Drive the Broadway of the Americas -- from Interstate 10 at Benson down to Douglas on the US-Mexico border. Where Cochise and later on, Geronimo roamed, raiding the ranches, fighting the Buffalo Soldiers and Mexican Army. Each of our small towns is pure Western history. Start with Benson, and imagine the Southern Pacific coming through in 1880 and suddenly it was possible to rapidly bring heavy mining equipment to Tombstone, just 25 miles away. Tombstone was a wild silver boom town for a few years, and then they found huge deposits of copper another 25 miles south in Bisbee. Huge! Check out the Lavender Pit, and delight in this historic town with all their little houses crazy-glued on the canyon's steep slopes. The copper went down to the smelters in Douglas for many years, and then off on the railroad to help electrify a growing nation. America's first international airport is here too. Amelia Earhart flew in, staying at the Gadsden Hotel, with its beautiful marble lobby and large Tiffany stained-glass windows. And a (sshh) secret tunnel in the basement that went all the way to Mexico, back in Prohibition!
Arizona's Highway 80 is now a National Historic Highway. You can read all about it here --
https://preservetucson.org/stories/historic-arizona-u-s-route-80-designation/
-- but even better, come explore this magic land, with whispers of the past everywhere, and a sky so clear and blue you won't want to ever return home. Not that you have too -- Benson alone has 1800 RV spaces, and real estate in Tombstone, Bisbee, and Douglas is delightfully inexpensive. See you soon!
Maps are hi-res JPGs, pinch-out (spread) to enlarge... and they will also print to fill one sheet of paper.
You'll find up-to-date information about events, attractions, restaurants, saloons and lodging at DiscoverTombstone.com ...
Best local info site: http://TombstoneWeb.com
Your best Bisbee tourism website -- https://www.discoverbisbee.com/
Mexico, Rodeo and Portal, Wine Country up to Willcox, Chiracahua and Coronado Nat'l Monuments, Hummningbirds and Hiking in Sierra Vista... there's so much to do in Southern Arizona and Sonora!
Enjoy historic Highway 80 -- in the heart of Cochise County!
