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Home > Visitor > Heritage & Culture

Mining - Past and Present


The wealth just under our feet shaped the history of the area. Copper and silver made towns like Bisbee and Tombstone western legends. The world's largest gem and mineral show is held in Tucson. And mining is a major portion of the economy of the area and the state.


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  Mining
 
1. Bisbee, AZ Add To myTucson Vacation Planner
520-432-3554, 866-224-7233, off AZ Hwy. 80. Hours and attraction prices vary. Call for information. Allow a full day.
Copper mining in the late 1800s put this town on the map—and this is where you’ll find real Bisbee turquoise. Bisbee is one of the best-preserved turn-of-the-century towns in the United States—its architecture has changed little since the early 1900s. The historic buildings now house art galleries, antique shops, and restaurants. The Bisbee Trolley and walking tours from the Bisbee Chamber of Commerce take you past old brick buildings lining narrow, winding streets—patterned much like old San Francisco.

 
2. Bisbee Mining & Historical Museum Add To myTucson Vacation Planner
520-432-7071, off AZ Hwy. 80, #5 Copper Queen Plaza, Old Bisbee, Bisbee AZ. $4/adults, $3.50/seniors, children up to 16 years $1. Open 10 a.m.–4 p.m. daily.
America’s first rural Smithsonian Institution affiliate exhibits “Bisbee: The Urban Outpost on the Frontier,” outlining the area’s rich mining history and displaying many of the minerals found in the region.

3. Queen Mine Tours Add To myTucson Vacation Planner
866-432-2071 or 520-432-2071, off AZ Hwy 80, 478 Bart Rd., Old Bisbee, Bisbee AZ. $12/adults, $5/children 4–15, under 4 free. Five tours daily: 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 12 p.m., 2 p.m., 3:30 p.m.
Don a yellow rain slicker, hard hat, and miner’s lamp and ride the train down into Arizona’s only underground mine tour. Experience the adventure of hard-rock miners. Tours are escorted by former miners.