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@@TheAndero Doug isn’t seen too often, but he does live here. He is part owner of a local bar/comedy club here in town called Chuckleheads. He doesn’t affect much, but he is well known in this small town.
If I ever get by there, I will stop and buy a piece of Turquoise. Do you carry Nevada Turquoise? I'm fond of it's greener color and lived in NV 17 years. I'm also interested in a piece/slice of the gold in quartz, the natural polished, and a pyrite ring. Best Thoughts ... Beth
I would love to get my hands on a bracelet like my great aunt gave me she lives in Tucson I think my family lost touch with her I haven't seen the bracelets since I was 13 that's like 34 years ago I live in New York is the only issue
I filmed a documentary about Bisbee back in 2020. Went there and interviewed some of the people that live there and even got an exclusive tour of a mine. It is a cool place! Nice video!
I live in Bisbee and would like to compliment you on one of the best short docs on the town I've seen. I've traveled throughout this country and much of the world and lived in a number of places. Bisbee is one of the few (VERY) progressive, friendly small towns I've found. We do indeed have great weather here, in part because of the altitude, with short mild winters (the few snows melt off the next day) and consistently cooler weather in summer than Tucson or Phoenix. Thanks for your efforts.
Been to Bisbee a few times. The parking is not easy, and walking requires going up and down the hills, but the architecture and history of the place surrounds you at every turn. Definitely worth it. And if you can't go in person, you can wander the streets in google earth. It's a good second choice.
Took a friend to visit family in Herford. We called them from Bisbee, told them we were in the area. He said I'll watch you come. He actually could watch the headlights from Bisbee to Herford.
Visited Bisbee on a whim on a road trip 5 years ago. Absolutely loved it! Reminded me of Jim Thorpe or some of the mining towns near me in PA. Highly recommend a visit.
I used to live in nearby Sierra Vista but worked in old bisbee in the old high school building (built 1913) behind the Copper Queen Hotel. Such a cool and unique town. Great climate. Also in next door Warren is the oldest continually used baseball stadium (since 1908) where greats such as Babe Ruth played. Nearby Naco, AZ has the ruins of army barracks used when the army was protecting the area from Poncho Villa in the early 1900's. A lot late of 1800's territorial bungalows in the area. With the kind of old west of Tombstone, Wilcox and even Douglas just down the road; plenty of ghost town remains around; and the Chiruacaua Mountains and Park just east of Bisbee, Cochise county is interesting than Tucson and Phoenix.
@@ITSHISTORY the old high school on Clawson Ave is a three story building and Clawson Ave. is so steep that it allows for entrances to the school off that road at the level of each of the three stories as the road runs the length of the school. There is a gym and an auditorium. The school was moved out of it to a newer building on the edge of town a long time ago so this gym still has the old narrow, keyhole-style free throw lanes. Owned by the county, the school has more recently housed the county's parole/probation office, housing authority and a county library. There are old creaky wooden floors throughout the building, and I know from experience it's a rather spooky place to work after hours when everything is closed up and dark. There's also the old grade school immediately behind Copper Queen Hotel and it, too, is a great old building. When I was there about 10 years ago it was being used as studio spaces for multiple artists. The roads in old bisbee are so narrow, steep and such a jumble they have to use special scaled down versions of fire and garbage trucks to navigate the roads. During one heavy monsoon downpour I saw Brewery Ave become a flash flood river with dumpsters floating down it to the culvert that runs under highway 80. Monsoon rains also create waterfalls in the mountainside above highway 80 north of town. Old Bisbee and Lowell are often used to film movies and TV shows because of their retro look. Lowell looks like an old 1940's/50's, slightly abandoned main street. Amazing, crazy, cool town.
as someone who grew up Sierra Vista and is still lives here I can tell you that the old high school is being renovated into an apartment complex after H.U.D. left the building
@@cheifcrazybuffalo8390 Great idea and location. Cool building to convert. Depending on the number of units, parking could be tight; but then, parking is pretty dear everywhere in that part of town.
Excellent video!! I have passed through Bisbee wanting to visit this town many times! After seeing your video I want to live there! Western history is so rich all over Arizona.
There’s a local adage that says, “Tombstone is the town the time forgot and Bisbee is the town too high to care”. LOL. I live in nearby Sierra vista and we definitely enjoy going antiquing in old Bisbee + you have to go to the Bisbee breakfast club, it’s amazing!!!
Bisbee is a very unique town. I visited about three years ago and was struck by the drive in. It’s in a deep valley with only one entrance and one exit. It’s no wonder it floods consistently. The streets are narrow and parking is difficult, but there are ample bars and restaurants for those wishing to partake. The locals are not very nice, and the town is difficult to navigate, but you can feel the history all around you. I’d like to go back and spend more time there.
I’m an east coast transplant now living in Mesa. I go down to Bisbee occasionally. It’s one of my favorite places. I find the locals extremely welcoming and hospitable.
@@asimnicholsmusic really? They must have received their marijuana supply those days because normally the are very rude. Born, raised and still live near Bisbee. Hate that town. But of course us locals know the real town and truth about it.
I grew up in Douglas, a town about 20 miles East of Bisbee where Phelps-Dodge built a smelter for the output of Bisbee. I never heard of the deportations of citizens in Bisbee. Thank you for bringing light to this human rights violation.
My family owned a house in Portal AZ for many years, and I lived there from 2004-2005. The nature was beautiful but the house was constantly broken into by smugglers etc, anyways - I always had windows replaced in Douglas :)
Because it didn't happen like he states. They left to playas and animas for the new mines and smelter there. Columbus never saw the surge of people as is claimed.
@@cliffterrell4876 so they left for Playas in 1917, yet Playas wasn't even built until the early 70's. So explain that, Mr. I don't know what I'm talking about. Ffs.
@@guillermo3564 my grandfather was hauling the steel into Playas in the 50 and mid 60s when they built the first smelter then the "modernized" parts of the smelter. Playas came about because of the smelter. Before Phelps Dodge built the town, the worker lived in Animas and drove 15 miles to get to it. My mistake was saying Playas and not Animas which was being mined since 1909.
I went to Bisbee about 20 years ago over Christmas to visit my aunt. Back then, the town had a very hippy vibe. I remember one antiques merchant transported some of his merchandise in an old white hearse. Some of the cars looked more like rolling canvases.
Sorry it just wanna be retired rich hippies or fake hippies I used to go there all the time back in the late 80s and early 90s my step father’s family lived a couple of steps down from castle rock.. so I know
Bisbee is definitely an anomaly for Arizona. It's a pretty surprising find because it's so unlike the rest of AZ towns and cities that are usually "young" in terms of most buildings not being older than the 1980s. First time I saw it I thought it was like an Italian village in the desert with the way buildings work their way up the mountain side. The narrow streets also help sell the European feel. Definitely an AZ secret though, up there with the communes turned artist towns.
I had an uncle and cousins who lived in Bisbee. Uncle Dave. His father had built a house there in 1921. At that time the mine was still underground and the mining was in the spectacular supergene enrichment zone. Uncle Dave's house was two story but only upstairs was used. There were big columns supporting the upstairs and they had been faced off with beautiful ore specimens. In the 70's the operation closed and my Aunt & uncle moved to Morenci.
So in 2009 my brothers band of whom I played bass for toured through bisbee and did a radio live recording the morning we arrived and by the show that night we had thousands at our show downtown. It was an amazing experience and I absolutely loved the town. I think about going back every once and a while.
My history bone is tingling..... Please keep expanding on those individuals that are long forgotten, unbeknownst to them, gave their lives... This is amazing! As electrician, hearing that they grabbed 8b copper is AMAZING to me! Thanks so much for the education on times forgotten.
So close to the town I got my name from! Benson AZ is just up the road. Lots of little mining towns in this part of Arizona, with loads of character and odd surprises!
@@ITSHISTORY How funny, this video just popped back up in my feed and I never saw your comment! My apologies! I live in the Phoenix metro area. I wish I lived there, though. It's much slower paced for sure. And not hot! Well, not _Phoenix_ hot!! Wish I could say more. But this is so old you probably won't see it either, so 😹
I don't live in Bisbee but its always been a massive part of my life going for 4th of July and just visiting. Its entire history has been intertwined with my family's. My great great great grandfather father was Jack Dunn, friends with George Warren and one of the people that found the first copper veins that would be bought out by the Copper Queen
I've been to bisbee my impressions are just the opposite very corrupt community. The reason why I went there was because my truck was stolen and it was recovered there and it took the sheriff's department threatening to arrest the chief of police to get them to verify they had the vehicle that the sheriff's department said they had and the sheriff's department forced them to release the vehicle unfortunately the chief of police refused to prosecute the Grand theft Auto persons instead they were charged only with stealing gas. My personal experience being in this state is stay the hell away from bisbee.
We sure miss Alco and the building is still for rent, btw, and sure could use another co-op type store. . rediculous amount of unfair gentrification goes on with a new generation of rare-earth mining in the wings ...
@12:05 Pere Marquette railroad wasn't around in the desert. PM ran in Michigan and Ontario. El Paso and Southwestern Railroad was the railroad that made it to Bisbee, and was later absorbed by the Southern Pacific Railroad. Not huge, but railroad history is my wheelhouse.
Great Video. Thank you for the Arizona History Lesson. Many of us Arizonans were born in a different state, and didn’t get to learn our local history in grade school.
G'day mate awesome channel love your information as I'm from AUSTRALIA and love your knowledge of what your channel gives me buddy awesome info thanks mate love your work Ryan
Having grown up in Bisbee, little is told of the significance of the Mexicans regarding the success of the copper mine. The Mexicans with their mules, carried the much needed water to the miners. (Hence Mule Mountains) The Descendents of early Portuguese conquistadors, they owned most of the land around Bisbee and some of them still do to this day. Some of these Descendents died in Viet Nam. It's a very rich history...even before the arrival of the industrious Serbs, whose European architecture can be seen in various buildings including the Copper Queen Hotel. Thank you for the mine history. 👍
"Mystery is what draws in the tourists" ya, the Joann Brady mysteries by J.A. Jance is probably a huge part of it. I'm surprised the series wasn't mentioned since she's the fictional sheriff of Cochise county.
Nicely done! Thank you. I lived in Bisbee in the early 2000's. First time I drove in I thought old Bisbee looked the set of the old movie "Popeye". With Robin Williams. I expected to see Olive Oyl walking down the street😂. I loved it there.
When I visited about 10 years ago, my clearest memory is standing on the main street outside a little brew pub smoking a cigarette, & an AMC hornet wagon full of people drove by blasting Hank Sr. They all smiled & waved.
G'day mate why aren't you so much more popular you awesome with your knowledge brother I'm from Australia and love your channel mate God love ya mate 👍👍🇦🇺🇦🇺❤️
We go to Bisbee easily 6 times a year. The drive is beautiful. They have wonderful air bnbs, the people are great and very good food there as well. If they had better internet, I'd move from Tucson.
Unfortunately, a huge mistake, the railroad tracks from Benson to Bisbee were torn out, leaving the potential Bisbee railroad connection gone forever. BTW, the so called scars were gone a long time ago.
@@johnfalkenstine8377 Rail not needed anymore the mine closed the smelter in Douglas was torn down and the Mexican rail crossing at Naco and Douglas was redundant with the crossing at Nogales the main port of entry.
I wish you touched on Bisbee's history as a sundown town. It's hard to find information about and I'm curious to learn how it went from that to what it is today.
There’s always a malapropism. I’m convinced they’re meant as Easter eggs. Today’s is “eloquent” instead of “elegant.” As always, a wonderful, entertaining and unusual treat. Love these videos so much!
@@ITSHISTORY So i was looking at google earth and unless Rt 80 was that Right of way, it doesnt appear that could happen due to the topography because, like water, railroads take the path of least resistance. I was however to locate an abandon right of way from the center of town followed it south until it comes to a wye 3 miles east of Naco AZ. I never followed this line but I will have to track this because it has a ton of cool features that you can see but wont ever see on modern railroad right of ways. I live in San Antonio and I just recently saw your video of Texas. It was awesome! If you need help with some features let me know because I a have a few friends that are extremely knowledgeable on this stuff.
Quite enjoyable, informative and interesting. I'm a former Arizona resident and I will always love it, I'm therefore very interested in Arizona history. Thank you for sharing this great little video.
I appreciate your tone in speaking of the IWW, “radical” doesn’t carry the same negative connotations it used to in contemporary discourse. Ps. Kyle Kulinski pilled
Jerome, AZ was never graced with a visit from its namesake, Eugene Jerome (Churchill's grandfather), either. Interesting. I wonder how many old west towns were never even visited by their namesakes and investors?
My husband handled hiring all the contractors to do remediation in Bisbee after Freeport took over. He practically lived at the Copper Queen. He knew so much about the city. He left me books and some copper..
@@MikeP2055 yeah buddy, that place is definitely something that I really would like to go see and visit, Thanks for the heads up, stay safe and please remember to keep your hands clean and washed up at all times so that you can protect yourself and all of those around you buddy, I still would really like to visit that place, Peace out buddy
