Bisbee

The town of Bisbee is one of the richest mineral sites in the world. It is interesting to know, that it began very simply with Hugh Jones in 1875, who came through looking for silver. Hugh decided to move on after only finding copper stains. Then in 1877, a government scout named Jack Dunn came across an outcropping of ore. Jack took some samples before leaving the area. 

Later on, Dunn met up with George Warren, a prospector with a shady background. Warren agreed to file claims on Dunn’s behalf. Unfortunately, Warren told others of his agreement and filed claims with his new partners. The Copper Queen Mine was born. Several years later, Warren lost his share of the mine by losing a bet. Around this period, electricity became popular and so was the need for copper. In 1880, Judge DeWitt Bisbee of San Francisco decided to invest in the Copper Queen Mine. Then shortly there after, the town of Bisbee sprang up, getting its name from the investor. 

Following its purchase, a smelter was built and the mine operated 24 hours a day pulling out an endless supply of ore. Later, Dr. James Douglas visited the area and convinced Phelps-Dodge to purchase a mine near the Copper Queen Mine. After years of fighting over the ore at the boundary lines of these two mines, the two mines decided to merge and became the Copper Queen Consolidated Mining Company.In 1898, another mining company popped up on the scene. The Calumet and Arizona Company was soon a rival to Phelps Dodge. During those rival years the town of Bisbee began to take off. Bisbee soon became a rowdy little town. The town is made up of two canyons. One canyon called Main Street and the other is known as Brewery Gulch. 

Brewery Gulch was a popular spot for saloons and wild women. It was said that Brewery Gulch had nearly 50 saloons. It is still a popular site to visit today. Bisbee also attracted immigrants to town. There were individuals from Germany, Italy, Ireland and Russia. All of these people came to work in the mine. High copper prices allowed miners to be paid high salaries. This caused Bisbee to be the wealthiest city in Arizona and one of the largest mining sites in the world. Bisbee held the title of being the largest cosmopolitan town between St. Louis and San Francisco. At one time, the town soared to a population of 20,000. The town’s growth was most evident in 1902, when the four-story Copper Queen Hotel was built. The Copper Queen has high ceilings, chandeliers and long hallways. 

This elegant hotel’s guests include Teddy Roosevelt and Black Jack Pershing. During a visit to Bisbee you can stay in this historic hotel.It wasn’t until 1925 when Phelps Dodge Mining Corporation bought out all the small mines including Calumet and Arizona Company. This purchase gave Phelps Dodge ownership of over 9,000 acres. Then in the 1950’s, the Lavender Pit opened. The pit was named after Harrison Lavender, a manager of the Copper Queen branch of Phelps-Dodge. This pit sunk to more than 900 feet and enclosed more than 300 acres. Phelps-Dodge operated the underground Queen Mine and the Lavender open mine pit for many years. By the end of the 70’s most of the mining had closed down, due to falling copper prices. 

It is amazing to think by the time mining ended, the Bisbee area had produced 6.1 million dollars from 3 million ounces of gold, over 97 million ounces of silver, over 8 billion pounds of copper, nearly 273 pounds of zinc and 304 million pounds of lead. Mining has seen many improvements through the years from mules to earthmoving equipment and Bisbee has followed in the steps of mining history by making changes in order to thrive. Today the town has switched gears and has become a haven for artists and cultural events.