Come in and visit the Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum and learn of the great mining of copper that took place among the Mule Mountains and the men and women that made the landscape of Bisbee and the surrounding area such an attraction for those that wanted to extract the valuable mineral from the land. Not only did they mine the copper but there was also gold and silver extracted from the land.
The mines closed in the 1970′s but the history is preserved in the museum and the community. You will read about the men that risked their lives every day by going down to depths of 15oo ft and more, working with equipment that today would be considered antique and unsafe, and yet they brought out tons of rock for processing.
Bisbee’s storied past is recorded, reflected, and retold in this museum like no other; it is one of only 2,000 sites nationwide honored as a National Registered Landmark. Once the corporate headquarters of the Copper Queen Consolidated Mining Company (eventually purchased by Phelps Dodge Corporation), the museum is at the center of town and at the heart of its history, an evolving tribute to the community, its determined citizens, and the industry that helped build it.
The Museum is also part of the Smithsonian Institution’s Affiliations Program since 1998.
When you are done with the Museum you will want to go to the Queen Mine Tour and learn, first hand, of the life of a miner!
Hours:
Open Daily • 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Fees:
Adults: $7.50
Seniors (60+): $6.50
Children under 16: $3.00
Location:
No. 5 Copper Queen Plaza
Bisbee, Arizona
(520) 432-7071
Copper Queen Mine – Bisbee, Arizona
The Copper Queen Mine is now available for tours to lead by tour guides that are retired Phelps Dodge employees. They will lead the group down 1,500 feet into the mine and tell the stories of the mining days, the techniques they used, the dangers and drama they faced every day.
The mines closed in Bisbee in 1975. Prior to its closing, the mining industry had been in Bisbee for almost 100 years. At the time of closing the mines had produced nearly 8,032,352,000 pounds of copper, 2,871,786 ounces of gold, 77,162,986 ounces of silver, 304,627,600 lbs of led, and 371,945,900 lbs of zinc!
The tour will take you deep into the old workings of the mine where great tonnages of extremely rich copper ore were mined in the early days. It was one of the greatest treasure troves of copper ever discovered; right here in the Queen mine.
The Bisbee mines (of which the Queen Mine is one) include more than 2,500 miles of tunnels!
Bisbee is located approximately 90 miles southeast of Tucson.
Directions from Tucson: Interstate 10 East to Exit 303, Highway 80 – Benson, Tombstone, Bisbee. Highway 80 East approximately 49 miles to Bisbee. After the tunnel, take the 2nd exit – the Historic Bisbee exit. Exit right. The Queen Mine Tour driveway entrance is 50 feet straight ahead. Parking ins available at the tour site.
Tour times: 9 am, 10:30 am, Noon, 2 pm, 3:30 pm.
Cost: $12 + tax for adults; $5 + tax for ages 4-15 and Children under 4 are free.
Phone: for reservations and group rates call: 1-866-432-2071 or 520-432-2071.
It is a constant 41 degrees F in the mine so you may want to take a jacket.