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!

Bisbee...A Registered National Historic Landmark

Queen Mine RV Park

Bisbee, AZ

October 6, 2024

After the discovery of copper in the 1880s a prospector's camp was quickly established and by 1910, the town Bisbee was established.  

In those early years, Bisbee was the largest city between Houston and Los Angeles with a population of over 25,000 people.  When the mine closed in 1975, the real estate market in Bisbee collapsed and hundreds of homes went up for sale. The availability of cheap real estate drew retirees, hippies, and a new group of speculators who purchased the properties and slowly began to contribute to the renovation of the city.  

Main Street

The Bisbee of today is a well-known artist's community whose architectural and historic heritage has been and continues to be preserved.  Located in the center of the natural and historic beauty of Cochise County,  the city has become an ideal spot for tourism.  We enjoyed walking the streets, visiting with shop owners and as the sign boasts...Bisbee has the most perfect year-round climate making it a great place to visit or call home.  

In recognition of its architectural heritage, its role in Arizona's mining economy, and its notorious place in history, the 250-acre Bisbee Historic District was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 and the 616-acre Bisbee Residential Historic District was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2010.   

There are 80 contributing buildings with various architectural styles listed in the National Register.  Most of them were built between 1895 to 1915.  

  

The Covenant Presbyterian Church, held its first service on April 5, 1903, had beautiful stained glass windows and a working pipe organ with pipes 16 feet tall that still adorn the church today.  

Main Street is lined with so many galleries. We saw artists at work,  gorgeous bricks, beautiful pottery and blown glass,  antiques, books, jewelry, and shops selling cheese, honey oils, and on and on. 

Rich Creek...Glass Blowing and Metal Works. 

Hats are sized and made to order on sight...

Local artists....

Built in 1895, this was the Phelps Dodge General Office...the company's headquarters for its local mining and smelting operations.

Joe and I enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Cafe Roka in the heart of the historic district.  Thank you Janna for the recommendation.  When I googled it, the restaurant was described as upscale and cozy.  It is dinner only, reservations only and open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. 

Cafe Roka is located on Main Street. Pressure-fired bricks were relatively new in 1907 when the 35 Main Street building was constructed. Thanks to those bricks, it was spared from a fire that leveled much of the mining town in 1908.    

 

The building was first used as a Tavern. Today, over 100 years later, it is Bisbee's only 5 Star restaurant. 35 Main Street has two stories with dining (and a third story for dining and live jazz music on Saturday) and when the young lady took our reservation she asked did we mind climbing stairs...a quick "no" and Thursday night, found us on the second floor with a view...and a cozy setting.    

Chef Rod Kass came to Bisbee in 1990 for a visit and stayed.  He and his partner Sally Holcomb opened Cafe Roka in 1992.  

From Kass' passion for quality, locally sourced ingredients to the historic buildings art deco ambiance, a dinner at this upscale and cozy Bisbee original is an experience to remember. 

Our dinner date of culinary delights began with Smoked Salmon Flatbread served warm with blue cheese, citrus and herbs.  

Followed by a house salad with yummy honey, mustard vinegarette and followed by a pallet cleansing...citrus sorbet...before the main entry.  

We chose a seafood dish...shrimp, lobster ravioli, crab cake with seasonal roasted veggies, fresh basil, and saffron cream sauce for the entire.  And then there was dessert.  A chocolate caramel cheesecake and a cream brûlée.  

Joe was very patient with me as I took photos of our very memorable dinner. 

Back on the hill top, life is good!

A quick trip to ACE and Joe made a board that covers the stairs for Sally.  She doesn't see well and almost fell in the other morning.  It is reinforced and will not slide and its light enough to put it on and take it off when we go in and out the door.  

Until next time, 

HAPPY TRAILS!