Arizona Ghost Town Road Trip

Sheryl Linn
Apr 8, 2023
3 min read

Roger and I recently spent the day on an Arizona ghost town adventure in southeastern Arizona. Along the way, we passed through the area of Texas Canyon. Texas Canyon is a valley in Cochise County, Arizona, about 20 miles east of Benson on Interstate 10. The canyon lies between the Little Dragoon Mountains to the north and the Dragoon Mountains to the south and is known for its giant granite boulders. Below are photos we took at the Texas Canyon Rest Area:

Our first stop was in the town of Cochise.

This town was founded in the 1880s as a railroad stop. At one point, Cochise had a thriving population of 3,000. It is best known for the Cochise Hotel, where Doc Holliday's lady friend, Big Nose Kate, worked after his death. The town had a population of about 1,500 in 2000; some accounts claim that has dwindled to just 50 today. When we arrived, the Cochise Elementary School was in session.

The sun was shining right above the hotel while we were there. This made the lighting for taking pictures a bit off, but you can still see what the building looked like.

Cochise Hotel

The Cochise Country Store is located just across the street from the hotel.

The Cochise Church

U.S. Post Office and General Store

Pharo Bank

From Cochise, we headed south to the historic town of Pearce.

Pearce

Pearce is an old mining ghost town. The town was founded shortly after gold was spotted in 1894 and the development of the nearby Commonwealth Mine. Once a thriving community, the town slowly began to decline in the 1930s and nearly died when the mine closed for good a decade later.

Historic Pearce Townsite's population is recorded at 15. I had a nice conversation with a woman living there operating a pottery and metal art store. Pearce may be small, but it does have some interesting areas to photograph and explore.

Pearce General Store dating back to1896

The Old Store on Ghost Town Trail

The Pearce Jail

Our next stop was Gleeson.

Gleeson is a former mining camp settled at the base of the Dragoon Mountains. The town was briefly known as "Turquoise" in the 1870s for the semi-precious stone found in the area. The town was then abandoned in the 1890s for gold mining nearby. In 1900, the town came to life again when miner John Gleeson opened the Copper Belle Mine. This lasted for about 30 years when the mines were closed and people slowly moved out of town.

Gleeson Jail (Restoration began in 2008)

Joe Bono Saloon, Gleeson

On to our final destination, Fairbank.

Fairbank was settled in 1881 as the nearest railroad stop to Tombstone. Because of this, Fairbank became an important commerce depot and stagecoach station for travelers. This economic boom only lasted a few years until Tombstone’s mines flooded. Fairbank was given a second chance when the railroad connected to Bisbee. Over time, however, the town’s population declined, and it was finally abandoned in the 1970s.

Today, The Bureau of Land Management is managing the property; many buildings are still standing and being stored.