City Snapshot: Bisbee
Nestled in the mile-high Mule Mountains of Southern Arizona, the City of Bisbee evolved from
a rough and tumble Old West mining town to a well-preserved city that offers a rare blend of
history, architecture, romance and adventure. Known in 1880 as the "Queen of the Copper
Camps," Bisbee developed into a modern-day city and has prospered much to the efforts of
its entrepreneurial spirit: risk takers, adventurers and dreamers.
Bisbee's legacy began humbly. A reconnaissance detail of Army scouts and cavalrymen was
sent to the Mule Mountains searching for renegade Apaches. What civilian tracker Jack Dunn
found instead was signs of minerals. The first mining claim was staked, and a multitude of
others, as with nearly every Western mining town. Dunn and a couple of partners grubstaked
prospector George Warren to explore the area and file claims on their behalf. What few
claims Warren filed were not in Dunn's name, but his own. During a drunken spree two years
later, Warren bet one of his claims that he could outrun a man on horseback in a two-hundred
yard dash. He lost the race and he forfeited his claim to what turned out to be one of the
richest copper mines in the West. In 1880 when pioneer photographer C.S. Fly visited Bisbee
during its boom, he took a photo of Warren posing as a miner. During the Constitutional
Convention in 1910, Delegate E. E. Ellinwood, a former director of the Bisbee Bank borrowed
the picture of Warren to use as the model for the Seal of Arizona.
Hordes of prospectors and speculators scurried to Bisbee, dreaming of striking it rich. Chaos
might have ensued had it not been for the Phelps-Dodge Company. After purchasing the mine,
the company wanted to attract investors and began developing Bisbee's reputation as an
outpost of Victorian culture. During that same time, tin mines in Cornwall, England closed
bringing the Cousin Jacks and their 2,000-year mining tradition to Arizona. The town thrived
and workers built ornate Victorian homes giving Bisbee charm and sophistication. By 1910,
the town was fabulously rich with the largest copper mine in America. In spite of Bisbee's
reputation of sophisticated élan, it was a mining town and with that came the tough-and-tumble
character of a typical camp. Today, Bisbee has shed its rough, rollicking persona for a more
serene environment. Many of its historical buildings are now homes to antique stores, art
galleries, fine cafes and restaurants. The diverse mix of artists, writers and entrepreneurs
gives Bisbee an easygoing demeanor.
From the days of Lieutenant John Dunn recognizing the potential mineral value of the rocks
underneath his horse's hoof to today's business person finding beauty in the historic
structures that line the streets of Bisbee, residents and visitors alike have found a kindred
spirit in the Mule Mountains.
Bisbee was named America's 20 Prettiest Towns by Forges Traveler; the National Trust for
Historic Preservation recognized Bisbee as one of America's Dozen Distinctive Destinations,
Arizona's first; Money Magazine listed Bisbee as one of the top 10 places to vacation in the
United States, citing its climate and accessibility to a variety of nearby attractions. Bisbee
has also received recognition in National Geographic Traveler, National Geographic Adventurer,
Budget Travel, Travel and Leisure, Alaska and Great Lakes Airlines in-flight magazines and
Mother Earth News as well many other publications, too numerous to mention. The City has
also been profiled in the Los Angeles Daily News, the Washington Post and The Guardian,
published in the United Kingdom.
Bisbee is truly a City of Old World Charm and New World Charisma.
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