As I have mentioned in the first three sections I was born and raised in Arizona. To be more specific I was born and raised in Southern Arizona. This area has more history than amazing points of origin as the other sections do but there are still a few areas that have beautiful and or extremely unusual areas. So please take this journey with me and you may want to schedule a trip to Southern Arizona sooner than you would have thought.

The state has been divided into five sections. This is section four. Please do not skip over any section as they all offer a wide variety of beautiful scenery and wonder. We have worked our way down the state. We are now south of Phoenix all the way down to the Mexican border. In this area the temperatures do not range as high as the Phoenix area, approximately 10 to 12 degrees cooler, but are not as low as the Northeastern section of the state. Tucson and southern Arizona have a mild and dry climate.

Tucson offers a diversity of cultures, architecture, and people. Yet, it is one of the Mega-Trend cities of the 21^st Century: the Optics Valley, premier health services center for the Southwest, the astronomy center of the world, home of a premier research institution, the University of Arizona, and a tourism destination.

Tucson offers the best of both worlds…the progress and innovation of a metropolitan community and a friendly, caring atmosphere of a small town. Tucson’s rich cultural heritage centers on a unique blend of Native American, Spanish, Mexican and Anglo-American influences. Tucson is fortunate to be surrounded by the natural beauty of the Sonoran Desert and an unsurpassed climate of 350 sunny days a year. Tucsonans embrace a rare lifestyle and are committed to preserving that quality of life. With a 2400 foot desert basin to the 9100 foot forests of the Santa Catalina Mountains, the climate varies with a mild and dry climate, both summer and winter. The city’s dry desert air and winter sunshine make it a popular health and winter resort area.

Tucson metropolitan area supports over 750,000 residents. As this area continues to grow by nearly 2,000 new residents each month, the challenge of meeting the continual need for job growth and health care also increases. The city’s industries include electronics, missile production, medical research and development plus astronomical research. Some of the local companies that employee residents in the Tucson area are the University of Arizona, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Kitt Peak National Observatory, Honeywell Inc., Raytheon, EMC Corp., ACS and United Health, to name just a few.

Some of the interesting and educational sites to visit while visiting the Tucson area is Reid Park Zoo, the International Wild Life Museum, Tohono Chul Park, Tucson Botanical Gardens, De Grazia Gallery in the Sun, the Pima Air and Space Museum, the Kitt Peak National Observatory and Old Tucson Studios where over 350 major motion pictures have been made, the Biosphere 2, and the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum.

Tucson and Southern Arizona are rich in history and there are several sites to include in your exploration including several old missions as in St. Augustine Cathedral built 1896, “El Tiradito”- the wishing Shrine, St. Phillip’s in the Hills Episcopal Church built 1936, Mission San Xavier del Bac, St. Ann’s Catholic Church built approximately 1754, Mission San Jose de Tumacacori built 1691 by Franciscan priests now a National Historical Park, Holy Trinity Monastery, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church built in 1881, Our Lady of the Sierras Shrine, St. Patrick’s Catholic Church built 1916 and St. John’s Episcopal Church dedicated in 1904.

To further extend Tucson’s history take a tour of the Mansions on Main Street. Stroll down Main Street and view the beautiful homes of the El Presidio Historical District. This was the first neighborhood in Tucson’s history. One can pay for a guided tour of this area and learn about the history and who lived in these homes or walk the street and just enjoy the different cultural influences in the architectural design of these homes. Two other neighborhoods to see and appreciate are the Armory Park Neighborhood and the Barrio Historico or otherwise know as the Historic Neighborhood. The Armory Park Neighborhood will show a shift in architectural styles from the El Presidio Neighborhood. Take a tour of the Barrio Historic Neighborhood and see how the Hispanic cultural and architectural traditions of early Tucson have been preserved.

Located just north of Tucson are the Santa Catalina Mountains or otherwise known as the Catalina’s. This mountain range is the most prominent in the Tucson area with Mount Lemon being the highest point. Mount Lemmon has an elevation of 9,157 feet above sea level and receives 180 inches of snow annually.

The Catalina’s are located in the Coronado National Forest and also include the Pusch Ridge Wilderness Area. The mountain range is considered a prominent range in the Madrean sky islands. The Catalina’s are a significant focus of recreational activity, with areas such as Sabino Canyon providing streams and perennial pools. Catalina State Park offers superb hiking trails through canyons and streams, camping, fishing, hunting, rock climbing, picnicking, bird watching, winter sports, and photography. Romero Canyon is another area that offers excellent hiking and permanent pools. Sabino Canyon, Bear Canyon and Ventana Canyon offer trails that connect or cross Sabino Dam, Seven Falls, Blackett’s Ridge Trail, Telephone Line Trail and Hutch’s Pool. The village of Summerhaven on Mount Lemmon serves as a popular summer retreat from the heat of Arizona’s desert. Mount Lemmon Ski Valley is also known as the southern most ski destination in the United States. Mount Lemmon is 30 miles north of Tucson and 30 degrees cooler.  

Other mountain ranges surrounding the Tucson valley include the Santa Rita Mountains, the Rincon Mountains, the Tucson Mountains and the Tortolita Mountains. All of the mountains around the Tucson area are beautiful and rugged with such diversity from the desert floor to snow covered mountains at an elevation of 9,453 feet above sea level.  A few of the state parks surrounding the Tucson area that are exceptional, in addition to Catalina State Park, are Colossal Cave Mountain Park and Oracle State Park.

Colossal Cave Mountain Park is a beautiful desert park, on the National Historic Registry, that offers a crystal filled colossal cave and the historic La Posta Quemada Ranch. This 2000 acre park has cave tours, a museum, exceptional hiking, picnicking, and western trail horseback riding. Oracle State Park is a 4000 acre park containing various native plants, geologic formations, hiking trails and guided tours of the historical Kannally Ranch House.  

During the months between October and April many people flock into Arizona and visit Tucson to enjoy the mild temperatures. Many come to play golf, tennis, hike, attend spring training baseball games, bike rides, horseback rides, scenic drives through the Sonoran Desert, bird watch, and sight see. Some of the people who come to Tucson are from other states in the United States, especially cold weather areas, and some are from other countries, as in Canada. Some of the wonderful resorts in Tucson that people find all encompassing are The Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa, JW Marriott Golf & Spa Resort, Canyon Ranch Tucson, Loews Ventana Canyon Resort, The Omni Tucson National Resort, The Hilton El Conquistador Golf & Tennis Resort and Miraval Resort Tucson, to name a few. Many in state residents use the resorts during the summer month. The summer months rates are considerably less so local guest, especially families, use the resorts with water parks. In Arizona there is something for everyone all 12 months of the year.

Kartchner Caverns State Park is an amazing limestone cave in Southeastern Arizona. The caverns were discovered in 1974 by two amateur spelunkers, Randy Tufts and Gary Tenen. The two men were exploring the limestone hills at the base of the Whetstone Mountains near Benson Arizona. In the bottom of a sinkhole the two men found a narrow crack leading into the hillside. After crawling for several hours and following the source of warm, moist air, the two men found an amazing discovery, more than 2 1/2 miles of pristine cave passages.

The cavern is a wet, live cave. Water percolates from the surface and calcite features continue to grow in the darkness. There are dynamic structures such as stalactites dripping down like icicles and giant stalagmites reaching up from the ground, sometimes meeting to form a massive column. The caverns are host to a wide variety of unique minerals and formations. The formations that decorate caves are called speleothems. Usually formations are composed of layers of calcite called travertine deposited by water. The form a speleothem takes is determined by whether the water drips, flows, sweeps, condenses, or pools.

Randy Tufts and Gary Tenen kept the cave a secret until they could figure out how to protect this amazing discovery. In 1978 Tenen and Tufts told the property owners, James and Lois Kartchner, what they had found. After gaining the cooperation of the Kartchner Family and working with them for 10 years, together they decided the best way to achieve the goal of protection through development as a tour cave was to approach Arizona State Parks Department. Tenen and Tufts were so determined to preserve the cave the two men even blindfolded state park officials before bringing them to the site plus they would only take the state officials on a tour at night. In 1985, then Gov. Bruce Babbitt spent three hours crawling through the cave’s tight passages to reach the cave’s showcase chambers. The discovery of the cave was finally made public in 1988 when the landowners sold the area to the state for development as a park and show cavern. The state spent $28 million on a high-tech system of air-lock doors, misting machines and other gadgetry designed to preserve the cave. Kartchner Caverns opened to the public in 1999.

These incredible caverns are located 120 miles southeast of Phoenix, 50 miles southeast of Tucson and 12 miles south of Benson. Do not miss this incredible find. At the end of this section pictures of the caverns can be seen.

Tombstone has always been known as “The Town Too Tough Too Die”. Many people believe Tombstone was just a town in western movies but in reality it has always been a real town with real people who have resided in the town through its history.

Tombstone was started just like so many other towns in Arizona, a mining camp. Ed Schieffelin came to Camp Huachuca with a party of soldiers and left the fort to prospect, his comrades told him that he’d find his tombstone rather than silver. In 1877 Schieffelin named his first claim the Tombstone, and rumors of rich strikes made a boomtown of the settlement that adopted this name. Schieffelin died in Grant County, Oregon, on May 14, 1897, at the age of 49. At his request, he was returned to Tombstone 9 days after his death and buried on a hill over looking the area. He was buried with honors.

The images of gunfights and dusty streets, saloons, whiskey and poker games, Wyatt Earp, Doc Holiday, Johnny Ringo, and Ike Clanton are not just stories in a western movie but are real life places, people and events. Days of lawlessness and violence, in Tombstone nearly caused then President Chester A. Arthur to declare martial law and send troops to restore order, climaxed with the infamous Earp-Clanton battle at the O.K. Corral on October 26, 1881. Over the course of 7 years the mines produced millions of dollars in silver and gold before rising underground waters forced suspension of operations. This is the most authentic Western Town left in the United States.

Plan an enjoyable day trip or plan an entire weekend and travel to Southern Arizona and relive the history of yesterday in Arizona. Tombstone is Southeast of Tucson on State Route 80 just south of Kartchner Caverns and just North of Bisbee. Bisbee is our next section and you will be able to understand why a weekend trip could be fun!

Bisbee is 93 miles southeast of Tucson on State Route 80, south of Benson (Kartchner Caverns) and Tombstone. Bisbee is nestled up against the Mule Mountains and is a very unique town. The community was founded in 1880, and yes you guessed it, as a mining town. This mining town was much different than any other mining town in Arizona and even the world, it was so rich with an over abundance of several minerals. The largest of the mines in this area was named the Copper Queen Mine. The Copper Queen proved to be one of the richest mineral sites in the world, producing nearly three million ounces of gold and more than eight billion pounds of copper, not to mention the silver, lead and zinc. Other minerals that were found in the mine were cuprite, aragonite, wulfenite, malachite, azurite, galena and turquoise. The turquoise was such high quality it was given the name of Bisbee Blue. By the early 1900’s, the Bisbee community was the largest city between St. Louis and San Francisco.

Bisbee, with a population of over 20,000 people in the early 1900’s had become one of the most cultured cities in the Southwest. Despite the culture the rough edges of the mining camps could be found in the notorious Brewery Gulch, with its saloons and shay ladies. Brewery Gulch, which in its prime had upwards of 47 saloons and was considered the liveliest spot between El Paso and San Francisco. Bisbee offered other areas of interest by having the state’s first community library, a popular opera house, the state’s oldest ball fields and the state’s first golf course.   

In 1950 Phelps Dodge Corporation opened the Lavender Pit near the Copper Queen Mine. The Lavender Pit was one of the worlds largest open pit mines. The intent of Phelps Dodge was to extract the previously unprofitable low-grade copper containing rock of the area into commercial copper ore. Production through 1974 produced approximately 600,000 tons of copper with gold and silver as byproducts. About 256 million tons of waste was stripped, but a portion of this was acid-leached for additional copper. The pit covers an area of 300 acres and is 900 feet deep. Large tonnages of dump rock are placed around Bisbee, mostly around the Warren area and other parts of the southeastern Mule Mountains area. Mining operations in the pit ended in 1974. Just north of the Lavender Pit is the undeveloped Cochise deposit which contains an estimated 190 million tons of rock containing copper and maybe mined in the future.

In 1975 Phelps Dodge Corporation finally halted its Bisbee copper mining operations thus resulting in mine employees leaving Bisbee for other employment opportunities. The population in Bisbee declined to 6,000 residents. But today Bisbee has evolved into an attractive artist colony and retirement community known for its relaxed quality of life. Travelers from all over the world come to Bisbee to enjoy the unique charm, an uncommon blend of creativity, friendliness, style, romance and adventure. The town has maintained an Old World charm along with its fine collection of well preserved turn of the century Victorian structures. Old mining boarding houses have been refurbished into many charming small bed and breakfast establishments, no two are alike. Former saloons are now quaint shops, antique stores or art galleries, cafes and restaurants.

The most popular activity in Bisbee is the Copper Queen Mine Tour, a trip down into the inactive copper mine. Other popular activities when in Bisbee include, the Bisbee Mining and History Museum, Historic Walking Tour, Lavender Jeep Tours, Old Bisbee Ghost Tour, Muheim Museum Heritage House, Historic Churches of Bisbee, Copper Queen Ghost Hunt, Paranormal and Ghost Hunting Weekend, Old Bisbee Repertory Theater, Southeastern Arizona Bird Observatory, the annual Great Stair Climb, historic Walking Tour, Bisbee Treasure Hunt walking tour, the Turquoise Valley Golf Course and Warren Ballpark. The Warren Ballpark is a baseball stadium built in 1906 and is probably the oldest ball park still in use in the United States.

If you prefer a Bed & Breakfast, a Hotel, a Guest House, Vacation Suites, an RV Park or Camp Ground, Bisbee has many good choices. Many of the places to stay are restored historical buildings or actual mining cabins or mining houses and that makes the stay even more interesting. Some of the more known places to stay are the School House Inn, Hummingbird Hill, Bisbee Grand Hotel, Copper Queen Hotel, Canyon Rose Suite, Audrey’s Inn, Eldorado Suites Hotel, Bisbee Gym Club Suites, 20 Wood Canyon, Clawson House, Desert Breeze Guest House, Doublejack Guesthouse, Gentry House, OK Street Jailhouse, Pike’s Peak and the Raffle House. There are many more places to stay in Bisbee. One more place to stay that must be mentioned because of the unique idea is the Shady Dell RV Park. This RV Park consists of fully restored 1950’s aluminum travel trailers decorated in vintage memorabilia. Also an elegantly restored 1947 Chris Craft Yacht. Yes, this does sound a little different but I have a group of friends who stayed at the Shady Dell RV Park and said it was absolutely enjoyable and so unique. This group gave the Shady Dell two thumbs up.   

A few restaurants that stand out are the Bisbee Coffee Company, the Café Roka, the Copper Queen Restaurant, Bisbee Breakfast Club, Café Cornucopia, Prickly Pear Café, Rosa’s Little Italy, St Elmo’s Bar, Santiago’s, Stock Exchange Bar, Winchester’s, Peddler’s Alley, Old Tymers, Bisbee Grille, High Desert Market and Café, and Mimosa Market. In the Historic District there are all kinds of places to have fun, especially adult fun.

If a trip to Bisbee seems like a great way to spend a weekend, as you can tell, there are many places to stay and have relaxing fun times. You can find enjoyment in the art galleries, gourmet restaurants, coffee houses, book stores and specialty shops, mine tours and ghost hunts.

Sierra Vista is 65 miles southeast of Tucson on Highway 90 and 20 miles north of the Mexico border. Sierra Vista began in the early 1900’s as a small settlement next to Fort Huachuca, an Army base. Today the city is a thriving community of approximately 45,000 people in a business and tourist center for southeastern Arizona. This area is surrounded by the unique beauty of the Huachuca, Dragoon and Mule Mountains, and is bordered on the east by the San Pedro River. At an elevation of 4,600 feet, Sierra Vista not only has beautiful mountain views, but also a mild year-round climate, abundant sunshine, and clean, fresh air. Sierra Vista is in Cochise County.

Along with an enjoyable mild climate year round, Sierra Vista also has a thriving economy along with a strong job market. Some of the major employers in the area are Fort Huachuca, Sierra Vista School District, Sierra Vista Regional Health Center, Northrop Grumman Corporation, General Dynamics, Aegis Communication Group, Inc., City of Sierra Vista, Wal-Mart, Cochise College and Lawley Automotive Group.

The Sierra Vista area is also a place that people love to retire in or gather as snow birds. The mild climate, affordable living, Tucson Medical Center is fairly close, the beautiful mountain views, two championship golf courses, and an abundant of outdoor activities makes this area an excellent place to live, retired or not.

The Sierra Vista area is known as the hummingbird capital of America. This area has an abundant of wildlife that draws tourist from around the world, especially bird watchers. At the foot of the Huachuca Mountains is Ramsey Canyon, operated by the Nature Conservancy, and where visitors can observe up to 14 species of hummingbird, as well as hundreds of other birds, mammals, reptiles and plant life. The San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area is also home to 350 species of migrating and breeding birds and nature lovers can enjoy around 40 miles of riverbank along the San Pedro River.  

Fort Huachuca is a United States Army installation under the command of the United States Army Installation Management Command. The base is home to the Army Network Enterprise Technology Center (NETCOM)/9^TH Army Signal Command and the United States Army Intelligence Center.  The Army base is also headquarters of Army Military Affiliate Radio System, the Joint Interoperability Test Command and the Electronic Proving Grounds.

The fort is also home to a radar-equipment aerostat, one of a series maintained for the Drug Enforcement Administration by Lockheed Martin. The aerostat is based northeast of Garden Canyon and, when extended, supports the DEA drug interdiction mission by detecting low-flying aircraft attempting to penetrate the United States.

Fort Huachuca was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1976. With a long history dating back to 1877, the army base was established because of the threat of the Chiricahua Apache Indians to ranchers and prospectors. After the surrender of Geronimo in 1886 the Fort was kept open because of its strategic border position to Mexico. The base became home to the “Buffalo Soldier” of the U.S. 10^th Cavalry Regiment for twenty years. Fort Huachuca has grown into a high security modern day base while preserving many of the military installation’s original buildings still in use today.

Cochise County consists of much of the area in Southern Arizona, south of Tucson. There are areas not yet mentioned in this section that are worthy of a weekend trip. Some points of interest or towns are as followed:

If a good ghost town and a scenic drive are your thing you might want to make the historic drive through the Dragoon Mountains off I-10 just east of Benson. State Route 191 takes you through the Dragoon Mountains to places like Pearce, Cochise Stronghold, Gleeson and Courtland. The mountains alone are worth the drive because of the rock formations and wildlife you may see but these old towns offer the Ghost town enthusiast some adventure.

The history of the area comes from the Chiricahua Apache Indians. These were the stomping grounds for the great Apache Chief, Cochise and his people. Cochise and his people used the mountains and high rock formations as protection and the ability to see for a 100 miles if the U.S soldiers were coming.  Cochise is reputed to have been a master strategist and leader who was never conquered in battle. Upon his death, Cochise was buried somewhere in or near his fortress but the exact location has never been revealed or determined.  

The Chiricahua National Monument is one of the most fascinating areas in the state. Off State Route 191 head east at the Sunizona intersection and travel into one of the most incredible areas in this  mountain range. A “Wonderland of Rocks” is waiting for you to explore. This forest of rock spires was eroded from layers of ash deposited by the Turkey Creek Volcano eruption 27 million years ago. The scenic drive and 18 miles of day-use hiking trails provide opportunities to discover the beauty, natural sounds and inhabitants of this area. “The Wonderland of Rocks” area is simple amazing and one can only wonder how these rocks formed and how they, literally hang on to each other. A one mile circular route winds through some of the most impressive rock groups which include examples of balanced rocks – boulders perched precariously on top much thinner supporting columns. One wonders how these rocks can simple stay balanced and not topple over. Some of these formations have been named, such as, Punch N Judy or Organ Pipe to name a few of the formations. If camping or a picnic is what you are looking for Rucker Canyon is the place.

Due to the relatively high elevation, the climate in the Chiricahua Mountains is quite different to that of the surrounding deserts. This means that unusual species of plants and animals are present, many of them native to Mexico and not found elsewhere in the U.S.  You might be able to find rare species of birds, such as the elegant trogon and Mexican chickadee plus mountain lions, javelinas, ocelots, maybe a snake or two, a hooded skunk and possibly a large yellow spiny lizard. The skunk and the lizard are relatively rare.

Another historical place in this area is the Faraway Ranch in Bonita Canyon. Faraway Ranch was the home of the Swedish immigrants, Neil and Emma Erickson, who settled in Bonita Canyon in the late 1880’s. Their home evolved from a simple homestead to a thriving guest ranch that was in operation from 1917 to 1972. Explore the grounds on your own, or check at the visitor center for tour times of the house.

The Chiricahua Mountains was home of the Apache Indians and Geronimo, their famous chief. During the 1860’s and 1870’s the Apache tribe was lead by Geronimo and Cochise, these two men lead some of the most brutal raids on the white man.  If you look at the Chiricahua Mountains from a distance it takes on the image of Geronimo’s profile laying down.  

If you travel further south on State Route 191 you can pass through such little towns as Elfrida or McNeal on the way to Douglas. Douglas is one of the border towns on the Mexico border from Cochise County. The main claim to fame for Douglas is the Gadsden Hotel. Many western/cowboy movies were filmed in Southern Arizona and if the filming included the far southeastern parts of Arizona the movie stars and cast would stay at the very prominent Gadsden Hotel. The hotel has been featured on a television show, “Unsolved Mysteries”, in the 1990’s. Many guest and hotel employees have sworn to the fact that have seen ghost. If you stay there let me know if you see anything.

As this adventure you have been on with me, traveling through Southern Arizona, hopefully has given you a reason to take a long weekend trip to tour history and amazing scenic drives. You will encounter some friendly faces, towns and fun places to shop plus experience the old west. Enjoy the pictures.

The next section we will explore is the Northwestern part of the state and we will follow the Colorado River south to Mexico.