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| Our Copper Queen Hotel in Bisbee AZ |
Monday we left Phoenix and drove to Brisbee AZ - a small former copper mining town in the southeastern corner of the state. On the way we stopped near Tucson for lunch at Eeggies - then walked the streets of Tombstone - and finally checking into the Copper Queen Hotel at 4 PM for the night.
The Arizona desert in the spring is beautiful and greener than expected. There are plenty of spaces of just dirt and scrub bushes - but the spring blooms in stark contrast are wonderful. We experienced 100 degrees in Phoenix - but by 5 PM it was 70s in Brisbee - and even reached high 40s at night. We slept with windows open - but closed them in the middle of the night.
The Copper Queen is still the flagship of the town - but since the mine closed in 1974 - it has diminished. We paid $130 for the night. It included a flowery wall papered room - king bed - and early attic furniture. Our room is over the bar - but Monday night was not busy. All we heard was the romantic activity of pigeons on the roof.
We are 5000 feet above sea level - they boast the best year round climate in the world. We are 10 miles north of Mexico - and yet experienced 80s and 40s in the same place on the same day.
We had a supper of meat loaf - mashed potatoes - and Thai salad at The Table. Today we will tour the mine - see the mine museum on our hotel premises - and tour a cavern at the state park.
Bisbee is a haven for Bohemians. There are lots of tiny hotels and rooming houses. There are plenty of store fronts featuring all kinds of art. The old local high school prides itself on having street entrances on 5 levels. It seems everything up hill here.
The open pit just outside of towns amazing. It is 850 feet deep - 5000 miles long - 4000 miles wide.
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| Our hotel in downtown Bisbee |
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Near Tucson we stopped at Eegie's for lunch.
We loved eating here when Lulu worked at UA.
It is frozen ice with fruit in it - only
in Arizona. |
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| The famous Bird Cage Theatre in Tombstone |
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| A really neat train store |
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The court house in Tombstone where
Wyatt Earp was found not guilty of
murder at OK Corral. |
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| Stagecoach ride around Tombstone. |
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Ike Clanton was one of the guys shot at
OK Corral. |
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| These guys were looking for trouble. |
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Fortunately cooler heads prevailed. Then they
went into OK Corral - and all crap flew. |
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| Bisbee was a booming copper town. |
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It reminds you a bit like Jim Thorpe - but more hotels -
stores - a much longer main street -
and a giant hole just outside town |
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The Lavender Pit was named after Harrison Lavender -
the founder of a better way to extract copper. |
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The Dodge - Phelps copper company pulled so much
copper out of here. This is where your pennies came from
copper pipes - copper wire - computers. |
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| The pool at our hotel. |
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| The Bisbee Library. Very nice - very old. |
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| Bisbee Library reading room |
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| Old wooden steps up to the stacks |
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| Lulu in the stacks with the town out the windows. |
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At 6 PM - Monday - the streets sidewalks were
rolled up. |
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| Almost all the store fronts have something in. |
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| The climate sign says it all. |
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The main street is long and weaves like
Jim Thorpe. |
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