A colored postcard of Upper Main Street. The front caption reads: “Looking Down Main Street From Quality Hill, Bisbee, Arizona.” The back caption reads: “Looking Down Main Street From Quality hill, Bisbee, Arizona Bisbee, noted for its mineral wealth, has a population of about 16,000 and one of the busiest towns in the Southwest. Crowed into a half dozen blocks is the business section, while the residential section is built principally along the steep hillsides rising from the two main canyons.” The postcard is unused and was published by Curt Teich American Art, Chicago, Illinois. Gila County Historical Society Collection.

Once a small, winding pack mule road, Bisbee’s Main Street became the main artery of town. In the early years of the copper boom wood shacks, small businesses, and boarding houses sprang up alongside the dirt road. As miners, merchants and their families moved to Bisbee for the copper boom the area became crowded. It was battered by monsoon floods and scorched by fire; the great fire of October 14th, 1908 burned many of Main Street’s businesses to ash. As long as the mines were still productive, Bisbee residents had the will to rebuild they enforced fire codes and rebuilt in cement and brick, setting in the canyon a city that would survive generations. Among the many businesses that once operated on Main Street include the Fair Store, the Bisbee Daily Review, the Bank of Bisbee, JCPenney, DeSoto and Plymouth, Enna Jettick Shoes and F.W. Woolworths. Today along with its restaurants, hotels, and shops; galleries and antique stores have today become a staple of the businesses along Main Street.

1998.4.6