10/09/2013 to 10/10/2013
This is a route that takes you through several old mining towns that once boomed but died, or nearly died out, after their mines petered out. All these towns are in the Tombstone area, so naturally we started there with the "Good Enough Mine" Tour.
We love ruins of all kinds, especially when it requires a dirt road to get there. On this trip we had well maintained dirt roads, washboard dirt roads, bad dirt roads and "Holy Crap" dirt roads. It was great.
- Good Enough Mine Tour & Tombstone
- Gleeson Ghost Town
- Courtland Ghost Town
- Pearce - Almost Ghost Town
- Dragoon Springs
- Old Fort Rucker
Yes, this is the Tombstone where Wyatt Earp had the famous shootout, and yes, they still recreate it on a regular basis. Some of the original buildings still stand and host museums or shops. However gunfights did not make this town, mining did.
In 1878 Ed Schieffelin filed a claim and called it "Good Enough" because the silver ore was so rich it was good enough for him. The mine only opened for tours in 2007. Until then the only attractions in Tombstone were recreated gunfights and touring historic buildings.
Now that is a town motto
Looking down one of Tombstones streets
The Tombstone Fire House
The Crystal Palace Saloon - well more than that now
An art shop on the main street
The Courthouse. This place is great. I have done numerous bat counts here
The Bird Cage Theater. They have kept much as it was, bullet holes and all
The City Hall
They have some colorful people taking your money for the tour.
The plaque about the Good Enough Mine
Some old processing equipment
Mine entrance
Going down into the mine
The first chamber as you enter the mine
Some items left behind by miners
Waling through a chamber
More miners tools left behind
This was was built by the miners from rubble. A technique used by Irish miners
Our guide and a look at an upper shaft
More mine tunnels. All done with dynamite and manual laber.
Azurite. It is a very colorful mine
More tunnels
Large calcite
The red paint is so you watch your head
Leaving the mine
Daylight
First stop on the trail was Gleeson. At one time over 500 people lived here, but then the mines played out and once again folks moved on.
The Gleason Cemetary
Some grave in the cemetary
Many old and some new markers
Plaque about Gleason Jail
The old Gleason Jail front
Back of Jail
An old wagon in back of the jail. You can see it is chained so it can not be stollen
Mailboxes of current Gleason residents
The old store
Joe Bono Saloon
Joe Bono Saloon
Old duplex. No idea what it was
An old house
A large foundtion of something. Maybe part of a processing site
Surrounding area
Looking off toward the mine tailings
Old water tower and mine tailings
Next stop on our Ghost Town Trail was Courtland. There is not much left but ruins and the desert is taking those rather quickly.
The Jail, It always seems the jail and saloon survive
Sturdy bars
Jail interior - way too much graffiti
They had separate bathrooms in the cells
Back of the jail
The Store - or what is left of it
It might have been impressive when it was constructed
The interior.
Walking along the "road" behind the store
Tandem grasshoppers. Love the intricate design on their wings
Across the road are the Two Towers
I have not idea what these buildings were
The two towers were part of one building and some smaller towers are left from the second
What is left of The Western Hotel
Western Hotel foundation
So, can it really be called a Ghost Town if folks live here? Guess it can. There are a few buildings, and the store has been renovated so you do have a couple places to stop if you wish.
Pearce - current population is 15
The tourist trap. We stopped in but the proprietor was too busy gabbing with a friend to serve us.
The church
The General Store
The jail - interesting the jail is inside a locked fence.
Guess they don't want it vandalized
You can see these old processing plant foundations from the road
It must have been a huge facility in its day
You can see some buildings that might still be in use
Some old wall
No idea what this once was
Dragoon Springs was a stage stop. Sitting smack in the middle of Chiricahua Apache land it was no wonder there were some skirmishes.
Getting here requires a good vehicle with high clearance. We managed to do quite well, although it was pretty rough. I took video of the road as we traveled but I am bouncing around so much you mostly see dashboard. Yes, we enjoyed it.
A plaque with a brief history of the battle between the Confederates and Apachee
The Confederate Graves
I'm in the shot so you can see how the wind was whipping that day. My hair is blowing a good 20 mph
A little history of the area
A sign about Dragoon Springs Station
Oh Look. Indigenous wildlife. The rarely seen Grey-Mantled Crumple-Horned Snorkack
What is left of the station
Apparently stone was in abundance in the area since so many structures are made from it
This give some idea of how isolated the station was
THE SHADOW PEOPLE AGAIN! They seem to follow us on many of our trips
Not to be confused with the fort of the same name in Alabama, this Fort Rucker was founded about 1878 to serve the Army during the Indian wars.
The Army left in the early 1880's and the land became a cattle ranch. In the late 1890s it was sold to a German artist and his wife who raised goats and cows. They sold it in 1919 and it reverted back to a cattle ranch. In 1943 it was purchased by Mrs. Ella Dana of New York as a retreat. Finally in 1979 it was given to the Forest Service for preservation. Quite a history.
The valley it sits in is very pretty, and we took a long time walking through all the buildings and ruins
As you walk up the first thing you see is the barn roof in the distance
Walk through the fence to the barn and the rest of the trail
You can see it's well weathered
The door
Barn interior
Continuing on the trail to the next building
The Officers Quarters
Window on the Officers Quarters
Officers Quarters interior
The interior trusses hae a design on them - presumably by the German artists Theodore & Mathilde Hampe
Rear of the Officers Quarters
Next stop is the bakery
Not much to see inside the bakery
It did have some lovely roofing
And what's left of the oven
The crossroads on the trail between the bakery and the commissary
Whats left of the commissary
You can see the foundation outline
The old traders building
Interior of the traders building
This gives you a little idea of the seclusion you feel in the valley
The fence and gate leading to the house
This was built sometime in the 30s or 40s
Part of the chimeny is collapsed
One part of the front with a green door and slanting green sills. I imagined a drive-in window
Around the back was the sunroom. George looks like a ghostly apparition inside
The front room
Part of the interior
The kitchen
Closets in the bedroom
Another room, this one with lots of blue.
One of the 2 fireplaces we saw
I called this the foyer
Obviously the last owner, Mrs. Dana, was not adverse to color
A water tower
