the local proprietors. However, we found many to be friendly and the service at the restaurant we visited was great as was the food:

We walked past quite a few motel/hotel/BNB establishments. Here is the sign posted in the front door of one at about 5:30pm. I asked G what she thought of this. She said "I wouldn't stay there," The front door was locked and so this signage wasn't tongue in cheek. I've deleted the personal info contained in the original notice:


Not everyone has the same view. Here's one shopkeeper's perspective about shoplifters:


Worth Walking
The town is worth walking from the entry point all the way up to the Copper Miner statue and St. Patrick's Catholic Church. The church has outstanding stained glass. I also suggest taking some of the side streets. On a typical weekend walking is an absolute necessity. Parking is non-existent after 11:00am, so I suggest arriving at the town early and finding a good street parking site. These are free. But do check the posted parking times. If you find yourself in a less desirable spot wait until after 6pm. At that time many people leave the town and parking frees up. However, attempting to find a parking spot on the street at 2pm on a Saturday in late February is just about impossible That observation is based on our experience.

Some parking sites are taken by local vagabonds. Most notably the old Citroen which I understand is home to one of the local residents.

The Local Fly
If you walk and look at some of the buildings,etc. you will notice the reference to a fly.  I guess wherever humans go and dump their garbage or detritus, the flies will thrive. This was apparently the situation in 1912. The consequences live on today. BTW, back in 1912, for $10 one could purchase the equivalent of $240 in goods by 2015 standards. We found the hornets to be more of a concern in 2016. However, they weren't aggressive and didn't bother us.




The Mining Museum, etc. 
If one goes to a former mining town which thrived with tens of thousands of miners, then one should see what this was all about. The mining museum was wonderful. Worth stepping around the hippies at the door. But this is now a service economy, isn't it?




This is called "brass." For more information about it I suggest the reader visit the mining museum. I can say this. When I began working in heavy industrial plants under construction in the late 1960s we used this. I was an engineer. Thanks to the mandates of the US Government, I am also today a registered miner:



There is also a bona fide mine tour, complete with hard hats. One can drive to the nearby open pit copper mine:


Don't Delay 
What we discovered is that there are a lot of hotels in town, but in this "just do it " society a lot of people visit and then decide "Gee, this would be a nice place to spend the night." That's a mistake. Rooms are gone by 6pm.

On arrival in the morning we walked the length of the town, stopped by a place G had checked out on line and at about noon we made our reservation. By 6pm they were full and were turning away visitors. That's Bisbee on a Saturday night.

We decided to stay away from the hubbub of the Copper Queen and the center of town. We prefer to walk into the melee and then walk out. "The Road Less Travelled."

Pleased With Our Decisions
We were pleased with our decisions. We spent the night in a historic 1895 hotel, Had a private fire place to ourselves and the upper party room. All in all, an enjoyable evening.








Various views of the town