A black and white photo postcard of the base of Clawson Hill. Note the large house in the right-hand corner is no longer there. The house belong to Emil Marks and later his son David J. Marks, County Attorney. Dave Marks died in the house when it burned down in April 1950. The front caption reads: “Bisbee, Arizona”. The postcard is unused, and the publisher is unknown. Fred Phillipi Collection.

David J. Marks was born January 22nd, 1906 and later studied law and became an attorney. He worked as the trustee for Lloyd Leslie Gilman. For the Arizona County Attorneys and Sheriffs Association, he was elected president on June 25th, 1949. On April 5th 1950, David Marks died at the age of 44 in a house fire, the cause of the fire was suspected to be a dropped cigarette. Bisbee firemen fought the blaze for half an hour before recovering the body. Cause of death was from both burns and smoke inhalation. His requiem mass was held at Saint Patricks’s Church at 9:00 am on April 10th, 1950 and his funeral was held at the Elk’s Home at 4:15 pm. He was given military services at Evergreen Cemetery where he was buried at O - 259 - 18. - Bisbee’s first residences were simple miners shacks assembled from the trees in the surrounding area. They sprang up around potential mining claims. As investment from the east poured in after viable ore bodies were found, the copper camp’s population rose dramatically leading to overcrowded wooden residences. These dwellings were vulnerable to flood and fire, especially those build lower in the canyon. The great October Fire of 1908 demolished most of these structures along Main Street in Bisbee. In the aftermath, many structures were rebuilt of brick and concrete. Many of Bisbee’s homes and boarding houses were built with porches that decades later were remodeled into sun rooms or mud rooms. After Phelps Dodge ended copper mining in Bisbee the population collapsed and houses went for cheap bringing in artists, hippies, and real estate speculators that permanently altered culture of the town. Today, many of the houses and other buildings in old Bisbee have been transformed into rentals, apartments, or otherwise including the former YMCA and more recently the Bisbee High School.

1996.10.3