Benson, Arizona

We left Big Bend National Park a few days early because of a bad storm coming into the area. We stopped at Benson Arizona and spent the three days we took from Big Bend. We stayed at the Escapee park which was centrally located to the town. We have been here before and there is a lot to do and see in the area. The last time we were here we did not have a chance to tour the Queen Mine in Bisbee. This time we made a reservation and toured the site. It was very informative and well worth the cost.

Once you put on your miner equipment which consists of a helmet, slicker coat, belt, battery and light, you jump onto a small train that hauls you into the mine.  Just look at these happy miners.

Woof, talk about some sorry looking miners!

 This is the town of Bisbee just across from the Queen Mine.

Many of their homes are built on the side of the mountain.

In almost 100 years of continuous production before the Bisbee mines closed in 1975, the local mines produced metals valued at $6.1 billion (at 1975 price) one of the largest production valuations of all the mining districts in the world. This staggering amount of wealth came from the estimated production of 8,032,352,000 lbs of copper, 2,871,786 ounces of gold, 77,162,986 ounces of silver, 304,627,600 lbs of lead and 371,945,900 lbs of zinc!  Even though the mine closed in 1975, the town of Bisbee is still going strong.

Just down the road from Bisbee is the town of Tombstone Arizona where the town doesn't stop here.

The streets of Tombstone.

All aboard!

Site of the famous OK Corral Gun Fight!

Allen Street today. One of the most
notorious streets in the old west is alive
and well in Tombstone. Throughout the
past 140 years it has survived two major
fires, the loss of the mining industry, and
countless violent encounters.

Each year many thousands of visitors
walk where old west hero's and villains
lived, worked and fought.

From boom town to bust this little city
earned its nickname, "The Town Too
Tough To Die".