Adventures in Southeastern Arizona

Many people envision an Arizona vacation as relaxingwooden, and the streets are still unpaved.
in the sun and maybe playing a round of golf in theAlthough there are many shops and restaurants in
vicinity of Phoenix or Tuscson, which happen to beTombstone, the town relishes its historical imprint on
Arizona's two largest cities.America. The O.K. Corral still offers tours, as does the
But if you're into history and enjoy traveling just a bitC.S. Fly Photo Gallery, where you can view Mr. Fly's
off the beaten path, consider traveling to Cochisephotographs of Geronimo and 1880s Tombstone.
County in the southeastern corner of the state.Now a historical museum, the Tombstone Courthouse
Wide open spaces and a great independent spirit giveis the most important place to visit in town. When you
Cochise County the air of what Arizona was really likevisit the courthouse it will take you 120 years back in
back in the says when it was a Territory.time, as the thousands of artifacts and exhibts will give
The best way to take in Cochise County would be toyou a good feel of what life used to be like in
visit the historic towns of Tombstone, Bisbee andTombstone.
Benson.Now an artist enclave, the quaint community of Bisbee
The historic railroad town of Benson is just offlies about twenty miles southeast of Tombstone.
Interstate 10, approximately fort five miles east ofBisbess is home to the largest open pit copper mine in
Tucson. Situated in the center of the San Pedro Riverthe world, the Queen Mine.
Valley, Benson is where you will find KartchnerThe first thing you might notice about Bisbee is its
Caverns State Park. In the Territorial era, Benson wasbeautiful architecture, as "old" Bisbee is nestled into the
one of the scheduled stops on the Pony Express andside of a mountain. Immediately, your eyes will gaze
the Butterfield Overland Stage Coach Route. Alongover to "The Pit," the copper mine, which ceased
with the birth of the transcontinental railroad, Bensonproduction in the mid 1970s. Quite simply, it's the largest
soon became a busy railroad town.hole in the earth you'll ever see!
Twenty miles south on US Highway 80 lies theThe Queen Mine operates tours daily, and you can
infamous town of Tombstone, the town too tough toactually go down into the mine. The tours are given by
die.former miners, and they are able to give you personal
Even those that aren't interested in the Old Westinsights into the mine operations.
know that Tombstone was the location of theAll of these historical towns make a good day trip for
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.tourists. You may want to consider a weekend
Tombstone's main source of income is, you mightgetaway to take in everything that Cochise County
have guessed, tourism. Allen Street, the town's mainoffers.
thoroughfare, still resembles Tombstone as it was inYou may reprint this article in it's entirety unchanged as
the 1880s. The walkways beside the storefronts arelong as the resource box with live link is retained.