Great Weekend: A Bisbee State of Mind

BIS state mind

BEEKEEPERS, ARTISTS AND OFFBEAT REFUGEES PROVE THAT THERE'S MORE TO A COMMUNITY THAN GEOGRAPHY

KILLER INSTINCTS

In a reinforced nylon suit, "Killer Bee Guy" Reed Booth helps take the sting out of southern Arizona's Africanized bee population by moving them out of harm's way. (Just for fun, we added the sting back in by "cloning" some extra bees in the foreground.) Booth likens a killer-bee hive in a residential setting to a rattlesnake on the back porch, calling them "time bombs waiting to go off." When provoked, the aggressive insects are renowned for their ability to take down anything from humans to horses. In the right environment though, killer bees can be a sweet business. A higher metabolism (and the fact that they work weekends and holidays) enables the insects to produce twice as much honey, which Booth bottles for his award-winning Killer B brand of mustards, honey-butter-even lip balm. Booth's killer reputation won him an hour-long spot on the "Discovery Channel" that will air next fall. His risky bzzz-ness is also chronicled on www.killerbeeguy.com, and throughout his Bisbee storefront.

Bisbee.

Is it a place or a state of mind? Rather than answer that question, perhaps we should heed the octagonal sign at the intersection of Brewery Gulch and Howell Avenue that has the word "trying" scrawled across "STOP." Perhaps, but it makes sense to move around town and talk to some of the folks who call Bisbee home. If they don't know the answer, nobody does.

Ralph Rattelmueller speculates that he is "quite possibly the last independent grocer in America." He owns and operates Mimosa Market, a hundred-year-old grocery store located way up Brewery Gulch.

He came to Bisbee the way most folks do, the long way. He had heard about Bisbee from his brother, but had never visited. Then, "I had a kid who worked for me for a short time who was from Bisbee. He was a very unique person. He was just raised different. He didn't go to conventional schools and he had a crazy laugh. He was a very happy guy, and that just made me think about Bisbee some more."

Ralph and his wife and daughter took a vacation to Bisbee. "We had no intention of moving here. We were looking for something-my wife and daughter and I-for something to do. We were walking up here to see the Muheim [Heritage House Museum] and we saw the store. My wife and I looked at it and said, 'We can do this.'" They had just enough money from the sale of their home in Denver to buy the store.

"It's a really different kind of place," Ralph says. "We have a lot of artists and writers and musicians here, and those are just the kind of people I've always gravitated toward anyway."

WATCH IT GROW

At Bisbee's Southwest School of Botanical Medicine, Michael Moore (above) plants the ancient seeds of healing know-how into the minds of budding herbalists. The self-proclaimed "practicing humanist" has been teaching the curative powers of bushes and blooms for more than 25 years. Moore refers to his notable plant pedagogy as "subclinical" treatment: avoiding major medical mishaps through preventative and balanced body care. What began as a simple form of correspondence has blossomed into an art form for Kate Pearson (far right) with fellow Bisbee artist and friend Gretchen Baer, in the Postcard Room above her Naco Road studio. "I don't like to waste," says the image-centric Pearson, who has been amassing decorative minimail for 40 years. Her carefully placed collection now exceeds 4,000 postcards.

TAKING CARE OF BISBEE-NESS

George Bellinger and Lou Anne SterbickNelson (left) are known for applying their strokes of creative genius to the canvas of their community. Sterbick-Nelson manages Belleza Gallery, which supports a shelter and job training for women in need. Bellinger, a featured Bizzart Gallery painter, promotes global diversity through his work. Barbara Johnson and Ralph Rattelmueller (below left) are the latest in the succession of hometown grocers to occupy 215 Brewery Gulch Road. The pair, along with their daughter, recently took over Mimosa Market, which imports worldly goods with a local familyand pet-friendly flare. Kristen Glover (below) waits on every man, woman and child who steps into the bustling Dot's Diner for a bite of '50s-style fare and Glover's renowned service with a smile. John Palomina and Neta Chavez (opposite page) just can't seem to get out of depth. The retired miners guide visitors into Bisbee's Copper Queen Mine.

BISBEE STATE of MIND

Before he and his wife moved to Bisbee four years ago, they spent time in Hawaii. He says, "This place reminded us of that. They call them 'sky islands' in Arizona. We have pretty much an island lifestyle here."

The Mule Mountains are the sky island upon which sits Bisbee, the seat of Cochise County. Mount Ballard, elevation 7,365 feet, is the highest point. The road to the Mule Mountains is State Route 80 from Benson on Interstate 10, through St. David and Tombstone. The road climbs to the 1,400-foot-long Mule Pass Tunnel, which was completed in 1958, then drops into Tombstone Canyon and Mule Gulch, where Bisbee clings to both sides and fills the canyon floor.

Nobody in his right mind would build a town here without a very good reason. For Bisbee, that good reason was copper. The discovery story goes something like this: In 1877, an Army lieutenant named Anthony Rucker was on patrol in the Mule Mountains with a platoon under his command when the soldiers noticed evidence of minerals. The town was founded in 1880 and named after DeWitt Bisbee, a San Francisco financier who put up money to get the Copper Queen mine operational. Within a year, the rush was on, and by the early 1900s, the population hit 20,000. The Phelps Dodge Corp. ceased operation in Bisbee in 1975, ending a mining era that extracted almost 3 million ounces of gold and 8 billion pounds of copper from the tunnels and open pits in and around Bisbee.

The tidiest place to learn about local history is the Bisbee Mining & Historical Museum. The photographs and exhibits provide a remarkable glimpse of the good, the bad and the ugly of Bisbee's rich past. The coolest and least tidy place for a history lesson is the Queen Mine tour that requires visitors to don a slicker, hardhat and miner's lamp before boarding the miner's train that takes them into the chilly mine for an hour-long underground tour.

Although the population has shrunk to fewer than 6,600, reports of Bisbee's demise have proven premature. Today, it is a unique artist and retirement community.

The brightly painted Adirondack chairs outside the Belleza Gallery on Main Street are made by women enrolled in the Women's Transition Project (WTP), which also owns the Belleza Gallery. Lou Anne Sterbick-Nelson is the gallery manager.

Nelson is the gallery manager. A retired attorney from Tacoma, Washington, SterbickWhether you clap on a miner's hardhat for an underground mine tour or just meander the twisting streets lined with shops, you'll find something to occupy you and the family in the old mining town of Bisbee. Just be sure to wear comfortable walking shoes for climbing the stairs that stretch up and down Bisbee's canyon walls.

Greater Bisbee Chamber of Commerce: Information about Bisbee lodging, dining, shopping and attractions. One Main Street. (866) 224-7233 or (520) 432-5421. www. bisbeearizona.com or www.discoverbisbee.com.

Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum: Journey through the early days of Bisbee and explore the mining activities that put the city on the map as one of the world's richest mineral sites. Open 10 A.M. to 4 P.M. daily. $5, adults; $4.50, seniors; $2, children 16 and younger. 5 Copper Queen Plaza. (520) 432-7071. www.bisbeemuseum.org.

Muheim Heritage House Museum: Guided tours take visitors through the 19th-century home that was built for Joseph and Carmelita Muheim. Open 10 A.M. to 4 P.M., Friday to Tuesday. $2 donation. 207 Youngblood Hill. (520) 432-7698.

Copper Queen Mine Underground Tour and Lavender Open Pit Mine Tour: Led by former Bisbee miners, the underground Copper Queen tours last approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes and start at 9 A.M., 10:30 A.M., NOON, 2 P.M., and 3:30 P.M. Dress warmly for your trip on the mine train, since the mine's depths stay at 47 degrees. The underground tour is $12 plus tax, adults; $5 plus tax, ages 4 to 15; and free, children under 4. Reservations are suggested. After exploring the Copper Queen Mine, visitors can tour the massive Lavender Open Pit Mine. The 13-mile narrated van tour takes visitors to the 1,000-footdeep, 300-acre mine; departure times are 10:30 A.M., NOON, 2 P.M., and 3:30 P.M. Van tours are $10 plus tax per person; children under 4 are free. Tours leave from the Queen Mine Tour Building located immediately south of Old Bisbee's business district, off the State Route 80 interchange. (520) 432-2071 or (866) 432-2071. www. cityofbisbee.com/queenminetours.htm.

Old Bisbee Repertory Theater: In a converted early 1900s church in the Historic District, you can enjoy an afternoon high tea or an evening at the theater. On weekends, high tea is served from 3 P.M. to 5 P.M. Dinner theater begins at 5 P.M., with performances starting at 7:30 P.M. Call for reservations and prices. 94 Main St. (520) 432-9064 or (520) 234-6732; www.bisbeerep.com.

THINGS TO DO IN BISBEE

KING BEE

Local musician Buzz Pearson plays it cool in Bisbee's Royal Mansion, a 33-foot 1951 Spartan trailer. The Royal Mansion is one of many themed classic trailers available for overnight stays at the famous Shady Dell RV Park. With the mansion's vintage music accessories and funky decor, Pearson, known for his brand of blues and "funky soul," is right at home. Buzz and The Soul Senders perform frequently throughout southeastern Arizona.

Nelson came to Bisbee several years ago with her husband. She got involved with the Women's Transition Project to help address the lack of a shelter or treatment facility for women in Cochise County.

"I joined the board," Sterbick-Nelson says, "and decided to write grants. The WTP provides a transitional home for single women and women with children, most of whom have been victims of homelessness, domestic violence and substance abuse. The WTP provides the women with housing and the opportunity to get back on their feet emotionally and financially. All net profits from gallery sales go to the WTP.