Cochise County Land of Legends

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Land OfLegends

2010 - 2011 Cochise County Official Visitors Guide

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HomeStores 2100 Paseo San Luis Sierra Vista, AZ 85635 Toll Free: 800.677.1884 Office FAX: 520.458.2102

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Bisbee 1326 W Hwy 92 #13 520-432-6960

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Benson 724-A W. 4th Street 520-586-3115

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Sierra Vista Main 2100 Paseo San Luis 520-458-5222

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Sierra Vista Branch 88 S. 1st Street 520-458-1911

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COCHISE COUNTY 2010-2011

Land OfLegends

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Mark Marrero Kathleen Schuster

art director Tad

Smith TheDesignIdea.com

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Kathleen Schuster

Howdy!

I want to thank you for picking up this issue of Cochise County’s Official Visitors Guide: Land of Legends. Use this publication as your guide to the heartland of America’s Southwest. In this enchanted land, you can walk in the footsteps of Wyatt Earp, feel the strength of Apache leader Cochise, and experience the history of the brave Buffalo Soldiers.

As you use this guide to tour Cochise County, you can recapture the history the Legends have made. From mining tours to gun fights to bird watching, visit ghost towns, to hiking and camping, there is something for everyone to fall in love with.

Do not forget to go online at explorecochise.com and find out why the Legendary Origins of Cochise County make this place unlike any other. Thank you once again, and when you do visit these merchants, please tell them you saw them in the “Land of Legends.”

Mark Marrero Publisher

Land of Legends is published

by Marrero Publishing in cooperation with the Cochise County Tourism Council.

For advertising rates please call 520.982.6200 or email mark@azcollectorsguide.com

To receive an individual copy of the Cochise County Land of Legends, please contact: Cochise County Tourism Council 1415 Melody Lane, Building G Bisbee, AZ 85606 520-432-9215 View this entire publication for free, with videos and animated ads at: www.ExploreCochise.com www.AZCollectorsGuide.com

Copyright© 2010 Cochise County Land of Legends by: Marrero Publishing PO Box 41011, Tucson, AZ 85717 520.982.6200 AZCollectorsGuide.com

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Public lands offer diverse recreational opportunities for visitors to Cochise County. Listed below are the outdoor recreation areas.

National Parks Chiricahua National Monument offers camping, hiking and scenic drives. You can also visit Faraway Ranch, a former guesthouse.

Chiricahua National Monument is located between Willcox and Douglas off AZ Highway 181.

Coronado National Memorial offers hiking, picnicking, birdwatching and caving as some of the ways to enjoy nature in this historic site where Coronado first crossed into the Americas in the 1500’s. Located south of Sierra Vista on Highway 92.

Fort Bowie National Historic Site is a monument to the fierce battles of the past. Fort Bowie helps visitors see the clash of cultures that soldiers and Indians faced during the settling of the American West. Hike, picnic and view wildlife and birds during your visit to the fort.

Forest Service Coronado National Forest covers more than 1.7 million acres of land in southeastern Arizona and New Mexico.

Recreational opportunities include camping, hiking, wildlife viewing, picnicking and other activities. For information on public lands in Cochise County, contact the Douglas or Sierra Vista ranger districts.

San Bernardino National Wildlife Area, east of Douglas, offers wildlife viewing, hunting and fishing.

State Parks Kartchner Caverns State Park on Highway 90 in Benson offers cave tours, camping, picnicking and hiking.

Arizona Game & Fish Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area, an outstanding waterfowl habitat, provides fantastic opportunities for wildlife watching, especially in winter when Sandhill Cranes migrate through the area.

Bureau of Land Management The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages and protects lands, natural attractions and sensitive areas.

Recreational opportunities abound on BLM land in Arizona, including hiking, bicycling, camping and picnicking, horseback riding, rock climbing, geocaching, visiting historic sites and other activities. For a complete list of areas in southeastern Arizona, visit the Safford Field Office or the Tucson Field Office.

San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area, extending along the San Pedro River from Benson, to the Mexican border, the riparian area is an invaluable habitat for wildlife and birds. The area gives you miles of opportunities to enjoy birding, hiking and other outdoor activities.

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historic themes

• Old West/Ranching: Iconic stories live on at Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park and the John Slaughter Ranch.

Explore Wyatt Earp’s infamous Old West gunfight and learn about John Slaughter, the Cochise County sheriff who helped tame the West.

• Geology/Mining: Mineral discovery and mining wealth led settlers across the Western landscape. Gold? They found some, but copper built much of Arizona’s wealth. Learn about the mining industry’s impact at the Bisbee Mining & Historical Museum.

In addition, explore the geologic forces that made the region what it is by visiting the living caves of Kartchner Caverns State Park.

• Military History: the famous Buffalo Soldiers made their base in Sierra Vista’s Fort Huachuca, and the Army’s B Troop helped settle the West. The Army post played an important role in the ongoing settlements, as represented in the museums of Fort Huachuca.

• Hispanic/Mexican Influence: The Spanish first crossed into the U.S. with Coronado’s expedition to find the mythical Seven Cities of Cibola. This mission had a profound influence on the Southwest.

Learn how western culture was shaped by the Spanish and Mexican explorers at Coronado National Memorial.

• Apache/Native American Experience: Cochise County is where famous Apache warriors, Cochise and Geronimo roamed. The Amerind Foundation Museum details the history of the Native American people like the Apaches. You can also view the “land of the standing up rocks,” as it was known by the Apaches, at Chiricahua National Monument.

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Looking for a vacation away from traffic, crowds and the concrete jungle?

Consider the wide open spaces of Cochise County. This diverse landscape of golden grasslands in summer and snow-capped mountains in winter will bring you back to peace and give you views of high desert beauty.

Cochise County, with miles of rugged beauty in Arizona’s southeast corner, is the very heart of Old West legend. From the prospectors and gunfights of its towns to the high mountain strongholds used by Apache Leaders Cochise and Geronimo to evade their enemies – the legend charms and fascinates.

Legend is not the only enchanter. Cochise County’s natural environment and abundance offer bird-watchers canyons and grasslands with unmatched opportunities to observe nearly 400 migrating and native birds species.

Thousands of elegant sandhill cranes graze the fields in winter, and jewelbright darting hummingbirds grace the lazy summer days. The Nature Conservancy welcomes visitors to its own nature preserve in Ramsey Canyon, just outside Sierra Vista, the city known as “the hummingbird capital of the world.”

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ochise County’s climate offers welcome relief year round. Its higher elevations offer cooler days and evenings during the height of Arizona’s summer heat. Visitors can actually go south to be cool. Both human snowbirds from Minnesota and other bone-chilling climates and actual birds escaping from the snow, enjoy the warm days and cool nights that winter brings to Cochise County. That high desert climate has also attracted more wine growers. Now, alongside the area’s plentiful apple, peach and pecan orchards, wine growing operations have been sprouting up in northern Cochise County.

Vineyards are producing Rhone varietals that are gaining in popularity.

Mountain splendors invite you to explore the rugged trails of the Chiricahua, Dos Cabezas, Huachuca, and Whetstone mountains. You’ll find hiking trails galore and convenient camp grounds in Cochise County. Great nature trails are abundant in the Coronado National Forest and the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area, where it’s not uncommon to see deer, small animals, birds and lizards. Visitors can explore on foot, cycling, or on horseback.

Peaceful picnic retreats such as the Cochise Stronghold in the Dragoons and in southern Arizona’s many parks are plentiful with easy access.

Kartchner Caverns State Park is one of Cochise County’s greatest natural wonders.

Discovered more than a decade ago and kept secret so they could be protected, these spectacular underground caverns opened in 1999. You can experience this living cave, its amazing rock formations, huge underground galleries and stalactites, on one of two tours.

History speaks as eloquently here as the landscape does. And it’s not just cowboys, miners, ranchers and Indians—even prehistory has a voice in Cochise County.

Visit the 11,000-year-old Clovis site and the Lehner-Mammoth Kill Site, where archaeologists found extinct mammoth bone fragments in the geological deposits.

Native American history is carefully preserved in Cochise County by the Amerind Foundation Museum in Dragoon.

The history of the Chiricahua Apache

Left to Right: Tombstone, Carr Peak Dining, Bisbee, Benson

tribe is also well documented in Cochise County which takes its name from the great Apache warrior Cochise. You can visit his mountain hideout, “Cochise Stronghold” in the Dragoon Mountains, to camp, hike and picnic in its now peaceful beauty. The story of Francisco de Coronado and his soldiers as they marched through Arizona and New Mexico on their search for the fabled Seven Cities of Cibola can be found at the Coronado National Memorial. The Memorial’s 4,750 acres include panoramic views of Mexico, the San Pedro and San Rafael valleys from Montezuma’s pass.

In response to the Indian wars, the U.S. Army established a temporary fort near the Huachuca Mountains and it was from this location that the campaign to conquer Geronimo was waged. The Fort remained in business after Geronimo’s surrender and is today the foremost electronic military center in the United States. Fort Huachuca welcomes visitors and has an excellent museum which includes Native American items, military history and a special tribute to the Buffalo Soldiers, the African Americans who served in the U.S. Army during the Indian wars.

Cochise County is blessed with a number of excellent museums, from the Amerind Foundation Museum to the Bisbee Mining & Historical Museum, the first rural Smithsonian affiliate, telling the fascinating story of Bisbee, the Warren Mining District, Cochise County, and northern Sonora, Mexico, beginning in 1887. Willcox offers the Chiricahua Regional Museum and Research Center, telling the story of Indians, military, ranching, railroads and mining in the Willcox and Sulphur Springs Valley area. They also pay homage to their favorite son, Arizona’s singing cowboy at the Rex Allen Cowboy Museum and Willcox Cowboy Hall of Fame. Also not to be missed are the Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park and Douglas’s Slaughter Ranch Museum and the Douglas-Williams House, the former home of James Douglas that features displays and exhibits of the turn-of-the-century copper smelting town.

The cities of Cochise County are history in themselves. Benson, Bisbee, Douglas, Sierra Vista, Tombstone and Willcox are

communities that offer unique slices of cultural history, charming amenities and year-round family events from a vast, diverse landscape.

Mexico is easily and safely accessed from Cochise County in Naco, AZ, just miles from Bisbee and in Douglas whose cross-border neighbor, Agua Prieta, is a distinct Mexican city with narrow streets and the Iglesia de Guadalupe Church, a stunning example of mission architecture. The church is part of the downtown square where visitors can shop for Mexican arts and crafts, handcarved furniture, saddlery, leather boots and colorful handmade pottery.

No wonder visitors keep returning to Cochise County. Each visit is an opportunity to discover another legendary treasure in a city or town, mountain or river, desert floor or sky. Discover your own legend in Cochise County. (520-432-9215) n

Cochise O rigins The story of the American West has enchanted visitors for years, and the landscape in Cochise County has played a central part in the West’s compelling story. To help you experience that story fully, we’ve produced Cochise Origins, a 22-minute video that details the county’s five prominent cultural themes.

Cochise Origins is about the events and themes that helped shape Arizona.

The video will give you an overview of these themes: Old West/Ranching, Geology/Mining, Military History, Hispanic/Mexican Influence and Apache/Native American Experience.

You can use the Cochise Origins video as a guide to explore the themes. It is available for viewing on the Cochise County Tourism Council’s official website, ExploreCochise.com, and in select visitor centers and attractions throughout the county.

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Bisbee

As you walk up Bisbee’s Main Street, with its charming collection of antique shops, art galleries, restaurants and museums, you might never guess that it was once a rough, Old West mining town. Tucked in the Mule Mountains, the town’s appeal is the combination of mining history and an infusion of creativity.

Copper Queen Mine

Things to do in Bisbee •D on a miner’s hat and lamp and take the Queen Mine Tour • V isit the Bisbee Mining & Historical Museum, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution • P urchase one-of-a-kind works in Bisbee’s art galleries and shops • Have a beer in Brewery Gulch, where hard drinking miners once caroused • S ee Bisbee sights during a jeep tour • Take an evening tour with a “Ghost Host” • F ind a custom-made Panama hat at Óptimo Custom Hatworks B isbee Visitor Center 520.432.3554, 866.2BISBEE, www.discoverbisbee.com

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isbee’s Victorian elegance is awash in creativity, made possible by the imagination of artists and craftsmen. In 2008, Forbes Traveler Magazine crowned Bisbee one of the 20 prettiest towns in America “where cottages and bungalows form eclectic hillside residential neighborhoods that terrace down the hillside in an organic way.”

Known for its mineral wealth, Bisbee came to be known as the “Queen of the Copper Camps” in the late 1800s. The mines produced eight billion pounds of copper, plus gold, turquoise, silver, lead and zinc, making it a formidable mining force.

You can see traces of Bisbee’s mining legacy by taking a jeep tour. They will also take you through Bisbee’s narrow streets so you can sit back and take in the scenery.

The Bisbee Mining and Historic Museum, a Smithsonian affiliate, goes in-depth into the town’s copper mining beginnings. Its worldclass exhibit, “Digging In,” shows you how Bisbee’s copper legacy networked its way into the modern American experience.

That legacy began humbly.

A reconnaissance detail of Army scouts and cavalrymen was sent to the Mule Mountains searching for renegade Apaches. What civilian tracker Jack Dunn found instead was signs of minerals. The first mining claim was staked, and a multitude of others, as with nearly every Western mining town. Hordes of prospectors and speculators scurried to the site, dreaming of striking it rich.

Chaos might have ensued had it not been for the Phelps-Dodge Company. After purchasing the mine, the company wanted to attract investors and began developing Bisbee’s reputation as an outpost of Victorian culture.

During that same time, tin mines in Cornwall, England closed, bringing the Cousin Jacks and their 2,000-year mining tradition to Arizona. They also brought legend of little people known as “Tommy Knockers,” who were said to warn miners of mine wall instability by knocking on rocks.

The town thrived, and workers built ornate Victorian homes, giving Bisbee charm and sophistication. By 1910, the town was

Left to Right: Bisbee Downtown, Farmers Market, Historic Bisbee, “B” Mountain

Bee Guy. Booth was featured on the networks fabulously rich, with the largest copper mine for his work corralling Killer Bees. He makes in America. In spite of Bisbee’s reputation of “killer” honey butters and honey mustards. sophisticated élan, it was a mining town, The world-famous Copper Queen Hotel and with that came the rough-and-tumble hosted guests like Teddy Roosevelt and character of a typical camp.

John Wayne. Its 100 plus years of history are Brewery Gulch was home to nearly 97 filled with colorful characters. Some claim saloons and almost as many brothels. It ghosts are still “guests” that roam the halls. celebrates its boisterous past with saloons The hotel’s, Angela’s Restaurant, is a relaxing and good fun. Today, Bisbee has shed its place to enjoy a meal. rough, rollicking persona for a more serene Favorite breakfast nooks include the Bisbee environment. Many of its buildings are now Breakfast Club; it’s a “club” in name only, no homes to antique stores, art galleries, fine membership required. Dot’s Diner serves cafés and restaurants. The San Ramon Hotel, classic breakfasts and lunches in its eight-seat located in the Gulch, provides pleasant dining car at the Shady Dell RV Park. Vintage accommodations. The diverse mix of artists, travel trailers have made this one-of-a-kind writers and entrepreneurs, gives Bisbee an overnight stay internationally famous. easygoing demeanor.

Dinner favorites include the awardBisbee’s most popular attraction is the winning Café Roka, Sonoran-style Mexican underground Queen Mine Tour. Suit up in food at Santiago’s and classic American a yellow slicker, mining hat and headlamp fare at The Bisbee Grille. Have a “cold one” for a train ride deep underground. This in the new Old Bisbee Brewing Company, unforgettable experience will help you which serves premium beers understand its beginnings. in Brewery Gulch. Meals Retired miners turned tour Forbes Traveler served at High Desert Market guides tell stories of their days Café are freshly made, often beneath the surface.

Magazine with local ingredients. And for At the Convention Center, crowned Bisbee a hoot, visit Jimmy’s Hot Dogs Michael London gives one of the 20 for a Chicago-style dog. Pizza personalized historic walking prettiest towns lovers will savor favorites at tours of Bisbee. Not for the in America Bella Roma and Screaming faint of heart, stop by the Banshee.

Bisbee Mini Museum of the Bisbee has more than 50 Bizarre located in the Source choices of unique lodging facilities. The Within on Main Street. You won’t believe Letson Loft Hotel recently renovated your eyes! the city’s oldest brick structures into a For sports enthusiasts, you can watch luxurious Main Street hotel. The Copper the local, semi-pro Copper Kings Baseball City Inn is an exquisite getaway. Relax at Team take the field at Warren Ballpark, the Calumet and Arizona Guest House in the oldest ballpark in the USA. Golfers the historic Warren District, or the School can play a round of golf at the Turquoise House Inn—a 1918 school-turned bed and Valley Golf Course, Arizona’s oldest breakfast with rooms named after school continuously-operated golf course, named subjects. For a serene setting outside of one of “Arizona’s Greatest Golf Courses.

Bisbee, turn in at the Casa de San Pedro The “Rattler,” a 747-yard hole (the longest Bed & Breakfast in nearby Hereford. west of the Mississippi), will definitely For more information about attracchallenge your long drive. tions, events and accommodations, If you have a déjà vu moment when visit Bisbee’s official tourism website, “Bisbee” is spoken, you might have heard discoverbisbee.com or call 1-866-2BISBEE about the town on the Food Network or and ask our Concierge to help plan the Discovery Channel. One of the town’s your visit. n colorful characters is Reed Booth, the Killer ExploreCochise.com

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Go lf ing Benson Golf Course, Benson, 520-586-4293, 18 holes, par 72, 7,313 yards, rating 73, slope 130. Benson’s only championship golf course – a links style course that blends with the surrounding desert.

Douglas Municipal Golf Course, Douglas, 520-364-1588. 18 holes, par 71, 6,246 yards, rating 68.8, slope 117. Built in 1932 by the WPA, this is one of Arizona’s oldest courses. The front nine offers a traditional golf layout. The back nine features desert golf.

Mountain View Golf Course, Fort Huachuca, 520-533-7088.

18 holes, par 72, 6,600 yards, rating 71, slope 126. A links-style course designed by the Army Corps of Engineers, the facility is open to civilians.

Shadow Mountain Golf Club, Sunsites, 520-826-3412, 18 holes, par 72, 6,632 yards, rating 71.1, slope 124. Designed by Horizon, the course offers a traditional golf layout in a beautiful setting with bent grass, lakes and trees.

Turquoise Hills Golf and RV, Benson, 520-586-2585, 18 holes, par 58, 3,004 yards, rating 56.1, slope 86. Formerly Mesquite Valley Golf and RV.

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Turquoise Valley Golf, Restaurant and RV Park, Naco, 520-432-3091. 18 holes, par72, 6,778 yards, rating 71.5, slope 129. Turquoise Valley, Arizona’s oldest continuously run golf course and home to Arizona’s longest hole – the 747 yard par6 Rattler. The front nine has a links style design, while the back nine offers desert golf.

Twin Lakes Golf Club, Willcox, 520-384-2720. 9 holes (dual tee boxes), par72, 6,384 yards, raring 69.1, slope 107. A traditional layout with speedy greens – the USGA rated them a 10 on a scale of 1-12. Play 18 holes by teeing off from a different box on each of the course’s nine holes.

Cochise

Looking to get close to nature? Explore Cochise County’s mountain ranges with some of these hiking favorites: Chiricahua National Monument has 15 trails and 11,000 acres within its wonderland of rocks. Coronado National Memorial, near Sierra Vista, has numerous trails including a portion of the Arizona Trail, a continuous, non-motorized 817-mile Be sure to take plenty of trail that spans from Mexico to Utah. water, and let people know Hike into Carr and Miller Canyons on where you will be hiking. the miles of trails within the Huachuca Mountains. Miller Peak is Cochise County’s highest elevation at 9,600 feet.

Cochise Stronghold offers beautiful rugged scenery for hiking and picnicking. This land of hidden canyons and towering bluffs is where Apache leader Cochise resisted capture.

Muleshoe Ranch Preserve, located 30 miles northwest of Willcox in the Galiuro foothills, is owned by the Nature Conservancy and includes seven permanently flowing streams. The 49,120 acres offer great hiking and even some rustic accommodations.

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Tombstone

Walk the streets of Tombstone, the most famous Western town in the world, and you’ll walk where legendary figures Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday and the Clanton’s lived and fought. The infamous 30-second gunfight took place on Oct. 26, 1881, at the rear entrance to the O.K. Corral. It forever immortalized Wyatt Earp and the town, elevating both to mythical status.

Tombstone Justice

Things to do in Tombstone • Take a narrated Stagecoach and Trolley Tour •G o underground in an 1880’s Silver Mine •W atch a Gunfight and Wild West Show •G et an old-time photo taken • S ee the world’s largest rosebush • V isit Arizona’s smallest State Park • Ride a horse in or around Tombstone • Tour Boothill Cemetery • E at some grub and belly up to the bar at a famous saloon • E xplore the land of Cochise and Geronimo with an adventurous jeep tour Tombstone Chamber of Commerce 888-457-3929 www.tombstonechamber.com

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he Earp brothers, Doc Holliday, and the Clantons are spoken of as if they still walk the streets.

While the legends that surround Tombstone have only grown over the years, the town itself is very real.

The incident is still imprinted in the Old West’s iconic imagery. Tombstone’s moniker is the “Town too Tough to Die.” It is a registered National Historic District, and many buildings still stand from its Old West days. Schieffelin Hall, on Fremont, is one of the Southwest’s largest adobe structures still in use. Built in 1881, it served as the town’s meeting hall, a theatre, opera house and Masonic Lodge. Tombstone’s residents keep these historic buildings and the tales they tell alive, staging gunfights and sharing the defining history of the Wild West.

Historic Allen Street is the town’s epicenter.

A living city, visitors can stroll the oldfashioned boardwalk and enjoy the Old West.

To preserve its integrity, cars and motorcycles are not permitted between Third and Sixth streets. Horse-drawn stagecoaches and a motorized trolley offer tours, narrated by informative and entertaining hosts who point out noteworthy attractions to visit later in your stay.

The O.K. Corral, considered the “holy grail” of Tombstone fans, is where those bullet-flying 30 seconds whirred by. Live reenactments are staged daily in the amphitheatre, and you can view an exhibit marking the gunfight’s spot. A plaque displays a rare, hand-drawn map by Wyatt Earp. The studio of renowned photographer, C.S. Fly stands next to the Corral, with its fantastic visual record of the town’s earliest history.

The internationally-known Bird Cage Theatre preserves original, remarkably detailed artifacts. This beautiful building houses many of Tombstone’s memories.

Bullet holes, red velvet curtains and the poker den are evocative reminders of a place where excess was the business of the day.

On Toughnut Street, the Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park, Arizona’s smallest state park, stands proudly in its Victorian glory. Inside are fascinating exhibits and artifacts about ranching, mining, gambling and notable residents.

Left to Right: Boothill Cemetery, Schieffelin Monument, Allen Street, Tours in Tombstone

Adults and children can participate in Seven people met their maker between 1884 tours and view multimedia displays for and 1900 at the gallows out back. an exciting treat. The Western Heritage O.K. Corral, Six Gun City and several Museum and other museums display performance groups offer family memorabilia, photography, artifacts and entertainment, with reenactments and timeless Earp relics. Avid shoppers can find stunt gunfights. In the Good Enough Mine souvenirs and curios, antiques, artwork, tour, one of the earliest underground shafts Native American crafts, jewelry, gold and that honeycomb the city, guides take you silver, clothing and books. into the belly of Tombstone founder Ed You can find charming bed and breakfast Schieffelin’s 1878 silver lode. The tour helps inns, private cottages, you imagine just how hard mining comfortable motels and was. Another family adventure is RV parks to rest your head Texas Kate’s Wild West show. A Tombstone’s at night. Dining options champion trick rider, Texas Kate residents keep offer steaks, seafood, Texentertains the whole family with these historic Mex, Mexican, Indian and her cast of rescue animals. buildings and American foods.

On Fourth Street is the Rose the tales they Tombstone celebrates Tree Museum, home of the tell alive its legends and fascinating world’s largest rosebush, as history every day of the year. noted in the Guinness Book of Special events that mark World Records. With a stunning milestones include Tombstone Old West 9,000-square-foot canopy, it is a true Founders Days, Wyatt Earp Days, Vigilante wonder of nature brought from Scotland Days, Rendezvous of Gunfighters, The over a century ago. Fifth Street is the home Clanton Family Reunion, Helldorado Days, of the Tombstone Epitaph Museum, where the Sweet Onion Festival and the Western you can see the original printing press and Music Festival. learn about John Clum, its first publisher and Put on your holsters or feather boas and the town’s first elected mayor. join in!

Boothill Cemetery made its tenants more For information on places to stay, eat, famous in death than they might have ever shop and play, contact the Chamber been alive. Visitors pay their respects to of Commerce at 888-457-3929 or visit the Clantons, McLaurys, China Mary and the www.tombstonechamber.com. n unfortunate “Les Moore.”

Why is it called Tombstone?

From its unassuming beginning as “Goose Flats,” Tombstone burgeoned into a boomtown and played a pivotal role in Arizona’s mining history. Forever marked as the site of the most notorious gunfights in history, the town’s beginnings started with a young prospector named Ed Schieffelin.

A born adventurer, Schieffelin set out to explore southern Arizona’s untamed Apache territory. He was a source of mild derision; his friends told him he’d only find his tombstone.

With only 30 cents in his pocket, he ignored them and set out. Upon discovering an enormous silver cache in 1877, Ed Schieffelin, Gallery of Dreams, p. 27 he named one of the mines “Tombstone.” His dig at the naysayers was later adopted by the community.

By 1879, a full-fledged town had grown up around the labyrinth of mining claims.

Prospectors, gamblers, merchants and entertainers flocked to settle here, and by 1883 the once-tiny hamlet was one of the largest and fastest-growing cities between St. Louis and San Francisco.

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Ghost Towns Evergreen Cemtery, Bisbee

GLEESON: About 15 miles outside of Tombstone on an unpaved Ghost towns offer a fascinating glimpse into the mining booms that road, Gleeson was a prosperous copper mining town from 1909 established much of the West. You can travel Cochise County’s paved until the 1930s. By 1953 it came to an end. Today there and unpaved roads to see remnants of these towns. Some are still a few substantial buildings left, along with are merely ruins, but bring your imagination to explore Some of these a restored jailhouse, the school, the bank and some the ghost of towns that remain in Cochise County. ghost towns local residences. While wandering, watch out for mine FAIRBANK: A newly restored school house serves as are located on shafts. The cemetery in Gleeson offers a wonderful private property. a visitor center. Many other buildings and a graveyard history lesson. Many of the graves are of Asians who Please observe remain in this townsite that sits within the San Pedro worked in the mines. While in the Gleeson area, all posted signs, Riparian National Conservation Area. Once a thriving make a side trip to Rattlesnake Crafts. You won’t find and check with town because of its transportation resources, the a nearby visitor anything like it! town site started as a stagecoach stop and later center for more PEARCE: Located south of Willcox near Sunsites in the became a railroad transportation hub because of its information.

Sulphur Springs Valley, Pearce was the greatest gold proximity to Tombstone. mining settlement in Arizona. The Commonwealth Mine was founded in 1894 and flourished for just under 40 years.

At its peak, Pearce boasted a population of 2,000 as well as its own movie theatre, which was a rarity for that time. Plenty of places still stand—the cemetery, post office and a few stores are still thriving.

CHARLESTON AND MILLVILLE: Having sprung up to process mining ore, as so many towns did, Charleston and Millville lasted only 10 years—the length of the silver boom in Tombstone. Millville was the mill site for Tombstone’s silver mines. At its high point in 1882, it processed more than $1.3 million in silver. Charleston, initially a bedroom community of Millville, catapulted into a highly active trade center. By the mid 1880s Tombstone’s mines flooded, and Millville was abandoned. After stockpiled ore was treated, mills along the San Pedro River shut down.

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The Old Pearce Jail

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T o mb s t o n e

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Sierra Vista Seeing birds and Buffalo Soldiers just begin to scratch the surface of the things you can do on a Sierra Vista vacation. At the heart of the city is a military history that dates back to the days of the Buffalo Soldiers. And surrounding it is a natural habitat that birds have found irresistible as a migratory path.

If you’re a birder or a history buff, these are just two of the many reasons to visit Sierra Vista.

Ramsey Canyon Preserve

Things to do in Sierra Vista • L earn about birds and wildlife on tours of Ramsey Canyon Preserve, the Environmental Operations Park and during San Pedro River walks •W atch licensed hummingbird banders catch, measure and release the tiny birds at scheduled hummingbird banding sessions • S lip through the tube slides at The Cove Aquatic Center and enjoy the exhilarating wave pool • S targaze with the Huachuca Astronomy Club •A ttend a grape harvesting festival in Arizona’s nearby wine country S ierra Vista Visitor Center 800-288-3861 www.VisitSierraVista.com

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B Troop, Fort Huachuca, City View & Hot Air Balloons, Sierra Vista Public Library, San Pedro River

To see some magnificent vistas or go he city lies in the shadow of the caving, visit Coronado National Memorial. stunning Huachuca Mountains.

The road to the scenic overlook at Its dramatic landscapes welcome Montezuma Pass, at an elevation of 6,575 you with loads of sunshine. This feet, is paved at the start. The mountain is Arizona, so winters are mild. And, at an road has switchbacks, but, using caution, elevation of 4,623 feet, you can expect the ultimate benefit is worth the 15-minute comfortably cool summers and mild winters. drive. If you’d like to explore the Coronado One of the world’s premier birding and Cave you’ll need sturdy hiking shoes for the hiking areas, the Ramsey Canyon Preserve, 3/4-mile hike as well as a good flashlight owned and managed by The Nature and water. Legend has it that it was used by Conservancy, is a short drive south of Sierra the Chiricahua Apache to escape the U.S. Vista. At 6,300 feet, it is known for its rich Army’s pursuits. variety of birds and wildlife. Fourteen Intrigued by ancient cultures? Visit an species of hummingbirds migrate through archaeological site or ghost from spring to autumn, which town. Artifacts from the is why Sierra Vista is known as One of the Clovis people and now extinct the “Hummingbird Capital of mammoth have been found the U.S.” world’s at the Murray Springs Clovis If birding and hiking whet premier Site, where you can imagine your appetite, consider the birding and that prehistoric era on a self40 miles of trails along the hiking areas guided interpretive tour.

San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area. It boasts 100 species of breeding birds and 250 species of migrating birds. The San Pedro House, six miles east of Sierra Vista along the San Pedro River, is the trailhead for the riparian area; excellent guidebooks and maps are available there. Friends of the San Pedro offer scheduled guided historic hikes, river and bird walks.

Other prime birding areas are Garden Canyon on Fort Huachuca, as well as Miller, Ash and Carr Canyons. In Garden Canyon, don’t miss the Pictograph Site and the Rappelling Cliffs Rock Shelter.

The pictograph (rock art) site has 53 rock art elements dating back to 1300 A.D. and Apache pictographs from the 1700s. Some of the Rappelling Cliffs Rock Shelter painted designs are even older.

The historical Carr House in breathtaking Carr Canyon welcomes visitors from spring to autumn. The House is operated by a volunteer staff who offer free public seminars on Sunday afternoons. Take advantage of a short, impressive nature hike here.

Bicyclists will enjoy the city’s multi-use paths. Hikers or mountain bikers can explore trails in the Coronado National Forest that range from easy to difficult, with enough variety to satisfy everyone.

Hunter-gatherer people and massive wildlife walked along the San Pedro River over 10,000 years ago.

Abandoned mining ghost towns can be found at Fairbank, Charleston, and Millville, as well as the ruins of a fortress at Presidio Santa Cruz de Terrenate. On a short detour from the Millville trail, explore the Petroglyph Discovery Trail.

Many buildings are still standing at Fairbank, the site of the Great Fairbank Train Robbery in the early 1900s. Bungled though it was, the tale is still told in the shoot-‘em-up history of the Old West. It’s an easy walk from the parking area.

If Old West or military history is your passion, plan a visit to Fort Huachuca, a National Historic Landmark.

The Fort Huachuca Museum and the U.S. Army Intelligence Museum are housed in historical buildings dating between 1880 and 1905. The Fort Huachuca Museum and its Annex present the history of the U.S. Army in the Southwest, from the Buffalo Soldiers to World War II. The U.S. Army Military Intelligence Museum shows how Army surveillance and reconnaissance have evolved. It includes James Bond-type spy equipment, an original German enigma machine used to encrypt

and decrypt messages, and a 10-foot section of the graffitied Berlin Wall.

B-Troop, the 4th U.S. Cavalry Regiment (Memorial), practices weekly to maintain the synchronization and harmony between the men and their horses. This unit is attired in historically correct uniforms and equipment. The B-Troop’s open-to-thepublic practice sessions are held at Wren Arena; their formal presentations are often held on Brown Parade Field, the cornerstone of the historic Old Post.

Note: Please be aware that Fort Huachuca is an active military installation. Specific entrance requirements are enforced. U.S. citizens may enter with a visitor pass, received from the guardhouse at the Main Gate. Required documentation includes: vehicle registration and insurance, as well as current and valid photo identification for driver and all passengers over 13.

With the dark skies of southern Arizona, you will also have a unique opportunity to gaze at the stars. There are 16 local observatories as well as the Patterson Observatory at the University of ArizonaSouth Campus. The Huachuca Astronomy Club hosts monthly Astronomy Nights, in which club members and avid amateur astronomers passionately share their knowledge of the brilliant skies.

Plan your visit by calling one of the Sierra Vista Visitor Center’s travel counselors at 1-800-288-3861 or try VisitSierraVista.com for information on events, attractions, dining and lodging. When in Sierra Vista, stop by the Visitor Center at 3020 E. Tacoma Street. n

San Pedro at Palominas

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B i r dw a t c h i n g in the Land of Legends Birds love their annual trips through Cochise County. With mountains, grasslands, deserts and a riparian area, southeastern Arizona is a well-traveled migratory path for many bird species.

You’ll find it hard to see everything, but you can probably check off a few items from your life list. Several spots in Cochise County are known for their abundance and diversity of bird species. Hummingbirds, elegant trogons, vermillion flycatchers and others can be found here.

Since water sources are essential to birds, the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area draws thousands of birds.

The San Pedro River flows from Mexico into Arizona. Birds fly along it, making it a great birdwatching area.

Carr and Miller Canyons in the Coronado National Forest are home to more than 400 species of birds. You can also see a rainbow of birds at the Nature Conservancy’s internationally famous Ramsey Canyon, just south of Sierra Vista. Other mountain ranges in Cochise County like the Chiricahua, the Dragoon and the Whetstone Mountains, attract their share of birds.

Areas like the San Bernardino Wildlife Refuge near Douglas has an abundance of bird species, and every year Sandhill cranes winter on the Willcox Playa and other areas like the Sulphur Springs Valley, the AEPCO Crane Viewing Station and nearby grasslands. Other wildlife and bird viewing spots can be found at the Sierra Vista Environmental Operations Park and the San Pedro House. The city of Benson has a birding trail map that will guide you to spots in the San Pedro River valley.

Want to meet other birders and learn more about the area?

Annual birding and nature festivals like Wings Over Willcox in January and Southwest Wings offer you a chance to socialize and take guided trips with local experts.

This is just the beginning of the wildlife and bird viewing opportunities in Cochise County. To find sample birdwatching itineraries, local birding tour operators and more, visit www.ExploreCochise.com/Birdwatching.

Ast ronomy When you get away from large metropolitan areas, the night sky comes alive with stars. That’s why Cochise County’s skies are ideal for stargazing.

Join a gathering of local astronomers, visit one of the county’s observatories or simply find a spot that’s off-the-beaten-path and gaze into our starstudded skies. Novice or expert, Cochise County is an astronomer’s delight.

Observatories The dark skies of Cochise County are home to the San Pedro Valley Observatory near Benson, which celebrated its grand opening in September 2010. Once attached to a small bed & breakfast inn, the Vega Bray has changed its name and is now a standalone educational facility. It will provide a high-quality, educational astronomy experience.

The observatory’s grand opening showcased three new telescopes and upgraded astronomy facilities.

Located at the University of Arizona’s South Campus in Sierra Vista, this research observatory is open to the public by reservation only. It includes a 16-foot dome housing a Ritchey-Chretien telescope, a classroom suitable for teaching or lectures and a second observatory with a number More information is available of telescopes that are operated remotely. at the Cochise County Join a club Tourism Council’s website: ExploreCochise.com/ With 15 local observatories owned by amateur sky Observatories. watchers, members of the Huachuca Astronomy Club enjoy sharing the science and mythology of the skies and space with visitors. Some of the observatories are open to the public (by reservation only). The Huachuca Astronomy Club also holds monthly “astronomy nights” to educate newcomers about planetary and astral wonders.

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Routine makes us forget that life is an ongoing adventure. Be adventurous! Pick up a map, study it and plan a trip to Douglas, Arizona.

Today, you’ll find Douglas’ culture intermingled with the diverse stories of its people.

Mexican Folkloric Dancer

Things to do in Douglas • 1 8-Hole Golf Course Designed by A.H. Jolly • Marvel at the Douglas’ historic architecture: Gadsden Hotel, El Paso & Southern Railroad Depot, Grand Theater, United States Post Office, Art Gallery • Museums Douglas/Williams Home • V isit Church Square: The only place in the world with four 100-year-old churches on the same block • E njoy Birding at the San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge and the White Water Draw Leslie Canyon Refuge • Taste Authentic Mexican Cuisine on both sides of the border •D iscover Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico Shop, Dine and Tour Douglas Visitor Center 520-417-7354 www.douglasaz.org

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Bar where you can admire more than 200 his historic city is a captivating authentic cattle brands of area ranches crossroads of culture and industry. from past and present.

It’s a place where Hispanic, Anglo Douglas grew in relative peace and and Native American cultures prosperity. Though the smelter had blown have mixed for hundreds of years. The its last cloud of steam by 1987, the town’s people of Douglas were attracted to rich heritage of fine architecture can still the cattle ranching, mining and railroad be seen. industries. Impressive buildings were Douglas’ El Paso and Southwestern constructed between 1905 and 1920, the Railroad depot was an important boom days of the Arizona Copper mines. station. It transported copper to large Douglas has become a “Main Street” manufacturing concerns in the east. The City in hopes of preserving and restoring depot is considered one of these historic structures. the finest examples of early Today, you’ll find Douglas’ 1900s railway architecture.

You’ll find culture intermingled with Now used for the Douglas the diverse stories of Douglas’ culture police station, it is just one its people. intermingled of Douglas’ 400 buildings Douglas was a convenient with the diverse listed on the National junction where cattle was stories of its Register of Historic Places. bought and sold. In the early people The Grand Theatre 1900s after Phelps Dodge was built in 1919 and was Mining Company outgrew considered to be the largest its smelting operations and most beautiful theater between Los in Bisbee, Arizona, it built a smelter in Angeles and San Antonio. Ginger Rogers, Douglas because of its ideal landscape.

Anna Pavlova and John Philip Sousa are The town was named after the Phelps some of the famous faces to have graced Dodge president, Dr. James Douglas. Later, the theater’s stage. It also housed a tea the El Paso and Southwestern Railroad room, candy store and barbershop in its Company extended its south line from glory days, and is currently undergoing Bisbee to Douglas. The huge copper reconstruction. smelter and the railroad brought new life to the young town.

After the smelter was completed, Phelps Dodge built the grand Gadsden Hotel. Built so mining officials could stay in luxury, the impressive hotel includes a vaulted ceiling with Tiffany glass panes, a 42-foot-long Tiffany stained glass mural of a desert scene on the mezzanine, a white, Italian marble staircase and marble pillars topped with gold leaf. Folklores state that the chips in the staircase are of Pancho Villa riding his horse up it in 1916.

Just off the hotel’s lobby, quench your thirst with a drink at the Saddle and Spur

Left to Right: Douglas Police Department, Old Depot Station, Hotel Gadsden, Grand Theater, Art Gallery

The Douglas Historic Business District, the main commercial area, features fascinating buildings, including the Douglas Williams House. Built in 1909, it is now a museum that preserves area history with pictures and memorabilia. The Douglas U.S. Post Office, built in 1917, has been in continuous use for over 80 years and is listed on the National Register of Historic places. Also in the Historic Business District is The Gallery, which was once the Douglas Library. Built in 1902, it displays works of the Douglas Art Association.

One of the most famous ranchers in the state was John Slaughter, who maintained

a 100,000-acre ranch about 16 miles east of Douglas. Slaughter also served as the Cochise County sheriff for a time and was immortalized in a Walt Disney film that can be seen at the historic restored Slaughter Ranch and Museum The ranch is located in the San Bernardino National Wildlife Preserve, one of the area’s popular bird-watching spots.

In Douglas you can also cross the border into Agua Prieta, Mexico, a distinctive city with narrow streets and the Iglesia de Guadalupe Church. The church is a stunning example of mission architecture. It is part of the city’s downtown square where shopping for saddler, leather boots and handmade

Mexico T r av e l i n g

pottery is plentiful. See the “Traveling to Mexico” section for more detailed information.

Sample the local restaurants for a taste of authentic Mexican food. Of course, you’ll have many to choose from, but an Arizona Highways article lists the Gadsden Hotel as one of its top 20 places in Arizona to dine.

If you’d like to take a self-guided tour of Douglas, pick up a map at the Douglas Visitor Center (520-417-7344 or visit www.Douglasaz. org). As you tour Douglas, you’ll come across a number of peaceful neighborhoods, with fine examples of early Twentieth-century architecture. n

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Cochise County shares a border with Mexico, allowing you to experience the culture of another nation during your journey to southern Arizona. The two ports of entry in the county are in Naco, near Bisbee, and Agua Prieta, next door to Douglas.

Before entering Mexico, make sure all members of your party have active passports or passport cards. If you wish to stay for more than 72 hours (3 days) or travel more than 21 kilometers (about 7 miles) into Mexico, each person in your party must obtain a tourist card, Mexican auto insurance and a permit for the automobile.

To acquire a permit, you must submit evidence of citizenship, title for the car, car registration certificate, a driver’s license and credit card in the name of the driver, to the Banjercito branch located at the Mexican Customs office at the Agua Prieta port of entry and pay a processing fee. Naco does not have the capacity to issue car permits.

When returning to the United States, make sure you have proof of citizenship. The only accepted proof is a passport or passport card, which became effective June 1, 2009.

For more information about traveling to Mexico, log onto the U.S. State Department’s website at http://travel.state.gov/ travel/mexico.html. It is strongly recommended that you check for any travel advisories before traveling outside the U.S. You should also become familiar with the current laws on purchasing medication or alcoholic beverages. You can spend U.S. dollars in Mexico’s border towns, but you can also purchase pesos at banks or exchange houses.

NACO: There are two Nacos: one in the United States and the other just across the border into Mexico. Naco, Arizona, is about a 15-minute drive from Bisbee, and you can easily walk across the border. Park on the U.S. side and cross directly into the center of Naco, Mexico. There are several good places to eat and a scattering of stores.

AGUA PRIETA: Agua Prieta is in Mexico, adjacent to Douglas, Arizona. A community of approximately 125,000 people, it offers visitors a wide variety of shopping and restaurants. Beautiful Mexican floor and wall tiles are one of the main purchase opportunities in Agua Prieta. When entering Agua Prieta from Douglas, it’s easy to park your car in Douglas at the secure pay parking lot and walk across. Take Pan American Highway from Highway 80 and turn left on J Avenue (also known as Customs Avenue) just before the border.

South of the Border: For those searching for a more adventurous trip south of the border, short trips from either Naco or Agua Prieta can take you to the historic mining community of Cananea, Father Kino’s missions, or through the beautiful Rio Sonoran valley.

For more information on travel in Mexico, visit www.gotosonora.com.

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Benson Benson’s claim to fame is Kartchner Caverns State Park. Hidden below its surface, Kartchner Caverns has been named one of the world’s top 10 living caves. And when you look beyond the surface, Benson has a lot more to offer.

Benson Hill View

Things to do in Benson •G o underground in Kartchner Caverns State Park • P onder history at the San Pedro Valley Arts and Historical Museum • Tour Gammons Gulch Movie Set (you can even take a picnic!)

• F ind a great read at the Singing Wind Bookshop • V iew stars and space at The San Pedro Valley Observatory and Butterfield RV Resort & Observatory • B ird watch at a bed and breakfast inn: Down by the River Bed & Breakfast or Birdsong Ranch • S pend a weekend at historic Triangle T Guest Ranch • V isit St. David’s Holy Trinity Monastery •D ine or stay at one of the 19 dining establishments, 9 motels or 16 RV Parks B enson Visitor Center 520 586-4293 www.bensonvisitorcenter.com

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bove ground you can marvel at the vistas provided by the San Pedro River Valley and surrounding mountain ranges. Benson is a friendly town with historic connections such as the Butterfield Overland Stage.

Nearby are an Old West movie set, a Benedictine monastery, that celebrated cave, plus a bookshop located on a working ranch. The city continues to develop with a mix of museums, music and sights.

Founded in 1880, Benson was originally a stopping point on the Butterfield Overland Stage route—a vital conduit for the U.S. Postal Service to bring news from the East Coast. When the Southern Pacific Railroad steamed into town, Benson thrived as a travel and business hub.

Passengers poured off, creating a busy, bustling destination for cowboys, miners, entrepreneurs and immigrant railroad workers. As with any town in the “Wild West,” saloons and gambling halls sprung from the dusty soil, turning Benson into a lively little metropolis.

The trains still roll through town, and Benson is a haven for people who want to enjoy a rich environment and closeknit community. Flowing at the edge of town, the San Pedro River nurtures tall cottonwoods and long pastures where cattle and horses roam.

Benson cherishes its history. The Visitors Center, a replica of the railroad depot, pays homage to that past. The Historic Walking tour of Benson travels through downtown’s railroad historic district. It starts at the San Pedro Valley Arts and Historical Museum, a wonderful example of preservation that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Memorabilia included in the museum is a horse-drawn school bus.

Also on the museum’s grounds is a quilting gallery. You can step inside and view some amazing creations. Often, quilters are busy with works in progress. If you’re a quilter, you might even get some tips!

Just north of Benson is Gammons Gulch, a movie set and museum where many movies and actors have come to film. Visitors walk through the 1880’s western town, taking in the mining camp, hotel, blacksmith shop

LEFT: Kartchner Caverns State Park® courtesy of Arizona State Parks ABOVE: Butterfield Parade, Butterfield Quilt Show, Benson Depot,

public events and has rental packages and saloons, among other attractions. Some available. It’s a great place for families, of the artifacts include original equipment astronomers of all levels of experience, as from a Tombstone mining business in the well as serious researchers. days of Wyatt Earp. Sitting on 10 acres of Just 15 minutes east of Benson is the high desert, it offers tours and facilities for Amerind Foundation, a private, non-profit weddings and events. Owner Jay Gammon archaeological research center and museum. regales visitors with tales about his father, Located in the rugged Little Dragoon who was John Wayne’s bodyguard. mountains of Texas Canyon, its staff and Also nearby is the charming Singing volunteers study, preserve and teach about Wind Bookshop, one of southern Arizona’s the native peoples who have best-known bookstores. Owner lived in the Americas—from Winifred Bundy maintains a Alaska to South America and vast library of the American Benson is a over a timeline from the Ice West and Southwest on the friendly town Age to present day. family’s working ranch. If you like with Through the Amerind’s art reading, you’ll enjoy browsing gallery and gift shop, it also through its volumes. historic offers the arts, crafts, books In St. David you will find connections and paintings that honor the another element of Benson’s American Indian experience. history includes the Benedictine Special event weekends legacy. The nearby Holy Trinity offer workshops for children and adults Monastery is an example of the order’s and Native American artists demonstrations cultural center of music and art. A beautiful of skills handed down through countless and serene place, it is replete with original art generations. as well as contributions from friends of the With its genial warmth and open, Monastery. A pleasant “must see” in St. David American charm, Benson has a bounty of is the Gallery of Dreams, which represents diversions for visitors to explore in the esteemed artists from around the country. southeastern Arizona desert.

For stargazing, check out The San Pedro For more information, contact the Benson Valley Observatory, a unique education, Visitors Center at 520-586-4293 or visit astronomy and astrophotography center www.bensonvisitorcenter.com. n just east of Benson. The Observatory hosts

Kartchner Caverns State Park No visit to Benson would be complete without a trip to Kartchner Caverns State Park, an impressive living cave with its 58-foot-tall Kubla Kahn formation and a 21-foot soda straw, a thin, hollow stalactite. It’s the second longest soda straw formation in the world.

When adventurers, Gary Tenen and Randy Tufts, discovered the enormous caverns in 1974, they were struck by its magic. The two men kept the cave’s existence a complete secret for years, as they wanted to preserve it for future generations to see and enjoy.

Working secretly with the Arizona State Parks Department for years, they finally released the news to the public. In 1999, Kartchner Caverns opened for tours. Two are available for public view. The Kubla Khan formation is on the Throne Room tour. The Big Room Tour houses the biggest room in the caverns, which is open from October to late April. During summer, the Big Room is closed because female myotis bats inhabit the cave.

Both the Big Room and the Throne Room tours offer stunning sights. The caverns are a testament to the raw power and patience of Mother Earth. A wondrous experience, visitors witness a living exhibit of jeweled rock formations growing deep underground.

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Southern Arizona’s Friendly Fine Art Gallery

245 E Patton (Highway 80) Saint David, AZ 85630 PHONE:

520-720-2649

TOLL FREE: 877-416-2264 WEBSITE:

agalleryofdreams.com

EMAIL: agalleryofdreams@yahoo.com

F INE

ART

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GI F TS

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J E W ELRY

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Willcox has an abundance of fresh produce. Now, you can enjoy wine with that bounty. Cochise County vineyards produce wine varietals that are gaining wide acclaim. While exploring Willcox’s cowboy history, musical roots and fertile grounds, you might also sample a chardonnay, cabernet, syrah or rosé at one of the new tasting rooms that have opened in the past few years.

Marty Robbins Museum

Things to do in Willcox • Remember Rex Allen, Willcox’s favorite son, at the Rex Allen Museum • E xperience the luscious bounty of summer at a U-Pick farm or savor wines at one of Willcox’s wine tasting rooms • S py through binoculars at sandhill cranes during Wings Over Willcox Birding & Nature Festival • Hike in Chiricahua National Park, the “land of the standing up rocks” • V isit the Willcox Commercial, the store where Apache warrior, Geronimo, once shopped • S tand where Warren Earp was shot and killed on July 6, 1900, the only Earp buried in Arizona Willcox Chamber of Commerce And Agriculture 520-384-2272 www.Willcoxchamber.com

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Left to Right: Downtown Willcox, Rex Allen Sculpture, Rex Allen Museum, Downtown Willcox

Thousands of sandhill cranes migrate ordered by fields and orchards south to winter in Cochise County. Among that extend for miles, Willcox’s the places to observe these fascinating avian horizons are punctuated with creatures is the Willcox Playa, as well as mountain vistas. This pastoral areas throughout the Sulphur Springs Valley. bounty seems a paradox against the rough Bird lovers from across the country converge scrub of the Arizona desert. Dubbed the in January to celebrate Wings Over Willcox.

Heartland of Arizona, many have come to Muleshoe Ranch Cooperative Management know Willcox through its family-friendly area, another popular bird watching spot, u-pick farms. has more than 49,000 acres of rugged, Willcox has set about preserving its pristine landscape. Camping history. Downtown buildings, and casitas are available among including the railroad depot, Perhaps the the lush riparian tributaries have benefited from these and hot springs, just 30 miles efforts.

Through residents most enduring northwest of Willcox in the and volunteers, it is enjoying a legacies of foothills of the Winchester revival as a popular gathering Willcox are and Galiuro Mountains. spot. The central business cowboys and A scenic drive to Pearce district, also now a preserved music ghost town is also nearby, historic area, faces the railroad where visitors can tour this station and is lined with former gold mining town that mercantile companies, banks marks the beginning of the Ghost Town Trail. and saloons.

Between Willcox and Bowie lies Fort Perhaps the most enduring legacies Bowie National Historic Site, a post that of Willcox are cowboys and music. once guarded the Butterfield Overland Quintessentially American, the iconic Trail from attacks by fierce Apaches. At the image of the cowboy singing next to visitor center, accessible from a three-mile a crackling campfire evokes memories roundtrip hike, rangers provide information of a simpler era. You’ll find a number of about Apaches and frontier life. Gone from businesses that tell Willcox’s cowboy Cochise County for more than a century, story on historic Railroad Avenue. the Apaches have left an enduring mark on Rex Allen was a star of the silver screen, a its history. singing cowboy with a talent for acting and Apache leader Cochise was a formidable was the voice of Disney for many years. With warrior and protector of his people. Near over 30 movies under his belt and a hit song Fort Bowie is the site of the Bascom Affair, “Crying in the Chapel,” he’s the reason many an incident that would enrage Cochise and people visit Willcox. In fact, the Rex Allen erupt into years of wars with the Apache.

Museum and Theater honors their favored His headquarters, almost 40 miles southwest son with music, memorabilia and concerts of Willcox, is Cochise Stronghold where the during Rex Allen Days every October. A Apaches bested U.S. soldiers from a high parade, rodeo and the Cowboy Hall of Fame mountain vantage point. It endures today as are among the weekend’s events. a wonderful retreat for camping and hiking.

Another legend, Marty Robbins, was one The enchanting Chiricahua National of the most successful country and western Monument, 20 miles southeast of Willcox, singers of his era. The first artist ever to be was known by the Apache as the “land awarded a Grammy for a country song, he was of standing-up rocks.” This geologic inducted in 1975 to the Nashville Songwriters phenomenon is a result of massive volcanic Hall of Fame. The Marty Robbins Exhibit, just activity and eruptions occurring 27 million down the street from the Rex Allen Museum, years ago. Millennia of rain and wind then is a treasure trove of memorabilia from his life carved the stone into enigmatic shapes. It and career. The Marty Robbins tribute, which has 17 miles of maintained trails for birding has occurred for more than 20 years, is held and hiking. Also on the grounds is Faraway annually in March in Willcox.

Ranch, which offers tours of the Swedish household that helped make this a national landmark.

Willcox’s history sprang from humble beginnings. The town of Maley was a construction camp established by the Southern Pacific Railroad. An essential whistle stop location, it later became a major railroad artery and was renamed in 1880 in honor of General Orlando B. Willcox. From the late 1800s to 1930, the Willcox depot was a nationwide ranching and cattle-shipping area. To this day, both enterprises flourish. Livestock auctions are held every week, and the town is home to the only surviving Southern Pacific Depot in the southern United States.

Willcox is the place where hard-working ranching heritage is not only celebrated, but lived each day. Visitors can enjoy its hearty character and stay in bed and breakfasts, spacious RV parks or motels.

Local restaurants satisfy the appetite with choices of American and Mexican fare. Visitors can immerse themselves in a diverse offering of museums, sights and sounds. For more information, call the Willcox chamber of Commerce & Agriculture at 1-800-200-2272. n

Historic Railroad Avenue Park

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V i n eyar ds Arizona’s wine industry has found new life in Cochise County. Arizona and California wineries have been buying Cochise County grapes for more than 20 years. Our climate’s bright sunny days, cool nights and warm soil, is great for grapes.

Growers have planted acres of new grapes, and winemakers are busy working on their new vintages. You can find wineries in Willcox, Portal and Fort Bowie. Two tasting rooms opened in downtown Willcox, and more are being planned. Arizona wines are featured throughout the county and the state in fine restaurants.

Wine events are also cropping up.

Wineries in Cochise County often have You can visit some of the a tasting booth at events throughout vineyards and tasting rooms during your stay in Cochise Cochise County. Willcox and Bisbee County. For more information, see hold annual wine festivals in October.

ExploreCochise.com/vineyards.

Coronado Vineyards puts on an annual Grape Stomp weekend with music and fun. And, most recently, the Arizona Wine Growers Association hosted a series of 5K races throughout the state. Events will likely continue to sprout up as the wine industry flourishes.

You can visit some of the vineyards and tasting rooms during your stay in Cochise County.

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COCHISE COUNTY LAND OF LEGENDS

w i l l c o x

Willcox Chamber of Commerce & Agriculture 1500 N. Circle I Rd., Willcox, AZ 85643 1-800-200-2272 • www.willcoxchamber.com ExploreCochise.com

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o f November 2010 Nov. 5-7 Western Music Festival www.tombstonewestern musicfestival.org Nov. 11-13 15th Annual Clanton Days Rendezvous 520-457-9317 www.TombstoneChamber.com July through October U-Pick Vegetables & Fruits

Photo Courtesy of Cathy Murphy

Nov. 13 & 14 Holy Trinity, St. David Monastery’s Fall Festival of the Arts 520-720-4642 www.holytrinitymonastery.org Nov. 21 Singing Wind Bookshop Thanksgiving Fiesta of Books 520-586-2425 www.bensonvisitorcenter.com/ events.htm Nov. 25 Turkey Trot Walk-Race Douglas Airport Park 520-364-3670 www.turkeytrot.org Nov. 26 Bisbee Festival of Lights 520-432-6002 Nov. 26 & 27 Bisbee Historic Home Tour Chairs of Bisbee Silent Auction Art Walk 520-432-3554 www.discoverbisbee.com Nov. 27 Christmas Light Parade Historic G Avenue 520-417-7340 www.douglasaz.org

Sept. 5 Magic Circle Bike Ride

December

Photo Courtesy of City of Sierra Vista Bisbee Art Auction

; Artwork by Pat Rho

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COCHISE COUNTY LAND OF LEGENDS

Dec. 3 Tree Lighting and Santas in the Park 520-417-6960 Dec. 4 52nd Annual Christmas Parade, Sierra Vista 520-458-6940

e v e n t s

Dec. 3 & 4 Christmas Apple Festival & Lighted Parade www.willcoxchamber.com 520-384-2272 Dec. 11 Christmas on Main Street 520-520-586-2842 www.bensonchamberaz.com January 2010 Jan. 12–16 Wings Over Willcox www.wingsoverwillcox.com 520-384-2272 Jan. 28 Annual Progressive Dinner in Historic Church Square 520-249-6094 Jan. 28 – Feb. 24 Tombstone Annual Quilt Show 520-457-2380 February Feb. 1-28 Miniature Art Show www.willcoxchamber.com 520-384-2272 Feb. 10-13 4th Annual High Noon at Tombstone Livery Stable 520-457-3559 www.tgroutlaws.com Feb. 11-13 19th Annual Cochise Cowboy Poetry & Music Gathering, Sierra Vista www.cowboypoets.com Feb. 26 & 27 Hummingbird Stitchers Quilt Show, Sierra Vista hummingbirdquiltguild.com Feb. 27 Singing Wind Bookshop “Current Events Symposium” 520-586-2425 www.bensonvisitorcenter.com/ events.htm March March 1-31 Tombstone Open Show for Artists 520-457-2380 March 5 Bisbee Annual Art Auction 520-432-3554 www.discoverbisbee.com www.bisbeearts.com March 12 Singing Wind Bookshop “Quilt Arts & Techniques” 520-586-2425 www.bensonvisitorcenter.com/ events.htm April April 1-3 Tombstone Old West Founders’ Days & Rose Tree Celebration 1-888-457-3929 www.tombstonechamber.com

Photo Courtesy of Stephen J. Pauken

April 9 Bisbee Copper Classic Car and Motorcycle Show 520-432-5421 www.bisbeearizona.com April 9, 10, 16 & 17 Horse Races, County Fairgrounds 520-364-3819 www.cochisefair.org April 29-May 1 Cochise Days Celebration of Area History Pearce Arizona 520-826-3535 www.pearcesunsiteschamber.org April 29, 30 and May 1 Bluegrass in the Park 520-586-2842 www.bensonchamberaz.com May May 7-30 El Mercado Grand Opening 520-456-6818 May 7 & 8 Holy Trinity Monastery “Fiesta de la Primavera” 520-720-4642 www.holytrinitymonastery.org

Bisbee Gem & Mineral Show

May 28 & 29 Bisbee Gem & Mineral Show 520-432-3554 www.discoverbisbee.com www.queenminetour.com May 28-30 Wyatt Earp Days 520-457-3511 or 520-457-3451 www.tombstonevigilantes. com/WYATT_EARP_DAYS/ WyattEarpDays2010.html June June 11 & 12 Salute to the Buffalo Soldiers 520-266-5266 or 520-457-3511

Left to Right: Feb. 11-13 19th Annual Cochise Cowboy Poetry & Music Gathering; July 4 of July Celebrations; Oct. 15 Bisbee 1000 Stair Climb, Photo Credit Cynthia Conroy; Dec. 4 52nd Annual Christmas Parade, Sierra Vista, Photo Courtesy Sierra Vista Chamber of Commerce

June 17-19 8th Annual Tombstone Rock & Gem Show 520-457-9505 www.tombstonegemshow.info June 18 & 19 Tombstone Sweet Onion Festival 520-457-9327 July July through October U-Pick Vegetables & Fruits www.willcoxchamber.com 520-384-2272 July 4 4th of July Celebrations Go to www.explorecochise.com for more information August

Photo Courtesy of City of Sierra Vista

Aug. 3-7 Southwest Wings Birding and Nature Festival, Sierra Vista www.swwings.org 520-417-6960 Aug. 12-14 63rd Annual Vigilante Days 520-457-3511 or 520-457-3451 www.tombstonevigilantes.com

Aug. 21 (third Saturday of every month) Fort Huachuca Guided Tour of Buffalo Soldier Historic Sites, Fort Huachuca/ Sierra Vista www.visitserravista.com 520-417-6960 September Sept. 3-5 Rendezvous of the Gunfighters 520-457-3548 Sept. 3-5 Labor Day Golf Tournament Douglas Country Club 520-364-1588 Sept. 5 Magic Circle Bike Ride www.willcoxchamber.com 520-384-2272 Sept. 10 Bisbee Bloomers Garden Tour 520-432-3554 www.discoverbisbee.com Sept. 16-18 Douglas Fiestas-Mexican Independence Day Citywide-Veterans Park www.douglasfiestas.com Sept. 22-25 Cochise Country Fair Country Fairgrounds-Leslie Road www.cochisefair.org Sept. 23 & 24 Annual Elks Oktoberfest, Sierra Vista 520-458-2065 Sept. 24 Bisbee Blues Festival 520-432-3554 www.thebisbeebluesfest.com

Adv e r t i s e r s n 55 Main (p. 9) n Amerind Foundation, The (p. 26) n Arlene’s Southwest Art (p. 17) n Benson Golf (p. 26) n Benson Visitor Center (p. 27) n Big Nose Kate’s Saloon (p. 16) n Big Tex BBQ (p. 31) n Bisbee Visitors Center (p. 10) n Boothill Graveyard (p. 15) n Butterfield RV Resort (p. 26) n Café Margarita (p. 16) n Café Roka (p. 11) n Casa de San Pedro B&B (p. 21) n City of Sierra Vista Back Cover n Cochise County (p. 1) n Copper City Inn (p. 11) n Exquisite Designs Originals Gallery (p. 9) n Finders Keepers (p. 9)

Sept. 29 Cowboy Hall of Fame Induction www.willcoxchamber.com 520-384-2272 October Oct. 1 & 2 Rex Allen Days www.willcoxchamber.com 520-384-2272 Oct. 1 & 2 39th Annual Art in the Park, Sierra Vista 520-378-1763 www.huachuca-art.com Oct. 6-9 Corvettes and Ghost Riders 602-808-9352 or 480-888-9459 www.corvettesandghostriders.com Oct. 7 & 8 Bisbee Turquoise Hunt 520-432-7071 www.bisbeemuseum.org

Oct. 8 Benson Butterfield Rodeo 520-586-5431 www.bensonbutterfieldrodeo.com Oct. 8 Cochise County Cycling Classic 520-745-2033 www.perimeterbicycling.com Oct. 8 Vintage Bisbee Wine Festival www.bisbeerotaryclub.org Oct. 8 23rd Annual Cars in the Park 520-803-1678 www.sierravistacarclub.org Oct. 8 & 9 36th Annual Huachuca Gem, Mineral, and Jewelry Show, Sierra Vista 520-378-6291 Oct. 8 & 9 Butterfield Overland Stage Days 520-586-2842 www.bensonchamberaz.com Oct. 14 & 15 Southern Arizona Harley Riders Biker Rodeo 520-456-9377 www.sahr.us/run.htm Oct. 15 Bisbee 1000 Stair Climb 520-432-2900 or 520-266-0401 www.bisbee1000.org Oct. 21-23 Helldorado Days 82nd Annual 520-457-3291 or 520-457-3511 www.tombstonevigilantes.com/ HELLDORADO/menu.html

listing 520.432.4694 520.586.3666 520.457.3833 520.586.4293 520.586.4293 520.457.3107 520.384.4423 520.432.3554 520.457.3300 800.863.8160 520.457.2277 520.432.5153 520.366.1300 800.288.3861 520.432.9215 520.432.1418 520.432.5013 520.432.2900

n Ft. Huachuca Golf Course (p. 21) n Gallery of Dreams (p. 27) n Longhorn Restaurant, The (p. 16) n Marshal Bo (p. 31) n OK Corral (p. 17) n Old Bisbee Brewing Co. (p. 9) n Optimo Hatworks (p. 11) n Queen Mine Tours (p. 10) n ReMax Real Estate Inside Front Cover n San Pedro Observatory (p. 26) n Shady Lady’s Closet (p. 16) n Stampede RV Park (p. 17) n Sulphur Springs Valley Electric (p. 30) n Sunsites Chamber (p. 27) n Tombstone Chamber (p. 14) n Tombstone Real Estate (p. 15) n Willcox Chamber (p. 31) n Windemere Hotel, The (p. 21)

520.533.2849 520.720.2649 520.457.3405 520.766.1880 520.457.3456 520.432.2739 520.432.4544 866.432.2071 800.677.1884 888.455.6934 520.457.2562 520.457.3738 520.458.4691 520.826.3535 888.457.3929 520.457.3322 800.200.2272 520.459.5900

COLOR KEY: n Benson (p. 24-27) n Bisbee (p. 6-11) n Sierra Vista (p. 18-21) n Tombstone (p. 12-17) n Willcox (p. 28-31) ExploreCochise.com

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