DESTINATION: BENSON
and its interesting side trips in southeastern Arizona
by Maggie Kielpinski
Ever wonder what’s behind the scenes in some of those isolated and faded towns you bypass on a road trip, the ones historically past their prime, hanging in there as if poised to recapture past glory? Yet, they are towns with a history, towns founded almost accidentally in support of western settlement.
Not yet snowbirds (you might say we’re practicing), on our annual Christmas break from the cold and snow of our Big Bear Lake mountain home, we’ve chosen Benson for the abundance of western history within a days drive. A quiet, high-desert country town, Benson has never regained the renown it once had when it was the main Southern Pacific Railroad junction. Established in 1880 to transport ore from the boomtown of Tombstone, it also became the terminus for the Sonoran Railroad from the bustling seaport of Guaymas in Mexico. Freight trains still clatter urgently through town, day and night, night and day, never stopping, and giving a whiff of how it must have been.
Although not the winter Mecca of Yuma nor does Benson have the sexy allure of Tucson – could be because this desert town at 3,565 feet altitude reaches temperatures sometimes 20 degrees cooler than Tucson – the trade-off is quiet solitude, the outrageously blue blush on the mountains in the evenings and starry night skies.
Benson is a great base camp from which to immerse yourself in the history of southeastern Arizona, with many RV parks and legendary towns within a 40-mile drive. Tombstone – where one can relive the drama of the shootout at the OK Corral; discover the legendary Doc Holiday at his girlfriend, Big Nose Kate’s saloon; tour the Bird Cage Theater, sometime home of Lily Langtry and Lola Montez; or visit the imposing red brick Victorian style Tombstone Courthouse...
The complete article can be found in the current issue of RV Journal, available at quality campgrounds, RV dealers, parts, and service suppliers. Subscriptions are also available for this quarterly publication.
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