Mining in the Mule Mountains proved quite successful: in the early 20th century the population of Bisbee soared. Incorporated in 1902, by 1910 its population swelled to 9,019 and it sported a constellation of suburbs, including Warren, Lowell, and San Jose, some of which had been founded on their own (ultimately less successful) mines.
In 1917, open pit mining was successfully introduced to meet the heavy copper demand due to World War I. In 1929, the county seat was moved from Tombstone, Arizona to Bisbee, where it remains.
In 1917, the Phelps Dodge Corporation deported 1,185 suspected Industrial Workers of the World miners. This followed a similar incident earlier that year in central Arizona, the Jerome Deportation.
By 1950, boom times were over and the population of the City of Bisbee had dropped to less than 6,000, but the introduction of strip mining and continued underground work would see the town escape the fate of many of its early contemporaries.
However, in 1974-1975, the Phelps Dodge Corporation finally halted mining operations in its massive Bisbee mine, the Lavender Pit. The resulting exodus of mine employees might have been the end of the town. Still, as the county seat, the city's economy soldiered on.
The sudden flood of real estate onto the market and crash in housing prices, coupled with an attractive climate and picturesque scenery, led to Bisbee's subsequent rebirth as an artists' colony.
The rediscovery of Bisbee by baby boomers in the 1990s saw it develop a more polished look, complete with coffee shops and live theater. Many of the old houses have been renovated, and property values in Bisbee now greatly exceed those of other Southeastern Arizona cities.
Today, the original city of Bisbee is known as "Old Bisbee," and is home to a thriving downtown cultural scene. Old Bisbee is also noted for its architecture, including its Victorian houses and elegant Art Deco courthouse.
Because its plan was laid out before the automobile, Old Bisbee has an almost European feel. The town's hilly terrain is exemplified by the old three-story high school: each floor has a ground-level entrance.
In 1917, open pit mining was successfully introduced to meet the heavy copper demand due to World War I. In 1929, the county seat was moved from Tombstone, Arizona to Bisbee, where it remains.
In 1917, the Phelps Dodge Corporation deported 1,185 suspected Industrial Workers of the World miners. This followed a similar incident earlier that year in central Arizona, the Jerome Deportation.
By 1950, boom times were over and the population of the City of Bisbee had dropped to less than 6,000, but the introduction of strip mining and continued underground work would see the town escape the fate of many of its early contemporaries.
However, in 1974-1975, the Phelps Dodge Corporation finally halted mining operations in its massive Bisbee mine, the Lavender Pit. The resulting exodus of mine employees might have been the end of the town. Still, as the county seat, the city's economy soldiered on.
The sudden flood of real estate onto the market and crash in housing prices, coupled with an attractive climate and picturesque scenery, led to Bisbee's subsequent rebirth as an artists' colony.
The rediscovery of Bisbee by baby boomers in the 1990s saw it develop a more polished look, complete with coffee shops and live theater. Many of the old houses have been renovated, and property values in Bisbee now greatly exceed those of other Southeastern Arizona cities.
Today, the original city of Bisbee is known as "Old Bisbee," and is home to a thriving downtown cultural scene. Old Bisbee is also noted for its architecture, including its Victorian houses and elegant Art Deco courthouse.
Because its plan was laid out before the automobile, Old Bisbee has an almost European feel. The town's hilly terrain is exemplified by the old three-story high school: each floor has a ground-level entrance.
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Bisbee is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, USA, 82 miles southeast of Tucson. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 6,177. The city is the county seat of Cochise County. Bisbee was founded as a copper, gold, and silver mining town in 1880, and named in honor of Judge DeWitt Bisbee, one of the financial backers of the adjacent Copper Queen Mine.
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Visit the Copper Queen Hotel in Bisbee
