Gun fight at the OK Corral, Tombstone, AZ

March 11, 2016

After our morning well below ground level at the Queen Mine, and, following a huge and delicious lunch at the Bisbee Breakfast Club, we headed for Tombstone, AZ.  Here is why the town has such a strange and ghoulish name: Ed Schieffelin was briefly a scout for the US Army headquartered at Camp Huachuca.  Schieffelin frequently searched the wilderness looking for valuable ore samples. At the Santa Rita mines in nearby Santa Cruz Valley, three superintendents had been killed by Indians. When friend and fellow Army Scout Al Sieber learned what Schieffelin was up to, he is quoted as telling him, "The only rock you will find out there will be your own tombstone.  Another account reported Schieffelin's friends told him, "Better take your coffin with you; you will find your tombstone there, and nothing else.

Tombstone is the very famous home of the OK corral.  And, wouldn't you know it, when we arrived, a gun fight was taking place...

The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral was a 30-second gunfight between an outlaw group of cowboys and lawmen that is generally regarded as the most famous shootout in the history of theAmerican Wild West. The gunfight took place on Wednesday, October 26, 1881. It was the result of a long-simmering feud between Cowboys Billy Claiborne, Ike and Billy Clanton, Tom and Frank McClaury, and opposing lawmen: town Marshal Virgil Earp, Special Policeman  Morgan Earp, Special Policeman Wyatt Earp and temporary policeman Doc Holliday. Billy Clanton and both McLaury brothers were killed. Ike Clanton, who had repeatedly threatened to kill the Earps, claimed he was unarmed and ran from the fight along with Billy Claiborne. Virgil, Morgan, and Doc Holliday were wounded, but Wyatt Earp was unharmed. The fight has come to represent a period in American Old West when the frontier was virtually an open range for outlaws, largely unopposed by law enforcement, who were spread thin over vast territories, leaving some areas unprotected.  Interestingly, one of the major issues was the open carrying of firearms by the outlaws...

Bad guys

Good guy

Dead bad guys

Upset bad guy

After escaping the OK corral unharmed, we viewed a very well done movie/multimedia presentation recounting the town's history.  Following that, we wandered through the town, where a late 1800s feel is maintained, especially on the main streets.

The Butterfield Overland Stage, a cross-country mail delivery coach in the 1880s

An ironic take on the town's name, not so sure it is good for business...

Bisbee, AZ Queen Mine Tour

March 11, 2016

After the Chiricahua mountains, we drove West to the Kartchner Caverns State Park, about 60 miles from Tucson,  and have done a few day trips.  We opted not to visit the caverns, after our fabulous cave experience at Carlsbad Caverns, NM. 


Our first day trip was a tour of the nearby Queen copper mine in Bisbee, AZ...

Before the tour, one has to get properly outfitted

 

From their website we learn that:" 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!
A melting pot of immigrant miners from the mining districts of Europe labored beneath the Mule Mountains to feed the insatiable demand for copper and electricity. 
A melting pot of immigrant miners from the mining districts of Europe labored beneath the Mule Mountains to feed the insatiable demand for copper and electricity.

 Phelps Dodge Corporation closed the Bisbee underground mines in the summer of 1975. Bisbee Mayor Chuck Eads, with the generous cooperation of Phelps Dodge, brought to reality the idea of opening a mine tour through a portion of the world-famous copper Queen Mine. Mayor Eads felt that history of mining should be kept alive in Bisbee and in a manner that would attract tourists to the community. Many faithful volunteers cleared thousands of tons of fallen rock and re-timbered the old workings. They were assisted by local individuals and groups who furnished support and food for the workers. The local effort came to the attention of a federal agency, the Economic Development Administration, which approved a large grant to the City of Bisbee to help the mine tour project and other improvements in downtown Bisbee designed to aid the tourist business. The Queen Mine Tour was officially opened to visitors on February 1, 1976.

Our guide explains the rules...keep hands and feet in...

The tour trolley, getting ready to enter the mine

Tour guides, retired Phelps Dodge employees, lead the group 1,500 feet into the mine and recount mining days, techniques, dangers and drama. "  Our own tour guide described his experience of a mine cave in and his rescue by several brave men...a sobering thought when you are 
1500' into the mountain and 300' underground....

Dave ahead of me on the trolley as we penetrate the depths

Explaining how to set the charges

 

Walking into a large excavated area where the ore had been plentiful!

Malachite, azurite and other semi-precious stones as well as copper, silver, zinc and even some gold were found, accounting for the  colourful swirls in the rock

 

 

During the early days, before mechanization, mules were used to transport the spoils back up to the surface, not unlike the Cape Breton, Nova Scotia "pit ponies", hard work for all involved..Until the electrically powered trolley cars took over.

 

The old latrine car on the trolley...

The Queen mine is closed, but copper mining continues to be a major part of the community in one of a few huge open pit mines.

 

Chiricahua National Monument, AZ

March 7-9, 2016

Following our brief foray into Mexico, we headed for the hills! We are a little desert weary and were looking forward to some green!  The Chiricahua (pronounced chee-ree-ca-wa) mountains did not fail to deliver.  After about six weeks without a drop of rain, we were excited to see clouds, then,  rain clouds on the horizon as we approached the mountains....

...and then, yes, actual rain!!!

 

 ...which quickly, and, only briefly, turned into wet snow!
We were beyond excited...Hmmm...

The campground at Chiricahua is small, basic (no hookups as in most federal parks) and restricts vehicles to under 29'.  We were glad we didn't exceed the limit when we saw the pronounced "dip" in the road...
We are finding that every campground seems to have its own culture.  The Chiricahua culture is one of serious hiking...The scenic road into the mountains which leads to several beautiful and relatively short hikes was closed for work, so the only hiking had to be done from the visitors centre, a half-mile walk from the campground....Everyone seemed to be heading out on 15-20 mile daily hikes.  Well, I guess we were the exception! We were quite content to limit ourselves to 4-5 miles/day...in the mountains' rarefied air, it was plenty!

 
 The Chiricahua, whose highest peaks tower at an impressive 9700', are known as a "wonderland of rocks" and, apparently, as the "standing up rocks" to some of the first inhabitants of the region.  They lived up to both names....

Mimi at the balancing rock....OK, not Mimi...

After a day of doing our best mountain goat imitations, on our second day, we opted for a level 4.5 mile hike to join a tour of "Faraway ranch", a homestead  with a fascinating history.  After its humble beginnings as a cabin in 1879, in 1886 Neil Erikson and Emma Sophia Peterson, both young Swedish immigrants, married and set out for Bonita Canyon to homestead. The Erickson Homestead, established in 1887, soon became the Erickson Ranch as they gradually took over the smaller homesteads in the canyon. They planted fruit trees and vegetables, and raised cattle. The Erickson Ranch period, 1887–1917, was significant in the areas of agriculture, architecture, industry, social history, conservation and the end of the frontier.  In 1903 Neil became a forest ranger with what soon became the US Forest Service.   He was promoted to District Ranger in 1917. He headquartered at the ranch until he received his promotion which required him to relocate, leaving the ranch in the hands of the eldest daughter, Lillian, who was a college graduate and part-time school teacher. She managed the cattle ranching operations and branched out into guest ranching, letting rooms, and providing guests with horses to ride and guided trail tours for a fee. In 1923 she suffered a head injury in a fall from a horse which compromised her vision immediately and took it completely 19 years later. Nevertheless even into her 80s she continued to run the ranch with the help of series of foremen and hired hands. Guest operations continued into the mid-1960s. In 1974 she moved for a time to a rest home in the nearby town of Wilcox but returned to the ranch and continued to manage it in some capacity until her death in 1977.  Quite a woman indeed!

During our hikes, we saw some wildlife, especially birds, two new to us, the acorn woodpecker and the Mexican Jay.

We also saw several white-tailed deer  

 But, most exciting of all, we spotted a white nosed coati mundi, my new favourite critter!
 

"The Coati is a raccoon-like omnivore, but is more slender and possesses a longer snout. It is a nosy, busy little creature with an insatiable appetite. The Coati is gregarious and noisy as it travel about in groups of from 6 to 24, holding its tail almost erect and chattering with others.
This grizzled gray-brown mammal grows 30 to 55 inches long and stands 8 to 12 inches high at the shoulder. It can weigh from 10 to 25 pounds. Males are almost twice as large as females.
The Coati has a long snout that is white near the tip and around the eyes, which often have dark patches above. The Coati has small ears, dark feet and a long, thin tail (as much as 2 feet long).
Coatis are diurnal, spending most of the day foraging for food, which includes insects, lizards, roots, fruits, nuts and eggs. They are very fond of fruit, especially the manzanita berry."

During our last evening, we walked up the hills behind the campground to admire the sunset reflecting on the "standing up rocks",

  we discovered a heart-shaped canyon...

 and, lucky Dave was treated to the antics of a local performer....funny, he was the only one in the audience...

 

Pancho Villa State Park, NM and a brief trip into Palomas, Mexico (yeah, Mexico, the country)

March 5-6, 2016

It is said that history is written by the victor.   Who exactly was the victor in the case of the raid on Columbus, NM by the "villistas", i.e. Mexico's Pancho Villa's troops?  Well, it really depends on who is telling the story.  And just exactly why would Villa invade a small border town when Mexico was in the throes of its own revolution?

Francisco "Pancho" Villa

Mexican revolutionary troops

As with most events, there are many theories about the reasons Villa bothered to come into Columbus on the night of March 9, 1916.  The most intriguing theory is that a local merchant, interestingly away in El Paso Texas on the night of the raid, had had some business dealings with Villa and had reneged on delivering munitions to Villa's army after much money had been paid by the Mexican general...Hmmm, not a good way to make friends...
Another theory is that Villa was alternately supported and opposed by the US against other revolutionary contenders for the leadership of Mexico and the US ultimately sided with Villa's opponent. 

Following Villa's raid, General Pershing was dispatched by president Woodrow Wilson to track down Villa inside Mexico.  The US troops, 700 cavalry, left from Camp Furlong in Columbus, NM.

After almost one year, and traveling 500 miles into Mexico, what is referred to as the US "punitive" expedition was called off, unsuccessful in its mission of capturing Villa. Also, it being 1917 and the height of world War I, US troops were needed elsewhere.

The town of Columbus, NM is now gearing up for the 100 year anniversary of these events.

The Pancho Villa State Park campground is set among the desert and the campsites are interspersed with the ruins of several Camp Furlong buildings.  A reproduction of the US first armored vehicle is on display in front of the park's Visitor center.

It must be obvious by now that Mexico is very close to Columbus, NM.  Indeed, the Mexican town of Palomas is a mere three miles away.  It was recommended to us that we take a day trip into Palomas for a good Mexican meal and for a "fun" experience. So, today, we drove the three miles, parked in a convenient US side lot and walked across the border.  No one on the Mexican side asked us for any documentation!

We headed for the popular "Pink store" and restaurant where we had a delicious lunch.  The building houses a very large shop where I managed to find a nice silver bracelet etched with reproductions of ancient cave paintings (something we have seen much of lately).  

What little we saw of the small town of Palomas seemed to us to be quite poor.  The main street had a few shops, also geared to tourists, selling goods that are a reflection of the border town heritage:  straw cowboy hats and colourful boots...

The town is also a destination for medical, dental and optical tourism, as evidenced by several storefronts offering these services.  All closed on a Sunday.

Clearly geared to tourists, Palomas is poor and surely many of its residents are desperate.  We were especially upset when an elderly indigenous woman asked for tips for opening the door of the "Pink store" for us...

Coming back into the US, we showed our Canadian passports and were asked what we were bringing back:  my leftovers from lunch and a bracelet.  We just walked back to the rig and drove the three miles back to the park, with the reflection of the razor-wire topped wall in our rear view mirror...not, in our opinion, what we would describe as a "fun" experience...

The setting sun over the desert was beautiful this evening...

A day without chili peppers is like a day without sunshine...