Wrapping up Bisbee

Queen Mine RV Park

Bisbee, AZ

October 5, 2024  

Historic Bisbee from our sight at Queen Mine RV Park

Our first visit to Bisbee was awesome...our week there flew by !  Bisbee is not only historic, photogenic and quirky, we found the locals to be friendly and pleasant.  No one is in a rush...we like that!  And, everyone is considerate...we like that too!

Our last day in Bisbee began on Erie Street.  Back in the 1900s Lowell was a sizable mining town just southeast of Bisbee.   

Arizona's first speciality tag...an homage to Fray Marcos de Niza.  With 1539 on one side and 1939 on the other and his name where Grand Canyon State would appear...and stay...the next year.  The tag marked the 400th anniversary of an expedition that made Fray Marcos de Niza the first European known to have reached the southwest.  

By the 1950s the majority of the original township of Lowell was consumed by the excavation of the Lavender Pit.  Today, what remains is one street...a small slice of history and days gone by.  

Mid-century buildings, signs, and artifacts, line Erie Street that makes visitors feel as if they have taken a step back in time.  And to add to the fun, vintage cars are parked along the street.  I love old cars and trucks ! 

Erie Street has the appearance of being untouched since Lowell's decline, but the lady selling homemade jams and preserves says locals and volunteers are proud of the history and restoration is ongoing.  Not everything on Erie Street is a piece of history.  We were also there to have brunch at Bisbee Breakfast Club or BBC as the locals call it.  

Breakfast was yummy and our server was fun!

 
After brunch and walking, we headed south on Historic Highway 80 to Douglas, AZ. The marble stairs are a big draw, but the stained glass was the real reason I wanted to see the historic Gadsden Hotel.  It opened in 1907 and soon became a meeting place for cattlemen, ranchers, and miners.  In 1928, a fire ripped thru the hotel leaving nothing except the elevator car cabin, the marble staircase, and the marble columns.

Beautiful white Italian marble staircase.

Stunning light

Layered 24 k gold leafing and pink marble 

As beautiful as the marble columns and steps were, I am in love with the floor !

The hotel was quickly rebuilt using the same architecture but on a grander scale.  My favorite...the stained glass window.  A mural depicting the southwest desert runs a full 42 feet long and 6 feet tall.  

And then there is the skylight..

Sunday morning sunrise...

and travel day.

A whopping 80 miles landed us in Willcox at the KOA for a week.

Stay tuned...until next time,

HAPPY TRAILS!