Originally, we had planned to make our next stop Tuscon, AZ on our way to Phoenix, but since we have 2 days before our next visit with friends in Phoenix, we decided to go to Bisbee, AZ instead.

The accident on I 10 had been cleared, so we had clear sailing on the interstate. But even with light traffic, it was boring, so we opted to find a back way to Bisbee. At Deming, NM, we headed south on NM 11 to NM 9 which parallels the border with Mexico. These are long, straight roads that seem to go forever. As we drove along we spotted several dust devils which are fascinating to watch.

At the intersection of NM 11 and NM 9 is a small (and I mean really small) town (if you can call it that) called Columbus, NM which sits right on the border. The main attraction here was a small museum that had once been a railroad station but was now dedicated to the Battle of Columbus in which Pancho Villa and his forces raided and burned the town in 1916. President Wilson subsequently ordered Brigadier General John Pershing to lead the Punitive Expedition into Mexico. The museum was filled with all sorts of interesting artifacts from the early 20th century including an old fire truck, WWI memorabilia, a telephone switchboard, an old crank telephone, railroad paraphernalia, weapons, and photos. There was also a display of jewelry and pottery made by the local indigenous people. (Interestingly, the pottery made here was made using the same technique used by the Catawba people in South Carolina.)

Bisbee is a quirky little tourist town built on the side of a mountain with steep, narrow streets (like some of those in Europe). Bisbee was originally a copper, gold and silver mining town founded in 1880. The gold, silver and copper are long gone and mining stopped in 1975. Tonight and tomorrow night we will be staying at the Copper Queen Hotel which was built in the 1880’s and is one of Bisbee’s main attractions. (Peggy and i are presently sitting in the lobby working on the blog and a large group just arrived on a ghost tour. I assured them that we are not ghosts.)

Tomorrow we will tour the Copper Queen Mine and drive up to Tombstone to visit the OK Corral and the Boot Hill Cemetery.