San Carlos to Phoenix

Ahh, it's the last day and we're headed into Phoenix. It's only a little over 100 miles if we stay on the main highways. Nahhhhh. We first westward to the old mining town of Globe where we check out the few mining remnants to be seen. We then head northwest towards Roosevelt Lake and the Tonto National Monument. As we come down the mountain the lake is a beautiful blue and the view is fabulous, but we move on to the monument. There, ancient cliff dwellings dating back almost 700 years are perched high in the rocky cliffs overlooking the Tonto Basin, once supported the Salado Indian peoples who farmed in the Salt River Valley below, as well as hunting and gathering native wildlife and plants.

Next, we're off again along the Apache Trail, which entails 40 miles of steep, winding and mostly unpaved road past magnificent scenery. We first pass by Theodore Roosevelt Dam before losing pavement and beginning yet another dusty truck. Along the way we see everything from dense forests to giant cactus to several deep blue. Also along the trail are the Lost Dutchman State Park and the somewhat corny "ghost town" of Tortilla Flats. As we end this journey that took quite a bit more time than we anticipated we arrive at the restored ghost town of Goldfield. This is an authentic 1890's ghost town that has been restored and recreated as a tourist destination. There are a number of original old buildings that now house stores and restaurants. The town also provides underground mine tours, a narrow gauge railroad, wagon rides and more. But we are tired. The place is great, but it's time to go home. We take several pictures, eat lunch, call it a day, and call it a trip.

Stay tuned, as the flight heads back to Kansas City and I write up more details of this wonderful ride!

Benson to San Carlos

We by no means take the fastest route as there is still too much of Arizona to see. So, headed east on I-10, we first make a short detour to Cochise, yet another ghost town. However, this one is probably better called a semi-ghost as it does have a number of residents. First established in the 1880's as a fuel stop on the Southern Pacific Railroad, it reached its peak population of about 3,000 more than a century ago. Though it has never truly died, it probably doesn't have more than about 100 residents. However, what it does have, is a number of historic buildings that make it well worth the side trip.

We then cruise through Willcox for a brief look at their historic district before heading north to Safford and turning back east and north again to our main destination - Clifton. Though were backtracking and the historic mining town takes us out of our way, we were so very glad we went. Clifton, though it has a lot of current residents, truly has all the makings of a ghost town. The entire area has been continuously mined since the 1870's and operations continue today. Three towns were originally established in the late 1800's, including Clifton, Morenci and Metcalf and mining prospered in all three. The large mines changed hands several times until the whole kit and caboodle was purchased by Phelps Dodge in 1921. Everything continued on an up-swing until the Depression caused the mines to shut down in 1932. However, new technology was soon developed, underground mining ceased, and open-pit mining began in earnest. For Metcalf and "Old" Morenci, that was the end for them, as both towns disappeared into the pits. However, a "New" Morenci was established, which is the base of operations today.

All that's left of those three historic mining camps is Clifton, at the bottom of the hill from New Morenci and it appears that the vast majority of town folk, and most certainly the businesses, have moved up the hill as well. Though many of the old homes in Clifton are still occupied, their is clearly an abundance of abandoned business buildings. Today, only two other historic Arizona mining towns rival Clifton in the number of historic buildings that continue to stand - Jerome and Bisbee. But, those towns are loaded with tourists, and loaded with boutiques and restaurants and tourist destinations. They also don't have active a large active mining operation. Clifton does. And what a mining operation! I've never seen anything so big, not that I've seen a lot of mining operations. As you travel up the hill to New Morenci and beyond, you run into mining pit, after mining pit, after mining pit. After taking a look at the vast mining operations, return to Clifton and get off the main road to get a view of numerous historic buildings. There are also several cemeteries in the area. What a blast!

Finally, we begin to backtrack back to Highway 70 headed westward to the San Carlos Apache Casino. No, we're not big gamblers, but their hotel had a great nightly rate.

Sierra Vista to Tombstone

Ah, the day I've been waiting for ... the premiere destination for my entire trip -- Tombstone! But, first, a little side trip to the ghost town of Fairbank, Arizona along the way. Though getting its start as a simple stage stop, Fairbank began to boom when the railroad came through in 1881. As nearby Tombstone, some ten miles away, didn't get a railroad until 1903, those last decades of the 20th century were booming for the small town of Fairbank, so much so that it gained three different railroads and depots. It lived on beyond the mining heydays, but it too, eventually died. Situated on BLM land today, there are a number of buildings that can still be seen standing on this historic site.

On to Tombstone! Just ten more miles down the road we arrive at my much anticipated destination. I was so excited to visit this historic place where so many of those Old West figures walked, that we got an early start in the morning and was glad of it. Arriving before most of the businesses were even open, we virtually had the town to ourselves. We first spent the time just walking around, taking photos, and enjoying the Old West atmosphere. The City of Tombstone has done a great job in preserving its historic buildings and providing an authentic peek into the past. Its main street is blocked off to traffic and still retains its dusty street. Makes for much better photos!!

After having seen it all, we then began to explore in more depth. Our first stop was the O.K. Corral and Historama. Though the site is not the "real" actual place of the gunfight, they've done a great job a re-creating the past. The tour provides a a 30-minute presentation, complete with films and animated figures on a revolving stage of Tombstone's early years . Next door to the Historama is the corral, where life-size figures portray the legendary gunfight between the Earps and Doc Holliday against the Clanton Gang. Other sights to see include the reconstructed Camilius S. Fly studio, complete with many of his historic photographs, old stables, carriages, a hearse, and even a red-light district shack. Live gunfights were scheduled throughout the day.

Next, we head over to the Tombstone Epitaph, which got its start in 1880 and is still in business.Today, this historic newspaper is published by the University of Arizona's Journalism Department. At the old newspaper office, you can see the original press and other printing exhibits and to pick up your own Epitaph.

On down the street we stopped in at the Bird Cage Theatre, an 1881 dance hall, gambling house, saloon, brothel, and theater that provided the finest and most expensive entertainment of the day. During its first eight years, the doors never closed. This old place, which now serves as a museum, was the scene of twenty-six deaths during its eight years of business. The self-guided tour offers views of the historic bar, gambling tables, and bordello rooms. You can see the actual faro table that Doc Holliday once dealt cards at as well as a multitude of other items that were originally in the old theatre and never left.

Hungry, we then head over to Big Nose Kate's Saloon, a large and colorful cowboy bar that began life as the Grand Hotel in 1881. Dressed in period costume, we enjoy the employees and live entertainment, as much as the great food. In the corner, an old cowboy takes photos for tips. We eagerly step up to the plate! My only regret is that we haven't the time to while away the afternoon, drinking sudsy beers with these great characters.

Now, on a hunt for the old house that Wyatt Earp once lived in, we find it, now hosting the Wyatt Earp House and Gallery, which brings together the history of the Old West with western and southwestern art.

Last, but not least, we head on over to Boot Hill Graveyard. Though I knew that those Clanton Gang members killed in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral lay there, as well as John Heath, who was lynched by a Bisbee mob, I didn't know that the old cemetery contained so many other graves - some 250 of them, ranging from outlaws, to painted ladies, to regular folks.

Alas, our time in Tombstone has come to an end and we still have some time so we head down the Ghost Town Trail in search of yet more old mining camps - Gleeson, Courtland, and Pearce and are rewarded with a number of historic buildings along our way.

Finally, we head back to Sierra Vista and our hotel.

Nogales to Sierra Vista

*Editor's Note: We made this trip in 2007. Things have changed somewhat along the Mexico Border and we were pretty naive at the time in making this jaunt.  We would not recommend it today. 

On a ghost town mission, we head up state highway 82 to the small town of Patagonia, having made the mistake of not eating breakfast, getting something to drink, or filling up with gas in Nogales. Not sure why I thought Patagonia might be bigger than it was, but we were in for a rude awakening. Cute little town, but not much there. We paid an exorbitant amount for gas at the one tiny full-service gas station and ate packaged tuna salad sandwiches from the small market. We grabbed one bottle of water each and headed down dusty Harshaw Road in search of off the beaten path ghost towns of Harshaw, Mowry, Washington Camp, Duquesne, and Lochiel. This path, though dirt, was a good road dotted with ranches on either side. Our first stop, slowing down for a beautiful horse on the road. Now, for whatever reason, animals just seem to come to me, even though I'm not a big animal lover. We stop, the horse turns and heads straight for the car. Dave laughs, he's seen this happen dozens of times.

Onward to Harshaw, we find little left of this old settlement that once boasted some 2000 souls. For a brief period, the town was rich in silver, reportedly producing more than $350,000 in a four month period in 1880. Alas, like other mining towns, it quickly played out. Today, there are just a couple of buildings and a neat little cemetery up the hill. Of the little mining camp of Mowry, some five miles further down the road, we found no remains except for a low foundation.

Another four miles south is the old site of Washington Camp that was first prospected in the early 1860's but quickly abandoned due to numerous Apache attacks. However in the 1880s in began to boom when the Duquesne Mining and Reduction Company of Pittsburgh purchased the claims and began operations at what became Duquesne. Once having some 1000 residents, little is left of Washington Camp's old buildings today, though the area is dotted with mining remnants and newer residents.

Continuing on to Lochiel, this old settlement, lying right on the Mexico border, remained a crossing point into Mexico until the early 1980s, when it was closed for budgetary reasons. First established in the early 1880s, it prospered with two smelters for neighboring mines. Today, it is privately owned by ranchers and cannot be accessed, though photos can be taken from the road.

Continuing on this dusty trail, the road remains good but we have now both finished our one bottle of water and the dust kicking up is making us thirsty. It's another 20 miles down this winding path before we reach the next stop - the ghost town of Sunnyside. We're watching along the road as the U.S./Mexico border fence looms in the distance, and it comes as no surprise that we run into several border patrol officials, getting stopped by one to make sure we are "legal."

We finally reach the Sunnyside Road, which deteriorates badly. For three miles we bump and jostle, wondering if this destination is worth the trip. Most definitely, it requires a high clearance vehicle. We finally reach a point that we don't even think should be driven and decide to hike for a short period. About 1/2 mile down the road, we are rewarded with the crumbling little camp of Sunnyside. This old settlement was unusual among Arizona ghost towns, as it had no saloons or brothels, rather it was a religious community. Though families lived in separate quarters they had their meals in a communal building and worked as a group in the mine, at agriculture, in the sawmill, or other community tasks.

Today, this old place provides a number of picturesque opportunities but is a difficult trek to get to. By the time we finally returned to the rocky and treacherous road, backtracking out of there, we were, of course, extremely thirsty, not in good humor, and were of the opinion that the trip was not worth it.

But, still, we had quite a little trip ahead of us to reach to Coronado National Monument. After miles of more dust and a climbing winding road, we were never so glad to reach the Visitor's Center, that thank goodness, had bottled water for sale. The park commemorate the explorations of Francisco Vasquez de Coronado. A few more miles brings us to a much anticipated paved highway and we are on our way to Bisbee.

This picturesque 1880's mining city proved to be one of the richest in the world, producing nearly three million ounces of gold and more than eight billion pounds of copper, not to mention the silver, lead and zinc that came from these rich Mule Mountains. By the early 1900s, the Bisbee community was the largest city between St. Louis and San Francisco.

It had a population of 20,000 people and had become the most cultured city in the Southwest. Mining continued in the community until 1975 and though the town's population was dramatically reduced, it hanged on to its Chochise County seat status. Its historic buildings languished for more than a decade until retirees and artists began flood into the community, reviving it into an artist's colony and shopping mecca. Today, many of its historic buildings have been restored and on the day that we were there, it was so congested with people, and we were so tired from the long dusty trail, that we unfortunately didn't appreciate it like we should have. However, we did stop to take a few pictures, especially of the large Lavender Pit, the open pit copper mine, which continues to dramatically display Bisbee's prosperous mining days.

Done, we headed to Sierra Vista and our much needed hotel and a good restaurant.

Phoenix to Nogales

Headed south on I-10 towards Tucson, we first stop at the Case Grande Ruins, the first archeological site to be preserved by the federal government and the fifth oldest unit in the National Park Service. Though there isn't a lot here, I always find these ancient buildings and people fascinating. There is a nominal fee to enter the monument, but we breeze in with our National Park Pass. What a bargain that is!

Continuing southward we veer off I-19 once again to head for the Saguaro National Park, where forests of these tall "people-looking" cactuses. A universal symbol of the American West, the park protects some of the most impressive forests of these sub-tropical giants that can only be only found in a small portion of the United States. There is no charge to drive through the park.

Back onward to Tucson we pass by the Old Tucson Studios. An Old West film studio, they have been filming in this recreated 1880's Western town since 1939. An active film set that where some of Hollywood's biggest Westerns have been made also provides daily live entertainment and attractions including high-flying stunt shows, gunfights, saloon musicals, trail rides, historical studio tours, and shopping. Alas, the admission is $16.95, our time is limited, and our destination are "real" ghost towns, so we pass.

Circumventing most of Tucson, we head continue on to the San Xavier Indian Reservation to take a look at the Mission San Xavier del Bac. This old mission is acclaimed by many to be the finest example of mission architecture in the United States. Built in 1768, the mission is a graceful blend of Moorish, Byzantine and late Mexican Renaissance architecture. Admission is free but donations are gratefully accepted. In front of the mission, most days will find the local Indians selling the arts, crafts, fresh baked bread and other wares. Unfortunately, on the day that we were there it was so windy that most had escaped the swirling dust.

Now, for a much anticipated destination, an old dirt road to one of Arizona's best ghost towns. Exiting I-19, we first head to Arivaca before heading down SR-289, a dusty dirt road, to Ruby, Arizona. What a great ghost town!! Established in 1912, this old mining town is one of the best preserved in the state. Mining began in Ruby, that was first called Montana Camp, in the 1870's. After the turn of the century, mining began in earnest and the town boomed to over 1,000 residents, bringing out over 3 million ounces of silver before it died.

Today, the old town is looked after by a caretaker and there is an admission of $12.00. However, it is well worth it as you explore the old school, jail, general store, head frame, assay office, warehouse, mill, and more. Early pioneers also built a dam which created a small lake which still stands near a a large plateau of sifting sand created by the tailings. And, there's more - a tale of murder and mahem, and we were sure - at least one ghost lurking around the old school. Stay tuned when I get back, I'll give you all the details and lots of great photos of RRuby. What a wonderful place!!

The road continues on to another ghost town called Old Glory, but unfortunately we couldn't find it. This road is best driven with a high clearance vehicle.

Caked with dust we made our way out of the mountains to Nogales, a hotel, and a much needed shower.