Lowell…..Truly “Ghosty”

Richard Charpentier Arizona, Ghost Towns, Notes from Rich, Photography, RLC Design 7 Comments

lowellghost-1Yesterday before the last trip into downtown Bisbee we took a very quick side trip to Lowell.

It wasn’t much of a side trip really.  Lowell exists on the edge of the Lavendar pit.  At one time it was a larger town, and honestly I don’t quite see how it is far enough away to be distinct from Bisbee, but it was once upon a time.  Actually Lowell and one other community were off shoots of Bisbee.  All mining towns.

According to everything I’ve read, Lowell was quite the town.  Unfortunately as mining expanded the town made the ultimate sacrifice.  It was partially consumed by the pit.  That included the “mansion” that was created hill top that once overlooked the town.  Sacrificed for the needs of the mining company.

Wow, that’s the “pits.”  Couldn’t resist the joke.  So sorry!

What remains of downtown Lowell today is a single block of old buildings.  Lots of ruined buildings as well.  And from the looks of it, very little is operational, functional, or inhabited!  The only thing the main street lacked was a tumbleweed or two blowing through.  I’m sure it could be arranged easily though.

lowellghost-2In total, more than 80% of the structures seemed completely defunct.  Sadira was thrilled to see a Sprouse 5 and dime store front.  It grabbed her attention from the get go.

My attention was drawn to the fact that there was nothing, and I mean nothing, going on in the ghost town.  An eerie feel for sure!

So, what was in Lowell prior to it’s implosion?  An old auto show room, a billiard hall that’s sign marked it’s start date in the 40’s, an old fire house, the old 5 & 10 store, the Lowell Theatre, and several other totally vacant structures.  I wonder what it was like prior to things going belly up for the town.  I bet it was quite a site, especially the old theatre.

There were two other vehicles found on the street.  An older Ford pickup parked across from us…..and one other interesting vehicle.

A short way from where we parked stood a two story building.  On top of the building was an old Indian Motorcycle Company logo.  Ah, years gone by and then some.

lowellghost-3Parked in front of this building was the coolest Taxi I’ve seen in a long time.  And fortunately for me it was just what I needed to fulfill a reader request regarding a car shot or two.  I know, only one cool car shot posted so far….?  Hey, it’s a super cool car shot, so that counts for something I’d say!

Tell me the truth, isn’t this classic car looking just a little too cool for words?

Comments 7

  1. Rich, I continue to be amazed at all the possibilities of HDR–and what you’ve managed to do with them!
    Still snow bound; in fact the other day passes in and out of Montana were closed. Next week, however, the weather man says there could be a window for travel. If so, we’ll be headin’ south.
    Bert

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    Author

    Bert, get out of that snow! 🙂

    Seriously, looking forward to seeing you and Janie down here soon. It’s a little warmer than Montana, but not by much!

    Glad you’re enjoying the HDRs. I’m having a fun time with the experimentation still. Learning new tweaks to create hyper-real, and then trying out the hyper-unreal as well. The taxi heads toward the unreal side, but it sure is pretty!

  3. We were just there this past november with our airstream. We stayed at the shady dell for 3 nights and ate at the bisbee breakfast club right on erie street before we left. It is a great little place and i instantly recognized the street from your photos.

  4. Cool stuff… We have a ghost town near us… Cairo, IL. Only it’s not picturesque. It’s sad.

    here’s a city on the mouth of tow rivers that was poised for commerce only to die through bd leadership.

    Loving the HDRs by the way…The first one is my fave…

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    Dan, the Bisbee Breakfast Club was one of the only functioning businesses there. Such a cool street. It would be nice to see it thriving!

    Lois, glad you’re digging the shots too! Fun, fun, fun!

  6. Forgive my typos… not enough diet coke today… LOL! My feng shui is outta whack… I’m back at the condo right now and not in our airstream.

    🙁

  7. I loved the Sprouse Reitz building, and I desperately wanted it to be open, via 1940’s so that I could shop at a real 5 and dime again!

    Also, the Bisbee Breakfast Club was in the bestest building on the street. The windows of their store front were seriously drool worthy! It makes me wonder what Prescott would be like if they’d either done more building in the 40’s, or if they’d left up some of the other storefronts they’ve torn down…

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