A look back at US 80 and Bisbee

The 1910s were a busy time in Arizona.

Arizona became a state in 1912 and the Grand Canyon was designated as a National Park in 1919.

In southeast Arizona, the town of Bisbee, pictured here in 1910, was booming. Fueled by the mining industry, Bisbee had a population of more than 20,000 in 1910, making it one of the most populous cities in the territory.

This photo features Main Street in Bisbee – yes, that’s a streetcar. In 1926, Main Street became part of US Route 80. At the time, US 80 was a coast-to-coast road, measuring 2,726 miles, and the Arizona portion snaked its way through a circuitous route that passed through Douglas, Lowell, Bisbee, Tombstone, Benson, Tucson, Florence, Mesa, Phoenix, Buckeye, Gila Bend, Sentinel and Yuma.

Today, Main Street in Bisbee is no longer part of the state highway system as State Route 80 runs just south of “downtown” Bisbee.

But if you happen to take this century-old photo along with you on a trip to Bisbee, you’ll see not much has changed! The view remains pretty much the same, with the buildings still standing along the winding road. The streetcar, however, was phased out after a 1928 public vote in favor of buses.