History Up Close & Personal
Bisbee’s storied past is recorded, reflected, and retold in the Museum’s oral history collection. Share a smile at the memories of growing up, living, and working in Bisbee in its heyday as a thriving industrial city with a definite personality. If you are interested only in certain topics, such as mining, banking, holidays, ranching… you name it, use the keyword search.
Ruth Page
Content: Parents 1:00, Teaching 2:55, Dust Bowl 5:28, Tombstone, Arizona 7:21, Tombstone Union High School 9:35, Ft Huachuca Schools 14:28, Various classes taught in at Tombstone High School 20:13, High school banquets and Proms 24:05,Various classes taught in at Tombstone High 25:53
Interviewed By: Not Set
ListenSally Brittain interviewed by Beverly Woods
Content: Ranching 0:30, Breaking horses 1:49, Bunkhouses 3:20, Cattle drives 4:01, Snow 5:53, Cowboy life 8:13, grass club 10:53, Fake cowboys 13:39, Breaking horses 17:12, Old photos 18:31, Rope around pen 19:34
Interviewed By: Beverly Woods
ListenSally Brittain interviewed by Beverly Woods- Aug 5, 1996
Content: Childhood 0:23, Family 1:51, Homesteading 3:01, Ranching 6:56, Mining 10:32, Cowboys 11:28, Chuck wagon 18:45, Marriage 22:50, Cattle Ranching 24:45, Cattle drives 31:00, Breeding cattle 37:15, Breaking horses 44:19, saddles 46:40, Horses 47:36, cattle drives 49:45, dances 50:40, Ranch food 55:00, Windmilling 58:12
Date Recorded: 05/08/1996
Interviewed By: Beverly Woods
ListenSumner Daume interviewed by Elaine Saba April 22, 1994
Content: Tate Hill 2:21, Gas Plant 3:00, C&A Mining Company 4:50, Car Pusher 5:34, Bisbee Depot 7:06, Bisbee Schools 9:00, Copper queen Hospital 12:31, Social Activities at School 12:49, Baseball 13:48, Greenway School 15:00, Drinking Water 17:20, First gasoline pumps 20:14, Driving laws in Bisbee 21:59, Cars in Bisbee 22:15, Tucson Medical Center 23:42, Canenea Mexico 25:00, Street Cars 26:50, Moving Cemetery 27:04, Local swimming pool 28:27, Copper queen Mining Company 28:40, Prejudice 29:21, Coal Mine #2 31:01, Citizens Bank 34:41, Street Cars 35:15, Hornito Point 39:18, Main Street Bisbee 39:45, Red Light District 43:33, Mexico Border 45:30, Prohibition 45:38, Pre-Prohibition 47:23, Lowell 53:11, Fires 57:33, Lewis Springs 1:01:07, World War Two 1:02:22, Ethnic Groups 1:10:23, Religion 1:28:58
Date Recorded: 22/04/1994
Interviewed By: Elaine Saba
ListenSumner Daume interviewed by Elaine Saba- April 22, 1991
Content: Cemetery 0:29, Azurite Cemetery 2:03, Street car 7:31, Cemetery relocation 5:36, Schools in Bisbee 6:34, Street Car 7:31, Ballpark 8:16, Miner bands 10:14, Horse and Buggy 14:20, Serbian immigration 15:54, Horse drawn carriage 17:39, Cemetery relocation 19:08, Brewery gulch 30:00, Streetcar 37:58, Fire station 41:30, Streetcar 47:08
Date Recorded: 22/04/1991
Interviewed By: Elaine Saba
ListenSylvester Hickey Interviewer Unknown April 24th 1986
Content: Family Tree 00:50, Schooling 5:20, Store Hours 7:50, Traveling to Warren 11:10, Summer Storms 12:30, Coaster Races 12:50, Leaving Bisbee 14:50, Children 16:30, Opera House 21:35, Nationalities 25:30, Mortuary 26:50, Water Rushing Down Brewery Gulch 28:10, Brewery Gulch 29:45, YMCA 30:40, Deportation 31:50, Mexican Revolution 33:40, Going to Douglas 36:50, Ice Wagon 39:00, Family Store 42:50, Saloons 47:35, Shopping for Clothes 47:50, 4th of July 49:20, Banks 51:40, Church 53:10
Date Recorded: 24/04/1986
Interviewed By: Unknown
ListenThe Grant Family
Content: Nova Scotia 0:35, Scottish Immigration 1:00, Family tree 1:16, Water company 2:10, WWI 3:20, Family Tree 4:30, Train 5:39, Nova Scotia 6:10, Copper Queen miners pension 7:30, The lavender pit 8:10, Family pictures 10:00, Education 12:45, Death 14:00, WWII 14:43, Automobile 15:40, University of Arizona 16:58, Airlines 17:43, Family tree 19:10, Death 19:58,
Interviewed By: Unknown
ListenThe Smuglers trail presnted by Louis Curry interviewed by "Lectures" By Several Persons
Content: John Slaughter Ranch 0:39,John Slaughter 1:00,San Bernardino 2:39, Sheriff of Cochise county 3:15,John Slaughter Ranch 5:31, Skeleton Canyon 7:15, Gold Heist 8:25, Cattle heist 11:03, Geronimo 15:30, Apache 16:47, Native American migrations 17:38, Indian wars 18:15, Chinese immigration 18:57, Mexican Revolution 20:16, Prohibition & bootlegging 21:54, Modern drug smuggling 23:55, Geronimo surrenders 26:01, Chiracuahua 28:01, El Paso Southwestern Railway 19:07
Interviewed By: Not Set
ListenTheresa Murray interviewed by Beverly Woods May 9th 1996
Content: Family Tree 00:10, Smelter Closure 2:10, Learning Words 3:20, Languages at Home 4:30, Coming to Bisbee 7:00, Family Animals 16:35, Streetcars/Transportation 20:55, Home in Douglas 29:15, Diet 30:40, Shopping 35:18, Riding Horseback 38:30, Family Tree/Ranch Life 39:00, Cattle 53:20, Cooking 54:40, Food Storage 55:10, Chores 56:50, Birth 59:10
Date Recorded: 09/05/1996
Interviewed By: Beverly Woods
ListenTom Jay interviewer unknown
Content: Mining 0:25, Warren, Arizona 1:09, Various mining companies 2:20, Mexican Railroad 4:20, Copper mining 4:40, Mining supervisors and mangers 5:30, Transportation of copper ore 6:10, Ore refining process 7:00, Theodore Roosevelt and the Rough Riders 7:55, WWI 10:05, Mining 11:40, John Greenway 15:15
Interviewed By: Unknown
ListenTom Muat interviewed by Carl Nelson
Content: Living in Bisbee 00:10, Bisbee Deportation 00:20, Churches 2:20, Newspapers 3:30, Fight 3:55, School 4:20, Fort Huachuca 5:10, Banks of Bisbee 5:35, Electric Service 8:30, Deportation 10:00, Copper Queen Hotel 12:20, Bisbee Mines 13:10
Interviewed By: Carl Nelson
ListenTony Perotti, interviewed by Beverly Woods - Feb 22, 1994
Content: Italian immigration 0:10, Lineage 1:00, Mines 8:00, Mining claim 9:45, Mona Lisa mine 11:50, Fairbanks train line 15:00, Automobile 16:40, House 17:20, Courtland 18:00, Trains 20:00, Schools 22:05, Baseball 24:10, Courtland grocery stores 25:10, Chores 28:55, Utilities 29:35, Water supply 29:50, Telephone service 30:15, Rain 32:15, Ethnicity 34:20, Illegal immigration 35:20, Christmas 36:20, Food diet 39:30, Hunting 43:10, Dairy 43:50, The Great Depression 47:20, Gambling 49:40, Tombstone 55:50,
Date Recorded: 22/02/1994
Interviewed By: Beverly Woods
ListenUnk Unk ("John Doe") interviewer unknown
Content: John Campbell Greenway 0:23, Biography of John Campbell Greenway 1:05, Schooling 2:09, Bio of John Campbell Greenway 3:30, Employment in various mining companies 4:25, Copper mining companies 6:53, Ajo, Arizona 7:45, Smelting process 9:41, Rough Riders 9:57, Theodore Roosevelt 11:13, WWI 12:18, Daily Life 14:23, Automobile 16:32, Marriage 17:25, Children of John Campbell Greenway 18:05, Various titles of John Campbell Greenway 19:03
Interviewed By: Not Set
ListenVance Haynes interviewed by Carl Nelson 1974
Content: Archaeological excavating of Prehistoric man 0:25, Flooding 1:35, Mammoth kill sites 1:55, Clovis Man 3:01, Naco Mammoth find 3:36, Murray Springs mammoth kill 3:50, Various kill sites 5:40, Preservation of kill sites 5:40, Climate change and erosion 8:30, Preservation of kill sites 10:50
Interviewed By: Carl Nelson
ListenVera Hopkins interviewed by Beverly Woods
Content: WWI 0:05, Flu epidemic 0:26, Small Pox 0:48, Small pox 0:48, Native American horse race 2:14, Electricity 4:41, Schooling 6:45, Marriage 10:01, Family 12:30, Practical jokes 16:51, Drunken miner 24:10, illness 26:01
Interviewed By: Beverly Woods
ListenVera Hopkins interviewed by Beverly Woods-Jan 30, 1996
Content: 0:28 Parker family, Dancing 0:48, Parker Canyon 2:35, Various mining towns 4:40, Dance halls 6:01, Parker Family 8:40, cooking 12:40, Turkey raising 15:07, Adobe home 17:23, Canning 17:37, Hominy 19:40, Raising orphans 21:55, Household chores 23:39, Pancho Villa 25:18, Orphans 27:01, Childhood 29:58, smoking and preserving 31:24, Chuck Wagon 33:20, Ranch dogs 36:20, grocery stores 38:12, Church 39:51, orphans 47:00, Schooling 48:28, Horseback riding 50:50, Model T Ford 51:40, Rain 53:43, Food 55:00, illness 57:05, Horseback riding 59:45
Date Recorded: 30/01/1996
Interviewed By: Beverly Woods
ListenVessa Merrill interviewed by Cecil Beal
Content: Native American Raid 1:10, Horse theft by Native Americans 2:00, Killed by Native Americans 2:35, Marriage 3:33, Attempted horse theft 4:03, Hoisting Engineer 5:10, 4th of July 6:15, Central School 7:15, Brewery gulch 7:45, Water burros 8:43, Chinese Immigration 9:00, Schooling 9:45, Teaching 10:42, Biography 13:20, Church of Jesus Christ of Ladder Day Saints 13:45, Warren Hill 14:10, Arizona State University 14:24, Marriage 14:53, Health 16:35, The Bisbee chamber of commerce 17:05, Death 18:15
Interviewed By: Cecil Beal
ListenViolet White interviewed by Art Kent
Content: Immigration 1:00, Employment 1:29, School 2:25, Pastimes 3:30, Train 4:10, Mining 4:40, Transportation 5:20, Mexican Revolution 6:10, Naco nightclubs 8:10, Naco Army post 9:30, Fort Huachuca Army post 10:30, Meat salesmen 12:20, Business locations 14:00, Entertainment 14:55, Street car 15:48, Politics 17:20, YWCA 18:20, Boarding homes 18:50, Postal service 20:00, Bisbee deportation 20:50
Interviewed By: Art Kent
ListenVirginia Blackmer interviewed by Carl Nelson - Apr 19, 1972
Content: Mr. Bisbee 0:50, Social Worker 2:57, San Jose Community Association early achievements 3:40, National Guard Armory 6:30 American Legion 13:50, Hippie Culture 14:25
Date Recorded: 19/04/1972
Interviewed By: Carl Nelson
ListenW.A Carnahan-Art Kent
Content: Family 0:30, Flood 1:29, Childhood homes 2:18, Hazing 3:20, Dances 7:00, Transportation 7:20, Gold Gulch 8:03, 10th Calvary 8:41, Pastimes 10:01, Schooling 12:05, Douglas High School Rivalry 14:05, Streetcar 14:50, Bus 16:31, Seed wort 18:25, Basketball 20:13, Bodywork/Body men 22:05, WWII 22:40, Retirement 23:41
Interviewed By: Not Set
ListenWalter Boyer
Content: C.C.C ranch 0:38, Army 1:30, Phelps Dodge mines 2:48, Smelter 3:58, Mining 6:31, mining process 8:45, Miner friendship 12:37, Childhood pranks 13:56, Miner nicknames 15:42, injury 18:25, Truck driving 24:30, Phelps Dodge store 27:35, Pit mining 35:00, Unions 37:15, Miner housing 40:59, Auto Accident 44:30, Murder 47:00, Turquoise 48:56, Pickup truck 52:40, Miner conditions open pit mining 56:00
Interviewed By: Not Set
ListenWalter Brockbank interviewed by Carl Nelson February 20th 1972
Content: Transportation, Working Conditions, Entertainment, Population, School Life, Church Life, Coaster Races, 4th of July, Dances, Hospital, Deportation, IWW, American Legion Text: Biography 00:30, Transportation/Walking 00:45, Working Conditions 1:25, Entertainment 3:00, Schooling 3:40, CNA Picnic 7:00, Schools and Churches in South Bisbee 8:15, Population 9;45, Pedaling Bisbee Ore and the Bisbee Review 13:00, Dances 16:00, Coaster Races 16:50, WWI 18:55, **End of Interview with Walter Brockbank, New Interview Begins at 23:28 with Date and Person Unknown** Bisbee Hospital 23:28, Drs at the Hospital 24:50, IWW/Deportation 27:00, American Legion 39:20, Brothers Employment 40:00, Opening Leasing Companies 43:20, Arizona Becoming A State 45:50
Date Recorded: 20/02/1972
Interviewed By: Carl Nelson
ListenWalter Douglas interviewed by Robert Munson-Sept 16, 1974
Content: Tintown 1:00, Fire in Tintown/Bisbee Fire 1:15, Smelting process 3:55, Formation of the Copper Queen Mine 6:05,Family Tree 8:15, Family home 10:20, The Presidents of the Phelps Dodge Corporation 11:00, Bisbee Deportation and the Wobblies 12:15, Underground mining 14:15, Greyhound bus lines 14:45, Air travel 15:06,workers strike in Canenea Sonora 20:10, Mexican Revolution and the Arizona Rangers 23:30
Date Recorded: 16/09/1974
Interviewed By: Robert Munson
ListenWalter Douglas interviewed by Robert Munson-September,1974
Content: Coming to Bisbee 0:45, Tin town 1:01, Phelps Dodge 2:30, Smelting 3:35, Mining claims 4:35, Copper mining 6:30, Marriage 7:51, Childhood home 10:02, Bisbee deportation 12:14, Aviation Charter service 15:01, Congressional seat 18:49, mining strike 20:03, Mexican Revolution 22:59, Arizona Rangers 24:40
Interviewed By: Robert Munson
ListenWalter Douglas Jr Funeral Procession
Content: Funeral Music / Church organ 0:05, Funeral Music / Church organ 4:27, Funeral Procession 10:19, Hymns 10:55, Church sermon 15:39, Hymns 22:34, Sermon 24:43, Memories of Walter 37:00, Prayer 38:00, Biography of Walter Douglas Jr 38:40
Interviewed By: Unknown
ListenWes Allen interviewed by Carl Nelson March 31st 1975
Content: Coming to Bisbee 3:05, Employment 4:20, Operating a rod mill 6:00, Roll house 7:05, Furniture Business 7:55, Furniture Customers 10:50, Getting Furniture 11:30, Prices of Furniture 13:30
Date Recorded: 31/03/1975
Interviewed By: Carl Nelson
ListenWesley Allen interviewed by Carl Nelson - Mar 31, 1975
Content: Dos Cabezas 2:20, Proprietorship 3:10, Rod Mill 3:26, Roll House 3:50, Furniture business 5:05, Inflation 6:40, Arizona manufactures 8:26
Date Recorded: 31/03/1975
Interviewed By: Carl Nelson
ListenWestley Allen interviewed by Carl Nelson March 31st 1975
Content: Coming to Arizona 0:50, Coming to Bisbee 3:00, Using a Rod mill 3:30, Roll house 4:30, Furniture Business 5:30, Customers 8:00, Purchasing Furniture 8:30, Prices of Furniture 10:20
Date Recorded: 31/03/1975
Interviewed By: Carl Nelson
ListenWiley James interviewed by Carl Nelson-May 10, 1972
Content: Arriving in Bisbee 0:42, O.K Street 1:40, Sheet metal shop 1:52, Plumbing 4:05, WWI 4:30, WWI victory celebration 5:30, Plumbing 6:40, Model T Automobile 7:30
Date Recorded: 10/05/1972
Interviewed By: Carl Nelson
ListenWilliam A. Carnahan interviwed by Arthur Don Kent
Content: Parks and Leisure 2:45,Transportation 7:28, School Life 12:08, Work and Trade 22:00, Hunting 24:10
Interviewed By: Art Kent
Listen