March 23, 2023
Good day all! Our adventure today is to visit the town of Bisbee. About a mile south of Bisbee is a little ghost town of Lowell. It was actually incorporated into Bisbee several years ago. Our first stop is the Bisbee Breakfast Club. It is in Lowell. Lowell looks like a town from the 1950s. I think the only business open in Lowell is the Bisbee Breakfast Club. We had a very good breakfast and walked around town for a few minutes. Last night we decided to make reservations for the Bisbee Queen Mine Tour and we had some time until we needed to get there. We left Lowell and headed into Historic Bisbee. We were actually looking for a small haberdashery called the Desert Diva. Historic Bisbee is small with small parking areas with small parking spaces. Not made for a one ton long bed 4X4 pickup. It was tight but we found a spot. We found the store and they had some great hats. It was a good thing too. I had spotted a nice hat band and a nice leather top hat.
We arrived at the Queen Mine and they also had a small parking lot. It was actually still in operation until 1975. They mined silver, gold, and copper. Silver and gold were discovered there in 1877. Bisbee at one time was the largest town west of the Mississippi River. What was really cool was that our guide was a former miner in that very mine. We checked in and received a red metal tag. It was part of their accountability system. There were several people waiting and the group was divided into the red group and the blue group. They called the groups to gather around for a brief safety talk. Then you were to pick up a vest and walk around the counter to get your hard hat and then down the line to get a light. The tour actually takes you into the mine on a rail car that you straddle like a bike. They take you in about 150 feet and stop. This gives your eyes a chance to adjust and if anyone is not feeling like they can continue, the assistant can take them out. We did not lose anyone from our train. You continue on until you get into the mine about 700 feet. You are actually on level 3 with 2 levels below you and 4 above you. The passageway is just wide enough for people to travel in with about a foot on either side. The next stop you have to get off the train and climb several stairs. At the top of the stairs you are in a wide open room. They explained how they mined the ore and what to look for. One example of rock you could see the silver, the gold, and the cooper ores. We were in that room about 20 minutes.
Neal was very knowledgeable as he actually mined there. Then you got back on the train and went about a thousand feet further into the mine. Again, you got off and walked but no stairs. Along the way they showed you the mining equipment from various eras and told how they would get the ore out of the mine. It was very interesting. You walked further into an area and you could see an elevator of sorts and even the potty car. Once you were at work, you stayed there for your 10 hour shift. You used a special two seat car. Some unlucky fool had to empty and clean it at some point. You even ate in the mine. The goal was to earn money and to do so, you had a minimum tonnage to meet the company’s goal and then you received bonuses for anything above that. Once that part of the tour was done you got back on the train after depositing your metal accountability tag in a coffee can the assistant had and rode out of the mine. You then reversed your path and returned all the equipment. It was a very cool tour.
After the tour we went to the Old Bisbee Brewing Company. Nancy had a root beer but did not care for it much. Had a little sarsaparilla taste to it. Yuck! I had to have a taste of everything. Most were very good. I had 3 ounces of Classic Pilsner, Cooper City Ale, Double Hopped IPA, Mayan Stout, Salut, Celebration Pale Ale, El Trigo, and Bisbee Blue Gin. The one that I could not finish was the Mayan Stout. I could taste too much of the coffee and chocolate. Did not care for that. The one that truly surprised me was the IPA. It was very good. I’m not normally an IPA drinker but this one did not have that bitter hoppy flavor. So after my tasting, I gave the key to Nancy and she drove us home. Another good day of adventure.
