Bisbee, Arizona – January 2023 – A Revisit to Lowell

The city of Bisbee is actually made up of the original town, plus a few of the outlying former small towns. One of those just south of the original part of Bisbee is Lowell.

The town was once like most places, with a main street shops and a few neighborhoods. Unfortunately for Lowell the massive copper mine next door wiped out all of the housing leaving only the main street, Erie Avenue.

Rather than completely die, Erie Avenue lives on thanks to a group of people who make up Lowell Americana Project.

At first glance it seems it is a ghost town where someone has parked a number of old vehicles. Closer examination shows there are a number of business that cater to the steady (but small) stream of tourists, including the very good Bisbee Breakfast Club restaurant – get the Shrimp Omelet, it is very good.

We arrived mid afternoon on a Sunday so there weren’t any tourist cars parked in the way of the photo ops with the vintage ones parked all along Erie Street.

One of many low angle views, this one of an Edsel.

Almost all of the cars and trucks parked around town are ‘rusty gold’ including this Studebaker pickup.

An old Chevy underneath the dealership sign.

This old bus has been renamed Strayhound.

There are a few open businesses to entertain you.

A couple of fully restored vehicles stand out amongst the rust.

Lowell, Arizona is one quirky stop, and literally about 1/4 mile from the Shady Dell!

Lowell, Arizona – December 2021 – Rusted Ghost Town

Lowell, Arizona is just south of Bisbee, and today is officially part of the city of Bisbee. Not only has the town lost it’s population over the years, but it actually lost it’s land as the massive copper pit mining was expanded.

Today a portion of the main street remains, with a collection of old buildings, cars, trucks and buses – but it has a unique appeal. It is the scene of numerous photo and video shoots.

Virtual Travel – Massachusetts

The Massachusetts Bay Colony was established in 1628, with the initial towns being located in Salem and Boston. This colony was established 8 years after the Plymouth Colony, but the name they chose stuck.

The state has numerous locations of historical importance, but it does not live in the past. With colleges like MIT it is at the forefront of technology.

But you have to travel to get around the state so we start with:

 

1971 – 1999 – 2012  Transportation in Massachusetts

 

According to some statistics Massachusetts drivers are statistically the worst drivers in the country.  But if you leave the hotel at 5 AM on a Saturday you get a tunnel that looks like this…

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Instead of this….

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Boston does have an extensive subway system.

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There are two major train stations in the city, including South Station

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Logan Airport is just 3 miles from downtown Boston, but it is across the harbor.

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The MTA also has a fleet of ferry boats, however most are very small.

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2009  History in Massachusetts

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As previously noted, Massachusetts has a lot of history. Below is a actor playing the part of Paul Revere

 

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Salem – House with 7 Gables

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Salem Harbor

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Lowell – Historic Cotton Mills

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2001 & 2007 – Boston

 

 

Boston is a city where the latest is next door to the historic.

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Historic Waterworks

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North End

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Fenway Park – the legend

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MIT

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Boston Main Library

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2003 – 2011  Cape Cod & The South Shore

 

The Massachusetts coast has numerous small towns with harbors.

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Plymouth Rock – pure fiction, but pure American.

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Lobstah

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Cape Cod National Seashore

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Shack where the first transatlantic cable terminated. At one time this was high tech.

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Lowell, Massachusetts – August 2019 – The Early Textile Industry in America

Lowell, Massachusetts was an early center of the textile industry in America. It was one of the first real industrial centers, with large cotton mills being built along the waterways.



By diverting the river into numerous canals they could power the machinery for the mills. The canals remain to this day, in various states.











One of the former mills houses a museum that shows the power plant that used the water to generate the power to run the machines.







Because of the flammability of the dust, they used wooden gears that didn’t create sparks.





It is when you go into the main production floor exhibit that you get a true feel for the sheer size of the operation.

While we were there they ran 2 of the looms, which was incredibly loud. One could only imagine what these young ladies went through with 200 of them running at the same time, while working their 12-14 hour, 6 day a week job.















The National Park Service runs a replica trolley around town to shuttle visitors between the sites. A visit to Lowell is educational, and worth the visit if you are in Massachusetts.