Weird Wild West
Words and images from Bisbee, Arizona and the annual Sidepony music festival.
by Josiah Q. Roe
“All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible.”
-- T. E. Lawrence
”All the best things in life are freaks” - Bisbee graffiti
11 miles north of the US-Mexico border situated on a “sky island” in the largest desert in North America, the old mining town of Bisbee, Arizona and its three “suburbs” of Lowell, Warren, and San Jose, possess a people, culture, and charm as particular and peculiar as its location. A place where people build shrines overlooking town.
To visit requires a passion for exploration. To remain, soul, and a love for creativity as varied as the flashes of color and art that cover nearly inch of its buildings, vehicles, rocks, and stone.
When copper was discovered in the Mule Mountains, rapid development led the to town swelling to over 20,000 people by the end of the 19th century, making it one of the fastest growing towns between St. Louis and San Francisco.
Evidence of mining is everywhere, but none so notable as the Lavender Pit, a 900’ deep open pit copper mine, or as locals call it: “Our Big-Ass Hole”. Tours are available at the Queen Mine.
As large-scale mining come to a close by the 20th century, “Old Bisbee” attracted numerous artists and artisans of all kinds, who came for love, climate, and freedom.
Some, like Keith Kifer of the Lunatic Fringe Luthiery, left San Diego so he could pursue his twin loves of making music and creating instruments from non-traditional objects like suitcases, vacuum cleaners, and vintage hubcaps.
Others, like textile designer Clare Harlin of Classic Rock Couture began visiting work and find relief from the summer heat. Work turned to love, both personal and civic, and she made Bisbee her permanent home.
Recently the Grand Bisbee Hotel, and Old West Victorian Hotel & Saloon, was bought and is undergoing an extensive renovation of its kitchen, pool hall, and saloon, including a large stage for music and events. It has six ornately decorated suites going back to the beginning of the 20th century: The Victorian, The Oriental, The Captain's, The Hacienda, The Western, The Hollywood, and The Garden.
At its peak Bisbee was home to over 50 saloons, and to this day the wild, weird, beating heart of the town is The Gulch, and no place embodies its anything-goes soul than St. Elmo, one of the 7 Historic Dive Bars in the US according to the Historic Trust for Historic Preservation and the longest running drinking establishment in Arizona. It bleeds character and characters, at all hours.
Across the Gulch from St. Elmo on the second floor of The Silver King Hotel is The Room 4 Bar, Arizona’s smallest bar, with only four seats but ambience in spades.
Down the street from St. Elmo is The Bisbee Séance Room, home to Magic Kenny Bang Bang’s Parlour, and a deeply informative and wildly entertaining magic show & local history lesson.
But no event captures the freewheeling spirit of the Gulch than Sidepony Express, a 3 day sprawling music festival featuring over 100 bands playing in every bar, cafe, courtyard, and rooftop from The Jonquil to Poco to The Quarry to Chuckleheads. Bands from across the country descend, like the Cosmic Cowboys, Revizor, and Las Chollas Peligrosas.
A recent addition to Sidepony has been the expansion up Tombstone Canyon to The Jonquil Motel, which has a large backyard venue, sauna, and bar.
Southeast of Bisbee across The Pit is the neighborhood of Lowell and its famous Erie Street, which looks like an abandoned, atompunk, 1950’s dystopian movie set.
In the early 20th century most of the residential area was consumed by the expansion of the mine, and since then the area has largely been abandoned, with storefronts converted to museum pieces by the Lowell Americana Project.
An exception is the fantastic Bisbee Breakfast Club, a worthwhile visit while exploring Lowell.
Lowell is also home to the wonderful (and on-brand for Lowell) vintage trailer hotel, The Shady Dell.
Finally, southeast of Lowell is the residential neighborhood of Warren, home to The Bisbee Farmers Market, Doug Stanhope (author of “Keep Warren Boring”), mine tailings, and The Warren Ballpark: one of the oldest ballparks in the United States and pre-dating Wrigley Field by 5 years.
To learn more visit Discover Bisbee.
