Echoes of the Southwest

Bisbee is a town where many ghosts seem to roam.  They have been seen in buildings, hotels, homes, and even on the streets around town.  In 2008, while staying at the Copper Queen Hotel, we had some paranormal experiences.  My son and some of his friends wanted to wander around the dark spooky streets of Bisbee at night.  When they got to a lighted staircase behind the hotel, he took a photo of it, and was surprised at what he saw.  It looked like a white figure walked by the staircase when he took the picture. The entire area was completely lit up.  We can't explain this. Sharon had a friend who also experienced seeing a figure on a staircase.  After taking a photo, something he couldn't explain showed up in his picture.  These stairs are located between a couple of buildings along the downtown area.  It took us awhile to find them, but after a few text messages back and forth, we were successful.  Immediately, we felt like something was there.  We took many photos, and

Snuggled below U.S. Highway 80, and 82 miles southeast of Tucson is the historic old town of Bisbee. Like many of the mining towns in Arizona, Bisbee was first founded because a rich vein of minerals was discovered nearby. It was in 1877 when a civilian tracker named Jack Dunn lead a small group of soldiers into the Mule Mountains. This band of military men was on the hunt for unruly Apaches reported in the area. To their surprise, instead of finding Apache warriors, they stumbled across signs of mineral deposits consisting of lead, copper, and silver. Shortly afterwards, a claim on the mine was filed and the town of Bisbee was born. Today, with the inexpensive real estate, ideal weather, an extraordinary history, Bisbee has attracted various types of people who call Bisbee home. This unusual mix of hippies, retirees, investors, and artist are among the residents living in this quirky mining town. There are many homes which sit high above the main street of old historic Bi

I look for many different aspects in deciding what to take a photo of.  The Evergreen Cemetery provided me with many of those opportunities.  Here are some of the following things I look for: I love shooting pictures through objects.   An old rusty fence at a cemetery is a nice effect. I am always keeping my eye out for the way shadows fall on objects and frame the picture for a more interesting look.  Also, I like to throw in my own shadow for another interesting effect. I love the way the sun setting through the trees and headstones gives off beautiful reflections of light and dark.  Also, having some of the sun's rays in the photo shows off another great effect.  My friend calls it "God shine". Another thing I look for in a western cemetery is the overgrown foliage.  The trees, bushes and shrubby can look like they are engulfing the grave site.

Not only are the headstones interesting, but some of the names on them are just as noteworthy.

Some of the interesting headstones I saw at the Evergreen Cemetery in Bisbee.

The Evergreen Cemetery is located just south of historic downtown Bisbee in Arizona.  Being at this cemetery at dusk is creepy and beautiful at the same time.  You always feel like the ghosts of the past are constantly watching you.  The way the setting sunlight hits the headstones and trees throughout the grounds is so gorgeous.  Everywhere I turned there was a photo opt waiting.  I took so many pictures that I will have to do a couple more posts showing this incredible western cemetery.