Boot Hill cemetery. Favorite epitaph: "Here lies Lester Moore. Four slugs from a 44, no Les, no more."
County government building.
Schieffelin (founder of Tombstone) hall-opera house. It is the largest standing adobe structure in the Southwest today.
One of the many shops - lots of boots!
One of the saloons, it has been rebuilt over the years.
The most famous saloon and wildest of the town, The Bird Cage. Non-stop 24x7 poker table lasting years with multi-day waiting lists to get on the table.
Inside the Bird Cage - bullet holes can still be seen in the ceiling and painting.
Tourist stage coach ride.
More of the town.
A funny saloon.
View of the main street.
On to Bisbee!
Bisbee was also a big mining town, but mainly copper. It is located a half hour south of Tombstone.
It was a very successful town in the first half of the 1900's, but then the economics of copper mining changed, open pit mining was more cost effective, so the mines were closed and the town had an economic decline in the 60's. According to our guide, what saved Bisbee was that it was discovered by the hippies! They came, bought the inexpensive houses, fixed them up and preserved the historical sites. Now the city is a mix of old southwest buildings with various murals, paintings and sculptures. The shops have an alternative vibe and it is a pleasant place to hangout.
Getting ready for the mine tour of Bisbee!
A couple of strapping miners!
The town has renovated the main old mine for tours called the Queen Mine. We took the mine train down to 1000 feet under the surface (there are mines under town as far as 3000 feet).
Explanation from the guide how miners will place 27 holes in a wall 7 feet deep, and then pack them with dynamite. The middle hole has 4 empty holes around it, and it is the first to explode. That way the rock gives at that point (rather than have the dynamite just blast straight out the hole). The other holes then explode in order around the center point, and at the end the lowest holes explode to allow the whole wall to fall.
Old elevator to transport workers and materials down.
Heavy duty porta potty!
The newer open pit mine
Another look at the open pit mine. The water is very caustic due to minerals such as copper according to the guide.
View of downtown Bisbee.
One of the alleyways of town with paintings hung.
Art work in town.
Brisbee and Tombstone...2 towns out of the old west! Great to see the history, art, and personality of the 2 towns! Did you buy some boots?
ReplyDeleteNot yet. They are so expensive, between 200 and 300$ and more. I can see that the craftsmanship is worth it, but I don't know if I will be using them enough to justify the cost.
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