I have so much fun shooting the ghost towns around here that I have to break them up into multiple pages so that you, my esteemed guest, can better view them.

    Again, most of the black and white images on this page were shot with Ilford SFX 200, a near-infrared film, to add a more dramatic effect than that offered by more conventional monochrome films.

    To learn more about these ghost towns (after seeing my photos, of course!) visit Ghost Towns.com or Arizona Ghost Towns.com for more detailed history.

    Undoubtedly the most visited ghost town in Arizona, if not the most famous (unfortunately, that title goes to the tourist trap of Tombstone, a town beneath my contempt).  Jerome had a prosperous mining industry for a time, then, like most other mining towns in Arizona, went bust when the ore played out.  Like Bisbee, the town has aquire new residents bent on preservation, so hopefully this town will be with us for some time.  Visited by loads of tourists, to be sure, but not too "touristy" yet, thankfully.  Yavapai County, Arizona.  Visited July 2002.
 

		Jerome: A study in irony.

Duquesne
Mining town in Santa Cruz County, Arizona.  George Westinghouse of Westinghouse Electric once lived here.  About 1,000 residents lived here at its peak.  Duquesne is now on private property.  Visited October 2001.

Update:  Duquesne has been acquired by a private group for use in youth outings, and a representative of that group has asked me to warn potential visitors against trespassing.  I will try to get contact information from him so that folks can get permission to visit.
 
 

Dos Cabezas

    Still occupied, the town of Dos Cabezas ("two heads") sits just below the mountain that gave the town its name.  On my trips there, somehow I've managed to miss the local winery.  Shame on me!  Cochise County, Arizona.  Visited November 2001.
 
 

	Old U.S. Post Office

 

Bisbee: Art and Artists

    Bisbee was a booming copper and silver mining town, then nearly went bust when the Phelps Dodge company decided that it had pulled out about all the copper it wanted.  Artists led a revival of the old section of town in the 1970's, and, thanks to their preservation efforts, it is now vibrant again.  I love this town: very eclectic art and artists alike abound here.  If you visit, plan to eat well; I recommend Rosa's Little Italy on Old Bisbee Road, (520) 423-1331, or Cafe Roka on the main drag, (520) 432-5153.  Cochise County, Arizona.  Visited many times, but photographed May 2001.
 

Helvetia

    Copper mining community north of Madera Canyon at the base of the Santa Rita Mountains.  The ruins of the general store and the cemetary are all that remain. Santa Cruz County, Arizona.  Photographed January 2003.