 Issue #148 - South of Tucson, Arizona: Photographing the Sonoran Desert Six hundred thousand tons of copper were produced from the pit at the end of this block. Gold, silver, and some of the world’s finest turquoise was also found in the Copper Queen Mine. When the operation was shut down in 1975, the town of Bisbee was brought back to life by artists, crafts people and hippies from the sixties, and is now being kept alive by yuppies and the remaining old hippies. The town’s bank is now a gallery, as is the JC Penny building and the Woolworth building across the street. The business district now houses mostly galleries and coffee shops. The sunny side of the narrow street through the downtown business district reflects in all the windows on the shady side of the street. For the price of a cup of coffee, you can sit at a window and watch the locals go about their lives. I saw images everywhere – store fronts that were not quite right and grand department store interiors where motorcycle clothing was displayed. This incredible rebirth of Bisbee, once the richest city in Arizona, was made possible by the huge pit just south of town.
My Photograph America Newsletter #148 covers my favorite Southern Arizona locations for photographers. |