The Lavender Pit was part of the massive Copper Queen Mine, which was run by the Phelps Dodge Corporation from 1879 to 1975. In 1951 the manager of the Copper Queen Branch of Phelps Dodge, Harrison Lavender, determined that an open pit mine would be a more economical way to increase the ever decreasing copper yield. The Lavender Pit was exploited in 50-foot long shelves or benches blasted to a 60-foot depth. Every blast would break 75,000 tons of rock every afternoon. In 1975 the prices of copper dropped and even open pit mining was no longer economical, so the Lavender Pit was closed. Today, it is visited by hundreds of tourists, who can observe the giant 300-acre hole in the ground from a series of platforms built along the rim of the pit.

Address: Highway 80, Bisbee, AZ 85603

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