Arizona Travels: The Mining Town of Globe

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Globe has been hit hard by the mines closing and merciless economy. The population has dwindled over the years and many businesses have closed their doors in the historic district. Even though the town has been hit hard, there are still reasons to visit Globe. In the historic district you will find antique shops, and great places to eat. Since the city has lots of history, there are many places to tour and take in the sites.

The Old Dominion Mine is now open for tours and can be seen from the highway. You will be able to hike the trails and check out the new amenities. There are plans to open more of the mine at a later date with various other attractions.

The Gila County Historic Museum is another place to see while in Globe. This wonderful place has photos, artifacts, and other information on the history of Globe.
Gila County Historic Museum
1330 N. Broad Street
Globe, AZ 85001
Phone: (928) 425-7385
Open: Monday – Friday

A couple of other places to visit and take in their tours are the Gila County Courthouse and Jail. Both places have many Wild West photos and artifacts from Globes interesting past. Outside, between the two buildings and above the ground is the metal bridge where prisoners would walk to the jail after being sentenced in the courthouse.

Gila County Courthouse
1400 E. Ash Street
Globe, AZ 85501
Phone: (928) 425-3231



Gila County Jail Globe
1100 S. South Street
Globe, AZ 85501
Phone: (928) 425-4449

A great place to lay your head for a night or two is at the Noftsger Hill Inn. This building once was an elementary school and sits high atop of a hill overlooking Globe. Today, it has been remodeled and converted into an impressive Bed and Breakfast. Inside, you will see lots of evidence of the old school house with class-size rooms, high ceilings, large windows, and in some rooms’ original chalkboards still hang on the walls. Included in the price with your night’s stay is a delicious homemade breakfast. Also, if you like sleeping with ghosts, this is your kind of inn. My friends and I have had some paranormal experiences while staying there.

Noftsger Hill Inn
425 North Street
Globe, AZ 85501
Phone: (928) 425-2260 or 1(877) 780-2479

One other place I highly recommend while you are in Globe is the Besh-Ba-Gowah ancient ruins at the edge of town. Today, many of the buildings and walls are still standing. The passage remains and takes you between the skeletal leftovers of the dwellings to the central plaza. Some of the structures have been restored to their original status for visitors to get an idea of the living conditions of the Salado people. The wood ladders have been re-created for visitors to climb to the second floor where many of the pottery pieces found in the excavation are now displayed. When they dug up the area, they found ladders, pottery, utensils, jewelry, and other furbishing items in remarkable shape. From the second floor you will see another ladder leading to the roof of the pueblo.  They used the roof as another way to walked from one structure to another. Also located on the site is an Ethno-botanical garden with an amazing variety of desert plant life, and the Besh-Ba-Gowah museum which displays artifacts of the Salado, a model of the ruins as it probably appeared in the 13th century and a wonderful variety of gifts.

Besh-Ba-Gowah Archaeological Park
1324 S. Jesse Hayes Rd., Globe, AZ 85501
Phone: (928) 425-0320
Fees: Children (under 12) – FREE
          Adults and Teens (12-64) - $5.00
          Seniors (65+) - $4.00
Hours: Open 362 days a year, 9am – 5pm
             Closed: Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Years Day
*The park is owned and operated by the City of Globe, AZ

There are many abandoned places all around Globe for that urban explorer. To get to Globe from Phoenix, AZ, you drive up U.S. Highway 60 (Historic Old West Highway). Globe is along the highway about 90 minutes east of Phoenix.

Comments

  1. AnonymousNovember 15, 2013 at 1:33 PM

    You should visit the old Globe cemetary. There are 100's of graves dating back to the early to mid 1800's. There is even an old Chinese section for all of the immigrant workers thet were brought to the area to finish the railroad sytstem. The old cemetary is located directly above the new cemetary on a hill. Heading E. on Hwy 60 turn right on Hackney Ave. follow until you see the fork in the road. Take Jones St. to the entrance.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousOctober 18, 2014 at 7:07 PM

    I spent the night there in 1976

    ReplyDelete
  3. swahiligirlOctober 3, 2015 at 5:18 PM

    My family has 4 generations from Globe/Miami and the history is so great of them that my Great Grandparents have a street named after them. Going back in November. I love the history of the area and the views, nothing beats a desert sunset!

    ReplyDelete

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