Cochise County
By Sam Lowe

A couple of words for anyone in search of an interesting weekend trip in Arizona: Cochise County.

Tucked away in Arizona’s southeastern corner, Cochise County’s 6,400 square miles contain a preponderance of hidden treasure, natural beauty, Old West history and manmade attractions.

The most priceless gem in the county’s tiara is Kartchner Caverns State Park, a magnificent underground wonder that has quickly risen to elite status among the state’s tourist attractions. Located in Benson about 9 miles south of Interstate 10 exit 302, the caves were kept secret for decades while the State Parks Department worked to protect the pristine world of stalagmites and stalactites before opening them to the public. The caverns should top everyone’s “must-see” list when planning a trip to the area. They’re open every day except Christmas. Hour-long tours run throughout the day and reservations are a must.

A couple of other attractions make lingering in the Benson area worthwhile. One is the Singing Wind Bookstore, located on Win Bundy’s working cattle ranch, a few miles north of town. It contains an excellent collection of southwestern literature. Another is Gammon’s Gulch, a manmade ghost town located farther north at Pomerene.

Interstate 10 continues east of Benson and Highway 80 goes south. There’s plenty of good stuff in either direction. Those who go east should consider stopping at the Amerind Foundation at Dragoon, a treasure hidden in Texas Canyon, about 15 miles east of Benson. The museum, housed in a Spanish Revival building, features an extensive collection of Native American exhibits ranging from kachinas to pottery.

Willcox, a few miles farther along I-10, is home to the Rex Allen Arizona Cowboy Museum, which holds relics and memorabilia from Allen’s career as a singing cowboy and B-western movie hero. A life-size statue of the hometown boy who made it big stands across the street from the museum.
The Chiricahua National Monument is another magnificent display of nature’s creativity. The monument, about 30 miles southeast of Willcox off Highway 181, is a breathtaking stand of massive rock formations balanced atop one another to create a fascinating landscape not found anywhere else in the world. The 11,850-acre spread contains hiking trails, camping facilities and a visitor center that details how all those rocks got on top of each other and why they stay there without falling down.

Those who take Highway 80 out of Benson don’t have to go far before encountering another item of interest — a 70-foot Celtic cross that emerges from the San Pedro River valley at the Holy Trinity Monastery near St. David. It’s one of a pair that watches over the county. The other sits on a hillside near Hereford, some 40 miles to the south, at Our Lady of the Sierras Shrine. A 31-foot statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary stands adjacent to that cross, and both look down over a small chapel.

Next up, Tombstone, the town that the movies won’t let die, even if it wasn’t too tough to die by itself. Once the site of the infamous shootout between the Earps and the Clantons, Tombstone also boasts the world’s largest rose bush and the state’s smallest park. The rose bush grows the Rose Tree, a small museum, and covers more than 8,000 square feet. The park is Tombstone Courthouse, completed in 1882 and now home to facts about the community.
And yes, there are still gunfights. Actors stage mock shootouts almost every day on Allen Street, and Boot Hill contains the remains of some of the participants in the real fights.

Bisbee is about 30 miles south and worth a stopover for those seeking more lore of the Old West. The old mining town is filled with reminders of the search for mineral wealth. The Lavender Pit, a world-class hole in the ground, goes down 1,000 feet and covers (or uncovers) 600 acres. The Queen Mine Tour takes sightseers on an underground excursion led by veteran miners; and the Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum has an excellent collection of mining facts and artifacts.

Sierra Vista, about 25 miles Northwest of Bisbee, is the home of Fort Huachuca, established in 1877 and still active as a U.S. Army facility. The post’s museum complex traces the Army’s history in the American West from the Buffalo Soldiers to the modern gadgets used in military intelligence.
History of another kind comes to life in Ramsey Canyon, south of Sierra Vista, where Dolan Ellis presents musical shows about the state’s folklore. Ellis, Arizona’s official balladeer, built the Arizona Folklore Preserve in cooperation with the University of Arizona South.

This list of places to go and things to see in Cochise County, while incomplete, will easily fill a couple of days and require a round trip of about 400 miles.