Strayhound: An old Greyhound Bus sits near the Bus Stop on Erie Street in Lowell, Ariz. However the bus has been renamed the Strayhound by those who have volunteered their time to save this business district in Lowell. A view up the street gives a glimpse of what the area was like decades ago. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Shell: A Shell gas station sits at the top end of Erie Street in Lowell. This was the first building restored and repainted to look as it did in the 1950s. The old Chevy sits out in front of the garage to add an additional nostalgia to the scene. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Mural: A mural on the exterior of one of the buildings in Lowell welcomes visitors to the unique ‘outdoor museum’. Many of the businesses on the street are in their original location while others were relocated. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
By GARY WARREN
Photographer
Formerly of Los Alamos
Southern Arizona is a great area to explore and enjoy in the winter and spring months. We have traveled to this area numerous times since we began our RV travels almost 10 years ago. The warmer winter weather is a welcome relief when it’s time to escape from snow country.
One town that we have visited a few times is Bisbee, Ariz. Bisbee actually sits in the Mule Mountains in southeast Arizona at a higher elevation than Denver, Colo. Denver is 5,280 feet in elevation and Bisbee sits at 5,533 feet and is only 11 miles from the U.S./Mexico border. In spite of being over a mile high the winter temperatures are generally mild in this southern town in Arizona.
Copper mining is the industry which built the area but the mining days have ended. Most mining in this part of Arizona ended in the 1970s.
Lowell, Ariz. was a large community to the south of Bisbee which peaked in activity earlier. In the 1920s it was almost as populated as Bisbee before mining declined.
However, open pit copper mining in the area began when the Lavender Pit open mine began being mined in 1950. Unfortunately, the Pit became so large that most of the housing area of Lowell was about to be overtaken by the mine. The mining company gave residents the choice of selling their property at market value or have the house moved to another site farther away. Many left and those houses were destroyed but about 200 houses were moved to the alternate site.
The mining industry which built the area was now in the process of pulling the life line from the Lowell area. The area hung on for a few years but eventually all businesses were forced to leave Lowell as well. Lowell, Ariz. was becoming a ghost town.
Most of Lowell was destroyed by the mine but business owners and individuals hoped to revive the central business district. The buildings along Erie Street were still standing but in need of renovation.
The “Lowell Americana Project” was born and the community of volunteers went to work. Their focus was to revive Erie Street to what it looked like in the 1950s and 60s. The group wanted to create an outdoor museum of what small town America looked like during that era. Most of us would agree that the charm and culture of small town America has vanished and they wanted to give visitors a view to the past.
The Lowell Americana Project has come together and worked on the buildings along Erie Street one by one. Today most of the buildings have not just been saved but visiting Erie Street in Lowell is like stepping back in time. To walk the street and view the vintage store fronts, cars, motorcycles, signage and other memorabilia from the era is a true pleasure.
Most of the restoration is focused on store fronts but at least two business are operating on Erie Street, the Bisbee Breakfast Club restaurant and an antique store next to the restaurant. Downtown Bisbee is just a couple of miles away but Lowell is a like stepping into a time capsule from the 1950s.
We always enjoy the uniqueness of Bisbee and we find new landmarks and features to enjoy with each visit. This community that sits on the mountainside over a mile high offers so much to visitors of all ages. It’s a little out of the way and off the beaten path but well worth a visit. When you’re there don’t forget to drive over to Lowell and step back in time!
Editor’s note: Longtime Los Alamos photographer Gary Warren and his wife Marilyn are traveling around the country, and he shares his photographs, which appear in the “Posts from the Road” series published in the Sunday edition of the Los Alamos Daily Post.
Gulf: The Gulf building includes vintage signage and other items of memorabilia from the 1950s and 60s. This building sits next door to the Chevrolet Dealer that was located on Erie Street for years. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Breakfast Club: The Bisbee Breakfast Club is more than a store front; it is one of the most popular breakfast and lunch diners in Bisbee. We enjoyed lunch at the Bisbee Breakfast Club while visiting and the food and atmosphere were perfect. This was the location of a bakery back in the day but the restaurant has occupied the space for years now. The other business that is open on Erie Street is an antique store next to the restaurant. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Erie Street: This view of Erie Street shows some of the remodeled store fronts as well as the collection of vintage cars and trucks that live on the street. A stroll down Erie Street in Lowell is like stepping back in time. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Lowell Police: The Lowell Police Department is on the lower end of Erie Street with a 50s era police car sitting in front of the building. The title of Biker Patrol on the car is another point of humor by the volunteers who have spent many hours recreating this outdoor museum. Many bikers were responsible for some of the restoration and the beautiful Indian and Harley-Davidson motorcycles seen in front of each respective storefront on Erie Street. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com