The Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum takes you back in time to the days of a copper mining town’s role in the American industrial revolution. This museum, combined with a tour inside the Queen Mine, provides a wealth of knowledge and experiences to help visitors better understand the history of Bisbee, the mines, and their impact on the town, southern Arizona, and our nation.
Join us as we explore the Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum!
History of Bisbee and the Mines
The mining town museum is housed inside the former Phelps Dodge General Office, built in 1895. The National Register of Historic Places listed the Bisbee Museum building. The museum is a Smithsonian Affiliate, part of the Smithsonian Museum Affiliation Program. It’s certainly history deserving of national landmark status!
A group of prospectors founded the Bisbee Queen Mine in 1877. They discovered copper, diverse minerals and other valuable resources, launching a mining boom in the area. Copper production began with individuals and then expanded by companies. Such as the Phelps Dodge Corporation, which operated the Copper Queen Consolidated Mining Company and eventually became the sole operator of the mining district.
Over the years, the copper Queen Mine expanded with a multitude of shafts and tunnels being excavated to reach deeper and richer ore deposits. To expand copper production during World War 1, the Queen Mine utilized open-pit mining. As the mine expanded, so did the Queen of the copper camps, Bisbee.
Unfortunately, underground mines closed in the summer of 1975. The town of Bisbee smartly pivoted quickly to establish the Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum, the Queen Mine Tour, and other improvements to create a tourist economy. Other historic buildings also still stand in Bisbee.
The Museum
The small museum opened in the 1970s in the Phelps Dodge General Office, which was built in 1895, and still stands today. The notable museum building was renovated extensively in the 1970s to prepare the building to house a museum. The Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum has welcomed more than a half-million visitors throughout those years as it takes them through an in-depth look at Bisbee and its mining history.
Early Mining Years
Real copper production began around 1880 with individual owners but was quickly replaced with companies that had capital to expand the mining operations. The Phelps Dodge Corporation, through a subsidiary, the Copper Queen Consolidated Mining Company, became the dominant and eventually the sole operator of the mining district.
Bisbee thrived and grew into one of the largest cities in the Arizona Territory by the early 1900’s. Bisbee became one of the towns between St. Louis and San Francisco that had a blend of ethnicities and religions, as its immigrant citizens were in search of the American dream that so many found and lived.
The Bisbee Deportation Event
A very sad and troubling event occurred in 1917, which sent ripples throughout the country. Phelps Dodge, a major mining company in the area, illegally kidnapped and deported about 1,300 striking mine workers, their supporters, and citizen bystanders, by 2, 000 members of a deputized posse. The miners attempted to organize for better working conditions and wages and the company wasn’t fond of Unions.
But Phelps didn’t want them to unionize. They were rounded up and held at the Warren Ballpark before being loaded on cattle cars and deported on a 16-hour journey covering 200 miles without food and water. They were told not to come back.
Later Mining Times
Open pit mining, such as the Lavender Pit mine, a more efficient method, was successfully introduced in Bisbee to meet the growing copper demand in World War I. Covering almost a century, Bisbee’s mines were responsible for producing over 8 billion pounds of copper, 102 million ounces of silver, and 2. 8 million ounces of gold along with millions of pounds of zinc, lead, and manganese. By 1974, ore reserves were depleted. Phelps Dodge shut down all pit mining operations in mid-74 and closed underground mining in December 1974.
Post-Mining Transition to Tourism and Art
With the mine closures in 1974, the mayor of Bisbee, Chuck Eads, smartly thought about how to pivot the town. From a mining-based town or industry to one that supports tourism and arts. He wanted to keep the rich history of mining alive in Bisbee. Hoping to attract tourists, the City of Bisbee, the Economic Development Administration, Phelps Dodge, and volunteers pitched in either money or time to get the mine tour project underway.
On February 1st, 1976, the Queen Mine Tour was officially open to visitors. More than a million visitors from all 50 states and more than 30 foreign countries have enjoyed the ride into the mountain on the underground mine tour train.
Consider a stay at the Copper Queen Hotel which was originally constructed in 1902. It is Arizona’s longest continuously operated hotel. It is haunted by at least three ghosts.
The town now has a number of art galleries showing the dual pivot to tourism and art.
We highly recommend you check out the museum and take a guided interactive trip into the mountain on the Queen Mine Tour. It’s a great experience and especially a family-friendly tour.
Where is the Museum?
The Bisbee Mining & Historical Museum is located at 5 Copper Queen Plaza in the small town of Bisbee, Arizona. Bisbee is located in the Mule Mountains in Cochise County in southern Arizona. The town has tons of history so it’s really fun to explore.
What to Expect at the Museum?
The museum is open daily between 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. General admission is $10 for ages 11 to 60 years old, with seniors, veterans, and active military costing $9. Children up to 11 years old are free but must be accompanied by an adult.
The walk through the museum will typically take 60 to 90 minutes. Of course, that depends a lot on how much time you want to take a look at each exhibit and the content that’s available for you to see. It’s very much a museum geared for the whole family.
There is some equipment out front, but everything else is inside the museum.
Conclusion
The City of Bisbee, the Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum, along with the Bisbee Queen Mine Tour was a ton of fun and well worth a drive from Tucson. It allows visitors to experience a town founded on mining but now focused on being an artist’s scene and tourism. The museum gives visitors a wealth of knowledge and discovery on Bisbee, the mines, and the people of Arizona. It’s definitely worth the time spent exploring the museum, and we highly recommend you pair this with a tour going inside the Queen Mine.
If you like this content, you will want to check out all our other posts covering Tucson and nearby attractions. This includes San Xavier del Bac Mission Church, Benson’s Murals and Railroad Signs, Tombstone’s Boothill Graveyard and the historic Tombstone’s Historic District, the Queen Mine Tour in Bisbee, along with the Bisbee Lavender Pit Mine. The Saguaro National Park West is incredible. The Signal Hill petroglyphs trail in Saguaro National Park is a fun and relatively easy hike.
There are also numerous posts covering other areas of Arizona, Las Vegas, and many other destinations. Don’t forget our favorite B & B in the whole world, which is the Hacienda Linda bed and breakfast, uh, adjacent to the Saguaro National Park.
Also, check out all our other videos covering the many fun and historical attractions in and around Arizona, Las Vegas, Texas Hill Country, among others that we have on our Travel with D & E channel.
So, explore Bisbee’s past today at the Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum paired with a ride into the Queen Mine Tour!
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