Echoes of the Southwest

I have trekked to and stayed in Bisbee, AZ several times.   It was the ghost stories and the evidence that Ghost Hunters found at the Copper Queen Hotel that was why myself and several friends wanted to go there in the first place.   Built in 1902, the classy hotel was constructed by a wealthy Copper Queen Mining Company.   The hotel was built for the mining executives and played host to traveling men, governors and dignitaries.   It is located in the heart of down town Bisbee and is well maintained to this day. There are a few well-known spirits that haunt the place.   A prostitute named Julia Lowell committed suicide after a gentleman suiter refused to dump his wife for her.   Now the sadden ghost haunts room 315 which was named after her.   Apparently she will only materialize for men staying in her room.   They report a white mist, a female whispering in their ear, their sheets being pulled back so she can rub their feet, and awak...

Just north of Durango and along Highway 550, you will find the James Ranch.  For over 50 years, the James Ranch serves their customers lunch and dinner with delightful meats, cheeses and vegetables they harvest on the ranch.  They use organic, sustainable and grass-based practices for years which you will find in all the items they provide such as sauces and even pickles.   If they don’t make it on the farm, they will use local items from the neighboring people. The Harvest Grill and Greens is a fun family place to go.   You can order any one of their freshly made sandwiches, burgers, bratwurst, salads and a kids menu to delight the little ones.   While enjoying your meal, you can sit on the terraces which have amazing scenery of the ranch. We found out that every Thursday in the summer (5-8pm), you can enjoy your dinner with the sounds of a live band.   It cost $20 and includes a Harvest Grill Signature Burger (beef or veggie) with kids under 12 ge...

Ouray is a darling little town tuck inside the mountains of Colorado, and is a “Home Rule Municipality”.   Just over a thousand souls call Ouray home.   “Originally established by miners chasing silver and gold in the surrounding mountains, the town at one time boasted more horses and mules than people. Prospectors arrived in the area in 1875. In 1877, William Weston and George Barber found the Gertrude and Una gold veins in Imogene Basin, six miles south southwest of Ouray. Thomas Walsh acquired the two veins and all the open ground nearby. In 1897 opened the Camp Bird Mine, adding a twenty-stamp mill in 1898, and a forty-stamp mill in 1899. The mine produced almost 200,000 ounces of gold by 1902, when Walsh sold out to Camp Bird, Ltd. By 1916, Camp Bird, Ltd. had produced over one million ounces of gold .”   (Wikipedia) When mining was booming, Ouray had over 30 operational mines.   It was integrated on October 2, 1876 and got its name from Chief Ouray fro...