Bisbee Lavender Pit: An Open-pit Copper Mine in Arizona
The Bisbee Lavender Pit located in Bisbee, Arizona is a renowned and former open-pit copper mine. Bisbee is a town born from one of the world’s most successful copper mining operations that ran from 1880 to 1974. Right outside of Bisbee, you pass a huge massive open pit mine measuring 900 feet deep and 4,700 feet wide.
Let’s take a look at the Lavender Pit.
Table of contents
What is the Lavender Pit?
The Lavender Pit is part of the Copper Queen Mine, run by the Phelps Dodge Corporation from 1879 to 1975. Mining traditionally took place in underground tunnels. In 1951 , Harrison Lavender, the then manager of the Copper Queen branch of Phelps Dodge, concluded that open pit copper mines could be a more economical method.
In 1950, planning began on the new open pit mine. For this mining to work, it was required to relocate the communities of Jiggerville, Upper Lowell, and Johnson. Highway 80 was also moved north. The Copper Queen Mine moved the cities of Jiggerville, Upper Lowell, and Johnson to enable this open pit mine. They moved Highway 80 north as well. Stripping of the large tonnages of dump rock began in 1951. After the death in 1952 of the General Manager of Phelps Dodge Corporation Harrison M. Lavender, the new pit was named the Lavender Pit in his honor. In 1954, the Lavender Pit began producing tons of copper ore and other minerals.
Construction on Open Pit
Construction of the mine started with 50-foot benches. Thee benches were created by loading holes drilled to a 60-foot depth with 1, 200 pounds of powder charge each. Blasts commonly broke 75, 000 tons of rock. They were usually shot at 3:25 each afternoon. Mining of the pit stopped in 1974. All mining operations ceased in the Copper Queen mine in December 74 when the price of copper plummeted.
Bisbee Blue (Bisbee Turquoise)
Numerous pounds of Bisbee Blue that was pulled out of the pit and sent with the spoils to be hauled off to the “dump”. Management set certain days aside for permits to allow for a limited number of people to search through the spoils to collect the Bisbee Blue. Bisbee Blue is is one of the world’s finest turquoise.
The Abandoned Pit
The abandoned pit covers 300 acres, is 950 feet deep, and is a result of the removal of 351 million tons of ore and other material. Since mining operations ceased, the town of Bisbee reinvented itself as an artist community in a historical tourist destination. During this reinvention, the lavender pit became a tourist destination with rim viewing platforms.
Lavender Pit is the name of the entire open mining hole. However, both the Sacramento and Holbrook extensions are present as well. The Sacramento Hill blasting started in 1917 to support World War I.
Exhibits at the Scenic View
Scenic View Bisbee Sign
Interpretive Signs
Purple Heart Monument
Where is the Lavender Pit?
The Lavender Pit is located east of Bisbee on Highway 80. It’s a big pit, so you can’t not see it. There are a few informational exhibits about the pit. Pictures can be taken next to the rim, although a fence prevents you from getting an unobstructed view. The pit is located in the southeastern Mule Mountain area in Cochise County Arizona.
Key Takeaways
- The Bisbee Lavender Pit, a former open-pit copper mine, measures 900 feet deep and 4,700 feet wide.
- Initiated by Phelps Dodge, planning for the Lavender Pit began in 1950, relocating communities to enable mining operations.
- The Copper Queen Mine, where the Lavender Pit is located, began producing copper ore in 1954 and ceased operations in 1974.
- Today, the Lavender Pit serves as a tourist destination with viewing platforms and exhibits, showcasing Bisbee’s mining history.
- Visitors can explore the Lavender Pit alongside the Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum for a comprehensive experience.
Conclusion
The Lavender Pit is an impressive engineering feat that shows the might that the Copper Queen branch of Phelps Dodge showed in their pursuit of copper and other minerals. This is a nice stop that doesn’t take 15 minutes out of your day as you come to explore Bisbee. We recommend you drive around Bisbee, looking at the sites and all the stairs in the town.
Visit the Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum, and take a tour underground into the Queen Mine. Then stop by on your way out of town at the Lavender Pit. The museum and mine tour provides a wealth of knowledge and discovery on Bisbee, the mines, and the people. Go explore the museum as its well worth it. We highly recommend you pair this with a tour going inside the famous Copper Queen Mine.
If you like this content, you will want to check out all our other posts and videos covering Tucson and its surrounding attractions. This includes the Saguaro National Park’s Signal Hill Trail and petroglyphs, Tombstone’s Boot Hill Cemetery, San Xavier del Bac Mission Church, Benson’s Old West Murals and Railroad Hermitage, and our favorite Bed and Breakfast in the whole world, which is the Hacienda Linda Bed and Breakfast adjacent to the Saguaro National Park (West).
Also, check on all our other posts and videos covering the many fun and historical attractions we have on our Epic Arizona Travels YouTube playlist and all our other adventures on Travel with D and E YouTube Channel.
