A Ghost Town, Abandoned Mines, and Artsy Shops – A Day in Bisbee, Arizona – Part 2

rwedegis (58)in #travelphotography • 6 years ago

The Mines and Old Bisbee

If you haven’t seen Part 1 yet check it out here: Part 1

Bisbee is located in the southeast corner of Arizona in the Mule Mountains. It’s just south of Tombstone and east of Sierra Vista. It’s also just a few miles north of the Mexican border and the town of Naco. Arizona routes 80 and 92 intersect in Bisbee.

The first mining claim in the Mule Mountains was filed in 1877. Three years later, in 1880 Bisbee was founded as a copper, gold, and silver mining town. It was named in honor of Judge DeWitt Bisbee, one of the financial backers of the adjacent Copper Queen Mine. Mining in the Mule Mountains proved quite successful. Its ore ran 23% copper, an extremely high grade. Copper Queen Mine was acquired by Phelps Dodge in 1885.

Pit mining began in 1917 to keep up with the increasing demand for copper to support the World War I effort. It ceased in 1929 when demand fell after the New York Stock Market crash. When the US entered the Korean War in 1950 demand for copper once again rose and development of the Lavender Pit began. Pit mining continued until 1974 when demand fell as the US economy entered a recession.

A number of Hollywood movie have been filmed in Bisbee including:

Cannonball Run II
With Burt Reynolds, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr

Jesse
With Lee Remick

Cold Feet
With Keith Carradine, Sally Kirkland

Four Eyes and Six Guns
With Judge Reinhold

Young Guns
With Emilio Estevez, Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Philips

Roswell
With Kyle MacLachlan and Martin Sheen

Groom Lake
With William Shatner

And several others.

f/6.3 1/160 sec 92.0 mm ISO 100

The Mines

Visiting here is like getting a crash course in Mining 101. Evidence of the past mining operations here are everywhere. They are less than subtle reminders of Bisbee's former life.

[Click here to enlarge photo] f/5.6 1/250 sec 135.0 mm ISO 1000
The entrance to the old Copper Queen Mine

The Lavender Pit

The Lavender Pit was named after former Phelps Dodge general manager Harrison Lavender and not the color. There are actually 3 separate pits. The first was the Sacramento Pit mined from 1917 to 1929. The second was the Lavender Pit mined from the 1950's to the 1970's and the Holbrook Extension mined from the late 1960's to the 1970's. Early excavation used steam shovels and ore cars on rails to remove the ore. Later mining used electric shovels and haul trucks to haul the ore. The pit is 4000 feet wide (north to south), 5000 feet long and 850 feet deep at its maximum.

[Click here to enlarge photo] f/8.0 1/160 sec 18.0 mm ISO 100
The Lavender Pit

[Click here to enlarge photo] f/5.0 1/80 42.0 mm ISO 160
The Holbrook Extension

Concentrators were used to separate the metal from the ore into a concentrate which was then shipped to a smelter for further processing. Waste ore was dumped in the surrounding area in what was known as stockpiles.

[Click here to enlarge photo] f/8.0 1/250 sec 85.0 mm ISO 100
The circular structures in the foreground are what remains of the concentrators. The hills in the background are stockpiles.

[Click here to enlarge photo] f/8.0 1/160 29.0 mm ISO 100
The depleted ore stockpile forms a colorful palette as it is exposed to the elements over the years

[Click here to enlarge photo] f/9.0 1/200 sec 38.0 mm ISO 100
Another view of the stockpile

[Click here to enlarge photo] f/11.0 1/800 sec 135.0 mm ISO 100
Mining equipment abandoned in place

Old Bisbee

Continuing north along Arizona 80, Historic Bisbee welcomes us.

[Click here to enlarge photo] f/5.6 1/250 sec 135.0 mm ISO 100
Welcome to Bisbee

The Copper Queen Hotel

The Copper Queen Hotel was built in the late 1800's by the Copper Queen Mining Company to host visiting dignitaries and investors. The hotel took several years to complete because a large portion of the surrounding mountain had to be blasted away and cleared in order to start building. Later the Copper Queen Mining Company as well as the hotel were purchased by Phelps Dodge.

Renovated and still operational, the Copper Queen Hotel is the oldest functioning hotel in Arizona. Rumored to be haunted the hotel has been featured on several TV programs. This is where we stopped for lunch.

[Click here to enlarge photo] f/305 1/30 sec 18.0 mm ISO 1000
The hotel lobby

[Click here to enlarge photo] f/3.5 1/40 sec 19.0 mm ISO 2000
The front desk. The safe behind the desk was originally used to store the Copper Queen Mining Company's payroll. The miners were paid in cash which the company knew would soon come back to them as the miners spent it on supplies and drink.

[Click here to enlarge photo] f/4.5 1/40 sec 32.0 mm ISO 3200
The hotel bar

[Click here to enlarge photo] f/5.0 1/80 sec 42.0 mm ISO 1250
Another view of the bar

The Streets

We found this amazing mural along one of the side streets. It was to wide to capture in one shot.

[Click here to enlarge photo] f/8.0 1/160 sec 28.0 mm ISO 100

[Click here to enlarge photo] f/8.0 1/125 sec 26.0 mm ISO 100

[Click here to enlarge photo] f/8.0 1/160 sec 38.0 mm ISO 100

[Click here to enlarge photo] f/7.1 1/125 sec 38.0 mm ISO 100

Main Street

[Click here to enlarge photo] f/9.0 1/200 sec 26.0 mm ISO 100

[Click here to enlarge photo] f/9.0 1/200 sec 24.0 mm ISO 100

[Click here to enlarge photo] f/8.0 1/200 sec 18.0 mm ISO 100

[Click here to enlarge photo] f/5.6 1/80 sec 38.0 mm ISO 100
Bisbeens and Rice a local digital video co-op

[Click here to enlarge photo] f/6.3 1/100 sec 31.0 mm ISO 100
Bunnies in the window

Mining cars and equipment on display outside of the Bisbee Mining Museum

[Click here to enlarge photo] f/7.1 1/160 sec 47.0 mm ISO 100

[Click here to enlarge photo]

As we leave Bisbee, I can't help but think of the major impact that mining has made on the formation of the western US. Wasn't it the lure of big money buried in the ground that fueled the rush to the west? There are certainly lots of deep scars that can be seen here, but the benefits are probably way more far reaching than this little piece of Arizona. I'll leave that up to you to decide.

Heading north out of Bisbee, we pass through the Mule Mountain Tunnel.

f/3.5 1/30 sec 18.0 mm ISO 2000