BISBEE WALKING TOUR FIELD GUIDE
Brewery Gulch to the Copper Veins: A 90‑Minute Walk Through Bisbee’s Boom-and‑Bust Streets
A guided 1.5-hour walking tour of Old Town Bisbee that traces the town’s copper boom, its notorious Brewery Gulch district, and the disasters and social changes that shaped the community.
Brewery Gulch to the Copper Veins: A 90‑Minute Walk Through Bisbee’s Boom-and‑Bust Streets.
Threading narrow streets above a former copper camp, the Bisbee Historic Tour unspools the town’s rise from Jack Dunn’s 1877 copper claim to Arizona’s largest and most prosperous 19th‑century town: tent camps turned mining neighborhoods, miners trudging twelve‑hour shifts up and down canyons, and a rambunctious Brewery Gulch that once brimmed with saloons, gambling houses, opium dens and houses of ill repute. The tour also lays bare the cost of that fortune — a 7.4 earthquake in 1887, repeated fires, floods, disease and the slow decline after the mines closed in 1974 — and examines Bisbee’s transformation into a settled county seat and enduring community.
Highlights
Outing Highlights
From Jack Dunn’s Claim to Arizona’s Biggest Boom Town
Learn how a copper strike filed by Jack Dunn in 1877 set off a regional boom that made Bisbee the most prosperous town in Arizona through the early 1900s and established it as Cochise County’s seat.
Old Town’s Junctions and Miner Paths
The walk begins in Old Town and follows the routes miners took between canyons and homes, illustrating how topography and industry shaped the town’s streets and neighborhoods.
Brewery Gulch and the Town’s Wilder Days
Discover why the area outside the mines became known as Brewery Gulch, infamous for its saloons, gambling establishments, opium dens and other vice — and hear how prohibition and social change altered Bisbee’s character.
What the day feels like
What the Walk Feels Like
The Bisbee Historic Tour is a focused walking introduction to Old Town: a compact, interpretive stroll that anchors stories of copper, disaster and social life to specific junctions, streets and neighborhoods, uncovering the layers of a mining camp that became a city.
Suitability
Who it's for
Who this tour suits (and who should check with the operator)
Practical planner
Details to review before reserving
The guided walking tour runs approximately 1.5 hours.
Participants meet at The Grassy Park in Old Town Bisbee.
A guided walking tour through Old Town Bisbee that visits key historic junctions, Brewery Gulch and mining‑era sites.
This is a walking tour; plan for a 1.5‑hour on‑foot outing in an urban, historic setting.
Review cancellation policies before reserving.
Frequently asked questions
Planning Your Outing
How long is the Bisbee Historic Tour?
The tour lasts approximately 1.5 hours.
Where do we meet for the tour?
Groups meet at The Grassy Park in Old Town Bisbee.
What topics does the tour cover?
The tour covers Bisbee’s copper boom beginning with Jack Dunn’s 1877 claim, the development of Brewery Gulch, disasters such as the 1887 earthquake and later fires and floods, the impact of prohibition, and changes after the mines closed in 1974.
Where does the walking portion begin?
The walking portion begins at the junction of Tombstone Canyon and Zacatecas Canyon in Old Town Bisbee.
When did Bisbee’s mines close?
The mines closed in 1974.
Who operates the Bisbee Historic Tour?
The tour is offered by Trails and Tales of Cochise County.