A hand-colored postcard of the Copper Queen Hospital. The front caption in green on the top left reads: “Copper Queen Hospital, Bisbee, Ariz.’ The postcard is postmarked Bisbee November 20, 19?? 4 PM and was sent by R. M. (Rosa Murrell) to F J Murrell Tyrone New Mexico. The message on the back in ink reads: “Six Nov 20-Think I Will Start home Sun Morning. R. M. Leave key where I can get it.” The postcard was published by M. Rieder Publishing, Los Angeles, California.

In 1900, the Copper Queen Consolidated Mining Company built the first hospital next to the Rucker mine. There was no room for expansion at this location, so the Copper Queen Hospital was moved to Lowell in 1909. Twenty years later the underground mining operations threatened the stability of the hospital, so a new hospital was built near the Copper Queen Dispensary. Over the years the doctors that practiced at the Copper Queen Hospital included: Dr. Frederick A. Sweet – Chief Surgeon, Dr. George A. Bridge, Dr. Robert Ferguson, and Dr. Thomas Watkins was a company doctor from 1908 to 1934. The Copper Queen Dispensary also provided medical care and medicine to miners and their families. It was built on the original site of the Goldwater and Castaneda Store. For this care, miners paid a monthly fee. It was constructed in 1910 and then moved to its current location in 1914 while the old dispensary building was taken over by the Cochise Publishing Company who printed the Bisbee Daily Review.

1992.24.54