Besh-A-Gowah Ruins and The Mining Towns of Globe and Miami, AZ

Today we took a trip over the mining towns of Globe and Miami, AZ. Located in the Pinal Mountains, about an hour east of " The Valley"are among the richest copper deposits in the United States. Unfortunately, that has resulted in a massive open pit mining operation. The massive tailing piles literally creep into the towns. The houses are either about to be buried by them or are built on top of them.

Whatever wealth is being sucked from the earth, it clearly isn't going to the people. The houses are old and battered, the roads rough and in disrepair. In fact, I would say Miami looks the most like a town in Mexico as any I have seen in the United States to date, with its appearance and state of decay.

On the bright side, there is a wonder Salado pueblo ruin in Globe that we visited called Besh-a-gowah. This ruin has been partially restored to give you a great sense for what it was like to live in one of these villages.

Their 15-minute film is quite good as well. So, if you ever find yourself in the Globe area, I highly recommend a visit to this archeological site.

The interior of a room in the pueblo

The view from the 2nd floor