Slaughter Ranch and Douglas

Thursday Feb 18 - Slaughter Ranch is a landmark of Douglas and Cochise County and is on the list of places you must see in Cochise County. The drive to the ranchwhich is 15 miles N/E of Douglas is on a gravel road and we have never had the Honda Element so dust covered! We were not sure if the rugged terrain drive was worth our time & trouble (we have already driven by miles of the same) until we drove through the Ranch gate and into a splendid picturesque verdant valley. This 100,000 acre ranch survived many a drought because of a natural spring that John Slaughter dammed in the spring and created a water reservoir (later a stocked pond). Slaughter's history was as mean and tough as the area and there are lots of suspicions as to how he gained his wealth. The farms borders Mexico aand after his death a large parcel of land was reclaimed by the Mexicans.
It is an excellent example of an early life on a ranch...great buildings and setting.

The town of Douglas with a population of 18,000 is a quiet but charming border town. Smelters were built here to process much of Bisbee's Copper. The money that was generated by the wealth from the minerals in this area is evidenced by the Hotel Gadsen. We chose this place for a late lunch as our friends the Koziols shared stories of an earlier trip and said that a visit to this hotel was a must...and it was!
What a surprise.....it has a stunning, elegant lobby with huge marble columns topped with gold. At the top of the expansive marble staircae is stunning 42 foot stained glass Tiffany mural!
The restaurant in the hotel was excellent and still very busy mid afternoon. Thanks for the tip Joe & Janice...a fantastic finish to an interesting day.

From 2009-02-21 Douglas Feb 18 - 20

From 2009-02-21 Douglas Feb 18 - 20