Cultural Heritage
Downtown Bisbee
Photo courtesy of Evoking Images Photography
Snuggled mile-high in the rugged canyons of the Mule Mountains in Southeastern Arizona just 5 miles as the crow flies north of the Mexican border, 125+ year-old Bisbee proudly displays her history like a countess showing off her heirloom jewels.
Photo courtesy of Evoking Images Photography
Photo courtesy of Evoking Images Photography
Old Bisbee Mining and History
Begin in Bisbee. The Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum, the Smithsonian’s first rural affiliate, is the place to begin your day. It displays the minerals found in the Mule Mountains and outlines Bisbee’s colorful mining history.
Photo courtesy of Evoking Images Photography
After the Museum, don yellow slickers, hard hats and mining lanterns to board the train for the Queen Mine Tour, Arizona’s only underground mine tour. The tour takes you 1,500 feet deep into the now non-operational mine where tour guides detail the conditions in which the miners worked and how ore was processed.
And don’t neglect Bisbee’s historic shopping district, which lies within Bisbee’s National Registered Historic District, along Main Street and Brewery Gulch. You’ll find an eclectic mix of art galleries, antique shops, pottery studios, boutiques and restaurants.
Return to Bisbee and shop for fresh dinner ingredients at our local markets, cook in Doublejack's full kitchen, and enjoy candlelight dinner with a view on your private deck.
Tombstone and the
Dragoon Mountains
From Bisbee take a 20 minute drive to the town of Tombstone, a National Historic Landmark. Tombstone epitomizes the heritage of the Old West. Visit Boothill Cemetery, the Bird Cage Theater, the Rose Tree Museum and the Tombstone Epitaph, which features the newspaper’s original 1880s printing press and newsroom equipment. The Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park is filled with interpretive exhibits about Tombstone’s origins in silver mining and its heyday as a rough and tumble mining town.
Photo courtesy of Evoking Images Photography
Just north of Tombstone, take a right onto Middle March Road and venture into the Dragoon Mountains and Cochise Stronghold. The Stronghold got its name from the County’s namesake, Cochise, a respected leader of the Chiricahua Apaches and predecessor of Geronimo. Cochise often hid out in this box canyon and legend says that he was buried here. The area is part of the Coronado National Forest and many hikes and picnic spots are available in the forested groves and canyons.
Return to Bisbee for a wonderful dining experience at one of Bisbee’s fine restaurants, and your relaxing stay at the Doublejack.
Douglas and the
Slaughter Ranch Museum
Photo courtesy of Evoking Images Photography
From Bisbee take Route 80 east to Douglas and visit the Gadsden Hotel. “The last of the grand hotels” awaits with its marble staircase, gold leaf columns and authentic 42-foot Tiffany stained glass mural.
Pick up a picnic lunch in Douglas and make your way to Slaughter Ranch Museum. The 16-mile drive takes you through pristine desert to the ranch, home of “Texas” John Slaughter, former Texas Ranger and sheriff of Cochise County from in 1888 to 1892. The ranch is a beautifully restored museum and historic site commemorating turn of the 20th century ranch life. In the 1890’s Slaughter dammed Black Draw wash, creating a large pond. Today that pond is bordered by mature shade trees creating a lush oasis in the desert. You’ll be glad you brought the picnic.
Return to Bisbee where you enjoy another fabulous meal and a tranquil unhurried evening.
Ft. Huachuca Museum and the Coronado National Memorial
Travel from Bisbee to Sierra Vista and Fort Huachuca, just a stage coach drive away. Fort Huachuca was founded in 1877 and the Ft. Huachuca Museum depicts the early military days of the area, highlighting the Apache Wars and the exploits of the legendary Buffalo Soldiers. While on the grounds of the Fort, take time to explore Garden Canyon’s petroglyphs and archeological digs.
On your return to Bisbee, take state route 92 south, stop at the Coronado National Memorial. The Visitor Center there commemorates the first major exploration of the southwest by the Spanish Conquistadors in the 1540’s.
Return to Bisbee and enjoy the friendly ambiance of the historical town, and the comfort of your Doublejack accommodations.
Chiricahua Mountains
and Fort Bowie
Head north up the Sulphur Springs Valley located just east of Bisbee, toward the Chiricahua Mountains and the Chiricahua National Monument. This “Wonderland of Rocks” is laced with hiking trails offering breathtaking views of the monument’s towering spire formations. Near the entrance of the monument, Faraway Ranch gives visitors a peek at the life of the Swedish family that helped to establish the area as a national monument.
When you leave the monument, take the famous Apache Pass, along part of the Butterfield Stagecoach Route between the Chiricahua and the Dos Cabezas Mountain Ranges. A 1.5 mile hiking trail will take you to Fort Bowie National Historic Site where battles of the Indian wars raged in the late 1800s. An old Butterfield Stage station, Apache Spring, the Fort Bowie cemetery, and the ruins of Fort Bowie highlight the site’s attractions.
Take a scenic drive back to Bisbee. If it’s in the winter months, thousands of sand hill cranes can be heard and seen as you drive through the Sulphur Springs Valley. All year long you’ll see lots of raptors and birds of prey.
Return to Bisbee and shop for fresh dinner ingredients at our local markets, cook in Doublejack’s full kitchen, and enjoy candlelight dinner with a view on your private deck.
Kartchner Caverns and
the Amerind Foundation
From Bisbee head past Sierra Vista to Benson, home of Kartchner Caverns State Park, one of the ten top living caves in the world, recently opened by the Arizona State Parks. The Discovery Center has interpretive exhibits and a film about the remarkable discovery of the caves. Reservations are strongly suggested for the cave tours.
From Benson head east along I-10 and exit at scenic Texas Canyon, part of the Dragoon Mountains, to the Amerind Foundation. Sitting on 1600 acres of land, the Amerind Foundation houses one of the finest collections of Native American artifacts, relics, crafts, art and photographs in the United States. Although primarily featuring the native cultures of the Southwest and Mexico, the museum also includes items from South American and Arctic cultures.
Return to Bisbee south on Highway 191 through Sulphur Springs Valley and reflect upon Bisbee’s and Cochise County’s historical ambiance and significance while you enjoy another fabulous meal and a tranquil unhurried evening.
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