Bisbee...our fun so far !

Queen Mine RV Park

Bisbee, AZ 

October 2, 2024

We are loving the early morning temps...a touch of fall in the air!

Copper Queen Mine Tour : Tuesday 

The story of Bisbee mining began in the late 1870s when Lt. Dunn (from the Army post  of Fort Hauchuca) was sent on a scouting expedition against the Apache Indians.  Lt. Dunn and his men spent the night near a spring in the Mule Mountains several yards from where todays Mine Tour begins.  

On a walk before dark, Dunn picked up several interesting rocks and took a prospector by the name of George Warren into his confidence and struck up a deal by which Warren would locate claims and work the property with Dunn as a partner.  

But, on his way to the site, Warren stopped to visit friends and enjoy his favorite "pastime"...drinking whiskey.  He soon had new partners and they staked a new group of claims and left Dunn out of the deal.  Copper production began in 1880 and by 1885, companies with capital gradually became involved and took over individual claims.  

The underground mines in Bisbee were closed in the summer of 1975. During the 90 years of production 3 billion pounds of copper, 102 million ounces of silver, and 2.8 million ounces of gold were mined there.  Copper Queen Mine was/is one of the world's largest underground mines with over 2,000 miles of tunnels. When the mine closed, Mayor Chuck Eads felt that the history of mining should be kept alive and in a manner that would attract tourists to the community.  Dedicated volunteers worked long days clearing boulders and re-timbering the old workings.  Local individuals and groups offered support and food for the workers...

Safety walls and benches were added by the volunteers...

...and in a few months, the Queen Mine Tour was officially opened to visitors on February 1, 1976.  

Everyone was fitted with a hard hat, a vest and a flashlight...

Since that time,  more than a million visitors from all 50 states and over 30 foreign countries have enjoyed the ride into the mountain on the underground mine tour train. 

The original entrance for Copper Queen Mine

Our guide for the morning was Steve.  All the guides are previous mine workers and Steve worked there for the last 9 years the mine was in operation.  He was a wealth of knowledge not only about his years of working there, but also about the history throughout the mines 90 years of operation.  He also entertained us with funny stories...  

We stopped and climbed a flight of stairs to this spot where Steve explained how copper was discovered.  

I cant imagine chiseling out the small tunnels to crawl thru...

Steve demonstrated how the chiseling was done.  Of course I don't think the miners had these nice floors to stand on. 

Looking up...beautiful copper  

At another stop we learned about drills, shoots, a unique four-wheeled bike, dynamite, and cages.  

The shoots were used to load copper from tunnels above the tracks.  The four-wheeled bike was made in the blacksmith shop at the mine and unique to Queen Mine.  It was used by the shift leaders as they had previously walked ten miles a day to check their two crews...once before lunch and once after lunch.   

  

The cage (a lift for miners) worked on a bell system...one to seven dings.  The only one I remember is 7 dings and that meant a fatality.  During the 90 years of operation, there were 386 fatalities, one of which was when Steve worked there. 

The potty...

Joe and I both agree that the Queen Mine Tour makes for a fun morning and if you enjoy history, it is a must do when in Bisbee.  And the added bonus for us... is at the bottom of the hill where we are spending the week.  

Back on the hilltop, life is good.

The early morning view from Belle's front window.

Historic Bisbee from our side yard...

And Sallybear...

Friends : Wednesday

We spent the morning on a small project in the MH...more on that later.  The highlight was meeting Jodee and Bill for lunch.  Jodee picked a great Mexican place...Los Hermanos and it was a perfect day for patio sitting, laughing, and reminiscing along with a yummy lunch.  Of course, sweet Tessa was there too and she has the bestest kisses.

Oh those eyes !

Good friends...Jodee, Bill, and Tessa
Thank you so much for meeting us in Bisbee for lunch!    

Stay tuned, there is more to come...until next time, 

HAPPY TRAILS!

A Vaca...

Queen Mine RV Park

Bisbee, AZ

Fall has arrived, but it doesn't feel like fall yet.  

I counted 13 more days in the mid to high 90s for Corona de Tucson.  No complaints...it is the desert after all.  I was wishing we could send some of the sunshine east to help dry things out from Helene.  We have children with no water and no electricity near Greenville and Joe's brother and sister in Spartanburg are the same.  No downed trees and home damages in either place...we are so thankful for that.  

Our week began with a celebration.  Chocolate and celebrations go hand in hand.  

We each had a different cheesecake.  My choice was Reeses Peanut Butter Cup!

We met Andra and Jamie last Sunday for lunch and to celebrate their first anniversary.  The year flew by.  

Joe had an early appointment at the eye doctor and we stopped at Baja on the way home for brunch.  Yummy Monsoon Benedict for me and blueberry pancakes and eggs over easy for Joe.  

Fresh avocado, smoked bacon, grilled tomatoes, and poached eggs,  with a yummy basil pesto hollandaise sauce 

Back at the oasis, a handsome Red-tailed Hawk waited patiently for breakfast in the top of the pine tree.  

And the Broad-billed Hummingbirds are keeping us busy replenishing the feeders and aren't very nice to the other hummers.  The poor little Black-chinnned hummingbirds don't get much nectar these days.

Sally has a new bone.  She keeps hiding it all over the house.  It was barely sticking out from under our bed one day, in the corner beside the futon one morning,  and under the kitchen table one afternoon.  It makes us happy to see her busy with a purpose.  

The rest of our week was spent taking our time to get ourselves ready for a little vaca.  For years (and years) I have been wanting to see Bisbee.  We have had reservations a couple of times and had to cancel...once for snow and once last year when we lost Dover and Jack.  The stars aligned this year and here we sit at Queen Mine RV Park excited that we have plans for a Mine Tour on Tuesday,  excited to see friends on Wednesday and lots of exploring to do.  If you have a favorite thing to do in Bisbee or a favorite lunch spot, please share.  

Bisbee is 86 miles from the MH storage with only 34 miles on I 10 East.  The rest of the trip took us thru Benson and Tombstone on Historic Hwy 80.  From November 11, 1926 to October 6, 1989, the Arizona segment of Route 80...also known as the Ocean-to-Ocean Highway...shaped the west as a major transcontinental highway and was an important highway in the development of Arizona's car culture.  This historic route once began in downtown San Diego.  Today it is only 72 miles beginning in Benson and ending in Douglas.  There is a strong sense of western history, buildings from the 1800s, cowboy spirits, copper mining history, and a majestic marbled staircase as you traverse this Historic Arizona Road.   

Queen Mine RV Park is the only rv park in Historic Bisbee and within walking distance.  It is a cozy little hill top park with only 25 sights that form a circle around the perimeter of the park.  It is full hook-up (30 amp only) with mine pit views, mountain views and city views.  The lights from Bisbee were so pretty last night.  And I can't wait to go exploring ! 

I'll close for now...until next time, 

Happy Trails!