Dozen Distinctive Destinations
Bisbee, AZ
Year Listed: 2005
There's an old saying in Arizona, "Bisbee is 100 miles " and 100 years " from Tucson." Founded in 1877 by a cavalryman engaged in the bitter campaign by the U.S. military to contain Apaches on reservations, Bisbee (population 6,400) is an authentic Western mining town nestled in thespectacular mile-high Mule Mountains. This community is the first in Arizona to be named to America's Dozen Distinctive Destinations. Once known as the "Queen of the Copper Camps" for its abundance of gold, copper, silver, lead and zinc, Bisbee in the early 1900s was the largest and most cultured city in the Southwest. Despite the town's sophistication, the rough-and-ready air of a typical mining camp was on display in Bisbee's famed red-light district, Brewery Gulch, which boasted nearly 50 saloons in its heyday.
Main Street in Bisbee, Arizona
Credit: City of Bisbee
When mining ended in the 1970s, Bisbee reinvented itself as an artists' colony with a well-preserved architectural heritage that draws history-seeking travelers. No visit to Bisbee would be complete without a visit to the Bisbee Mining & Historical Museum, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution. On the Queen Mine Tour, tourists don mining attire, climb aboard a train and explore the depths where many a fortune was made. Visitors should plan on walking through the city's narrow, twisting streets to view Bisbee's fine collection of turn-of-the-century Victorian structures " many of which have been transformed into charming small bed-and-breakfast establishments that offer both comfort and a hearty dose of Old West history.
For these reasons, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the country's largest private, nonprofit preservation organization, today named Bisbee to its 2005 list of America's Dozen Distinctive Destinations, an annual list of unique and lovingly preserved communities in the United States. It was selected from nearly 80 destinations in 44 states that were nominated by individuals, preservation organizations and local communities.
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