Imagine that you create a town where thousands of people live and work at the mine and associated businesses. Then, one day, the mine runs dry, and everyone leaves. Boom. Ghost town. There are a lot of ghost towns in the southwest, even those that don’t officially call themselves one yet, but none are more famous than Tombstone.
America’s Famous Tombstone Ghost Town
Tombstone, Arizona, is way down in southeast Arizona and is home to some of our favorite wild west cowboy stories. The O.K. Corral, Wyatt Earp, the bullet-riddled Bird Cage Theatre … outlaws, gun fights, gallows and the infamous Boothill Cemetery are all here. Even if you’re not a history or western fan, chances are you’ve heard of a few of those.
On my way to Tombstone, I passed many small towns with nary a sign of life in them. It seems like out in the west; there are lots of little towns just barely hanging on. As the business run dry, people moved closer to big city amenities. But it’s good to see some of these old towns, like Tombstone and Jerome (about four hours north), preserved.
When Tombstone was founded in the 1800s, there were a lot of people moving there for silver mine jobs, and many cowboys (also known as traveling hands) came too. These cowboys tended to be nomadic gamblers, drinkers and sometimes thieves – my brothers could have fit right in – kidding! What set the time apart was that they argued with guns. That’s how the infamous fight between “the law” and the gunslingers at the OK Corral took place.
Allen Street in Tombstone
Someone really savvy at marketing has taken over Tombstone. It’s like a TV set, or I imagine, the Disney-like version of a ghost town now. Many tourists like having activities to do with their kids, and Tombstone provides it in spades. Despite the commercialism, it’s a famous old town filled with history and beautiful old buildings and spectacular surroundings. Plus, the drive is pretty – just look out for outlaws.
Speaking of outlaws, many of them ended up in the old Boothill Graveyard, which is still in Tombstone, and like everything in the old town, you can see it for a fee.
The headstones are simple “tombstone” style grave markers with a stack of rocks mounded on top. It was called Boothill because many of the people buried there died violently “with their boots on.” It was restored, and a few original graves remain, like this popular one: “Here lies Lester Moore, Four Slugs from a 44, No Les, No More.”
I went to Tombstone on a holiday and nobody was there except the ghosts. Everything was closed, and tumbleweeds blew past unencumbered.
Bisbee, Arizona
Most people have heard of Tombstone, Arizona. The famous ghost town where the shootout at the O.K. Corral happened. But not everyone knows there’s another, maybe better ghost town just 30 miles further down the road hidden in the mountains called Bisbee.
If you’re driving to Tombstone, you may as well keep going another 45 minutes and check out Bisbee. It’s artier, less touristy, and it has a big, colorful open pit as a claim to fame.
Bisbee, Arizona and the neighboring smaller town of Lowell are two charming and somewhat strange (at least in the case of Lowell) little mountain towns. The towns, like many western places in the remote mountains, were built around mining operations that produced minerals, including gold, copper, silver and zinc. Because of mining, Bisbee and Lowell were quickly built on the hillsides. From a distance, they look like little German villages nestled in the mountains. Today, the mining is gone, but the historic towns remain.
Not that Ghostly of Ghost Towns
I liked Bisbee more than Tombstone because it is more artistic, less touristy, and people still live there and run small businesses. Bisbee still has its original bustling main street with many small independent shops and restaurants selling arts, crafts, stones, scones and clothes. None of it is commercial. You won’t even find a Starbucks, but you will find a locally roasted brew that’s rather good.
I spent an enjoyable afternoon walking around the town, going in and out of storefronts and stopping for lunch at one of a few cafes and coffee shops. There’s a lot of history in the town, and historical markers let you know what you’re seeing. What I liked best were the many little shops with unique art and objects you won’t find anywhere else, often staffed by one proprietor/owner. But the most photographed part of the town is the pit.
Lavender Pit Mine
The “Lavender Pit” sits between Bisbee and the next furthest town, Lowell. The Lavender pit is a massive open pit mine that is now a big hole in the ground. The water that pools at the bottom is dark red, and people think it’s pretty. I think it’s fearsome. Either way, it’s an attraction, like the Grand Canyon, but less grand. Still, you might want to stand at the top and look down. It’s called the Lavender Pit, not for the color, but for a person who oversaw the operations there – as noted on a sign nearby.
Speaking of ghost towns, beyond the pit is Lowell. Lowell, like Bisbee, was once a bustling place but now less so. There is still some housing and a few businesses, but the main street has become the most ghostly of ghost towns. When the city folk left, they abandoned all the shops and vehicles. As you drive or walk down the road, you’ll see old businesses, vehicles and signs from the 60s or older.
It looks like everyone got up and walked away one day in the 1960s and never returned. Even the cars parked on the vacant street are old. You can tell they’ve been there for a while because the grass is starting to grow around their tires.
If you visit, go early in the day, as many shops close in the evening.
Read about other things to see and do in Arizona here.
1 Comment