Cochise County-

THE COUNTY bears the name of one of the greatest of all the Apache chieftains Cochise whose bones have long since turned to dust in their resting place in the Stronghold in the Dragoons. Cochise county is the ninth in area of Arizona's counties and the third in population. Throughout the 6,170 square miles of earth's surface contained within the boundaries of the county of Cochise are some 50,000 souls. In area it is larger than Connecticut or Delaware, or Rhode Island. It is a land of high and rugged mountains the Chiracahuas, the Winchesters, the Whetstones, the Dragoons, Dos Cabezas, the Huachucas, and the Mules. Encircling these mountains and forming patterns of broad valleys are such valleys as Sulphur Springs, San Bernardino, and the San Simon. It is a land of rolling foothills, high and jagged horizons, full of canyons and arroyos; it is a land of great open spaces and vistas with a sweep and beauty that is almost unreal.

To the south is Mexico, mysterious and romantic down beyond those purple mountains; to the east is New Mexico, to the north are Graham and Greenlee counties; to the west are the counties of Santa Cruz and Pima. It fills to overflowing the southeastern corner of the state.

Its county seat is Bisbee, squeezed picturesquely between the walls in Tombstone canyon in the Mules. The courthouse there, a creation of great beauty and utility, is the proud symbol of the county's modernity. Here are the great mines, some of the richest copper mines in the world, and to these mines great men and many people have come from all places in the world. You will find many nationalities in Bisbee, blending together to form a brisk, modern American city. Its charm lies in its vigor, in its streets climbing almost straight up canyon walls, in names like Brewery Gulch. Bisbee has a distinct personality and charm. It was named after Judge DeWitt Bisbee, an early settler and citizen.

A few miles away and down from Bisbee, on the level floor of Sulphur Springs valley and a stone's throw from Mexico is Douglas, where are the smelters for the mines.

It was named after Dr. James Douglas, one of the truly great figures in the history of the west, who dug and developed mines and was president of the Phelps Dodge. Douglas is a city of wide streets, clean, full of flowers and sunshine. Its citizens are as fine as you'll meet in any city. The smoke belching from the huge stacks of the smelter tell of its industry and its tempo. There are big mines and busy mines in Cochise county; but also there are old mines, no longer alive, that tell of another day. These are the mines of Tombstone, which vomited great fortunes of mineral wealth in the '80's and around which grew Helldoradotown, famed in story and legend. Today Tombstone is an interesting relic of those former days, a fascinating town to pause and browse around in. Its cemetery, Boothill, is one of the most famous cemeteries in the world. The town is full of places and streets which bore the mark of western desperado.

Land of Mountains Valleys and Vista

The county is full of other towns and little cities. In some the trade is cattle, in others farming, there is a railroad town or two, and in one, the town of Benson, the chief occupation is the manufacture of dynamite.

The county is full of ranches and from its broad valleys and mountain slopes come great shipments of cattle for the nation's market. Willcox, the old cow town, is in the very center of a cattle empire and from its platforms are shipped each year carloads of cattle riches, perhaps greater cattle riches than from any other town in the state.

There are other ranches, also, in Cochise county which invite guests and where those guests can enjoy the open range and ranch life. There is much scenic beauty, and in the Wonderland of Rocks is a spectacle you'll never forget.

The history of Cochise county is a brilliant cavalcade. First there were the prehistoric folk, then the proud minions of New Spain to wage war against the Apaches, then the padres building their missions and tilling the soil; then there came the soldiers to bring peace to the west and then the miner and the rancher to build an empire. It's music is a mighty symphony. The gay song of Old Mexico, the chant of the Indian in the hills, the melancholy ballad of the cowboy alone at night far out on the lonely range; the grinding whirr of the jackhammer biting hard rock a mile underground; the bawling of herding cattle; the roisterous shout of boisterous youth in a frontier; the friendly warmth of western goodfellowship!

Such, in brief, is Cochise county...R. C.