The South East Corner of Arizona

Story and photography by
Nancy & Eric Anderson 

 

Arizona’s treasures include some long-established dude ranches and museums, luxury resorts in Phoenix and the expanse of the southern part of Monument Valley -- and, of course, the Grand Canyon itself. Sometimes lost in all this, are the attractions of the state’s south east corner. It’s close to the Mexican border and seemingly far away from mainstream vacationing.

And that’s its charm.

Outdoor lovers, for instance, can drive into one of the least known of our federal monuments to stare wide-eyed on Massai Point at “the Wonderland of Rocks,” the standing stones of the Chirachua National Monument whose Sky Islands are the crossroads of four ecosystems. Seventy five miles to the northwest lies Mica Mountain in New Mexico, to the west, the Dragoon Mountains, a Cochise refuge till 1876. Suggestion? Take the Southern Arizona Adventures Tour and go with its birding enthusiast guide Wezil Walraven.

Other ideas? Descend deep into the now-closed Copper Queen Mine in Bisbee where men labored for six dollars a day in one of the richest copper mines in the world. The hard hat 90-minute train tour goes 1800 feet into the mountain and 500 feet down. Prepare for 47 degrees F below.

Or make appointments to be guided into the fairly recently opened Kartchner Caverns near Benson, caves kept a secret for 14 years by the two college cavers who discovered those huge caverns. Arizona has spent $33 million to develop this prized attraction. (Cave reservations 520-586-2283)

But there’s more.

There’s Bisbee itself, an old mining camp essentially unchanged from its beginnings, a pretty town possibly poised to be the state’s next big tourist attraction. (877-424-7234). It has fascinating Victorian architecture and boutiques. It’s no surprise given the town’s colorful history. The endlessly friendly people belie the tale this was once a “funky town of misfit people: pony-tailed, burned-out hippies who regarded anyone with a part-time job and a car that runs as a yuppie.” The Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum, the smallest Smithsonian affiliate in America, reveals many details of this town’s hard-working, hard-living past. Go visit, it’s fun and it’s a great walk.

Hungry? At lunch, locals like Charlie’s Bisbeeberry pies at the Daily Diner on the east side of town, formerly a century-old livery stable with a boarding house above. For dinner they hang out at the long-established Bisbee Grill, right there beside the visitor center. It gets mixed reviews in the press but popular choices are salmon with pesto sauce, piping-hot fajitas and fried ice cream. Or locals head for the recently re-opened Striped Stocking Restaurant and Hotel at the “entrance of the notorious Brewery Gulch” for Thai shrimp cakes, fresh Idaho trout and old-fashioned bread pudding. The Gulch led to the Red Light district and the hotel itself was once a bordello.

The Bisbee Grand Hotel (800-421-1909) conveniently located right on Main Street, projects the town’s history and ambiance. Old West enthusiasts can choose bedrooms with Hollywood and Western themes in a double bed maneuvered somehow into a covered wagon. Rooms include glamorous Jacuzzi baths.

And a fun part of any visit to this forgotten corner of Arizona is how close Tombstone is; 20 minutes away by car.. You’ll be out late enjoying its own version of nightlife so nail down your room first. Old West lovers will enjoy upscale Curly Bill’s Bed & Breakfast, now called Legends B & B, at 210 North Ninth Street, a five minute walk to all the action on Allen Street (520-457-3858). The hacienda was built in 1978 by a Mexican cement contractor with eight children and refurbished as a B & B in 2000 by the next owners. The five bedrooms all have different themes, the Curly Bill room, for example, has an Old West décor with Western art and a Mexican painted sink and accessories. The video collection for guests includes 400 popular movies, the History Channel episodes on Tombstone and, naturally, all the films John Wayne ever made.

Expect to eat well in this cowboy town. Enjoy the buffalo burgers at the OK Café or the grilled steaks in the Longhorn Restaurant (“Best darn food west of the Pecos!”). The surprise in this old silver mining town (two major fires could not destroy this “too tough to die” town-- beyond the tourist traps that capitalize on the legends of Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday and the gunfight at the OK Corral – is that it’s become a great place to visit just for the feel of the last century.

Here are living museums of the past, one in the Courthouse, several in the original saloons and theaters of the time. They show the courage of the pioneer experience, the dangers of the West, the hardships of the mining life, and the weakness of the spirit -- and how personal wealth could be gambled away or lost in a moment.

In addition to the old museums that have the very smell of the past arose, in 2003, the spanking-new Western Heritage Museum at the corner of 6th and Fremont (520-457-3933), an astonishingly sophisticated and comprehensive museum for any small town. Its collection of Wyatt Earp personal memorabilia, artifacts of the town’s history and exhibits of one-of--a-kind guns make this the place to spend your time in Tombstone. It even has an original Doc Holliday business card on display, one owned by Carol and Karin Sitts.

But as always, show business beckons. Feet now stray to the daily staging of the most famous gunfight in history. There, in the OK Corral, in a confined space containing nine men and two horses, men stood close enough to shake hands but fired guns in smoke so dense they could barely see each other -- forever burning Tombstone into the stories of America’s wild and infamous West.