HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
+ 1 further entry on record
Arizona's Oldest Continuously Operating Hotel Since 1902
11 Howell Avenue, Bisbee, AZ 85603
Research updated May 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$$
Standard room rates typically $130-200 per night; named theme rooms including the Julia Lowell Room 315 priced separately.
Access
Limited Access
Four-story 1902 Victorian hotel; older portions have limited elevator access
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1902 · Oldest Continuously Operating Hotel in Arizona · Phelps Dodge Mining Corporation · Bisbee Mining History · National Register of Historic Places
The Phelps Dodge Corporation built the Copper Queen Hotel between 1898 and 1902 in the mining boomtown of Bisbee, Arizona, deep in the Mule Mountains near the Mexican border. The hotel served as primary lodging for investors, mine officials, and dignitaries visiting the Copper Queen Mine, one of the most productive copper operations in the American Southwest. Completed in 1902, the hotel predates Arizona statehood (1912) and is the oldest continuously operating hotel in the state.
Bisbee itself emerged in the late 1870s and grew rapidly as the Copper Queen and adjacent claims developed. By 1900 the town had a population of roughly twenty thousand and a reputation as the most cosmopolitan settlement between St. Louis and San Francisco. The Copper Queen Hotel was the social center: hosts included Theodore Roosevelt, John Wayne, and a long roster of mining-era figures. The four-story Victorian building retains much of its original detailing, including the saloon and the broad central staircase.
The hotel operates today as an independently-run historic property with restaurant, saloon, and overnight accommodations. Several rooms carry names tied to the hotel's reported paranormal accounts: Room 315 is named for Julia Lowell, Room 401 is associated with Howard, and the John Wayne suite preserves the actor's preferred room. The hotel's haunted reputation has been featured on Travel Channel programming and is integral to its current marketing.
Sources
The Copper Queen Hotel's most-cited story is that of Julia Lowell, traditionally described as a sex worker who frequented the hotel during Bisbee's boom years and died in Room 315 by suicide after a lover rejected her. The hotel staff maintain a guest log in which visitors record encounters; entries describe figures glimpsed in the bedroom mirror, whispered words near the bed, and the impression of touch on the feet of male guests. Room 315 is sold under Julia's name and reportedly carries the most documented activity in the building.
A second persistent presence, described by tradition as a man named Howard, is reported in the upper-floor hallways. Accounts include the smell of cigar smoke, footsteps in empty corridors, and the figure of a tall older man in formal nineteenth-century dress glimpsed from doorways. Hotel staff identify Howard as a long-term guest or local figure tied to the property, though specific historical identification is not documented.
A third figure described in hotel lore is a young boy called Billy, said in tradition to have drowned in the nearby San Pedro River and to remain at the hotel because his mother worked there. Accounts of Billy are quieter than those of Julia or Howard.
The hotel's haunted reputation is actively marketed and has been featured on multiple paranormal television programs. Visitors interested in the lore are pointed to the front-desk guest log, which has accumulated decades of overnight-guest accounts.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
Stay overnight in the historic mining-era hotel. Request Room 315, named for Julia Lowell, the most-reported presence in the building. The hotel's third-floor rooms are most frequently associated with paranormal accounts.
Dine at the hotel's restaurant or have a drink in the historic saloon, both open to non-guests. The saloon retains period-correct Victorian detailing and is the most public space in the hotel.
Some links on this page may earn HauntBound a small commission when you book, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial picks are independent. Full disclosure
See current room rates and availability at Copper Queen Hotel.
Check rates and bookRates come from booking partners, so a small property may not be listed. Book direct with Copper Queen Hotel
This Bisbee tour includes Copper Queen Hotel on its route.
Book this tourEvery HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
Free Guide
10 verified stops, rated for families, mapped in order. Free.
One email to confirm, then the guide link. Unsubscribe anytime.
Austin, TX
Colonel Jesse Lincoln Driskill, a Tennessee-born cattle baron who supplied beef to the Confederate Army and later the Texas Rangers, opened The Driskill Hotel on December 20, 1886. Its first event, two weeks after opening, was the inaugural ball for Texas Governor Sul Ross. Driskill sold the hotel in 1888 after severe drought devastated his cattle herds and died in 1890. The hotel has hosted every Texas governor's inaugural ball since 1887.
Gold Hill, NV
The Gold Hill Hotel in Storey County, Nevada is recognized as the oldest hotel in the state, with the original stone Riesen House structure under construction by July 1861. The property sits within the Comstock Historic District above workings of the Yellow Jacket Mine, where a fire on April 7, 1869 killed dozens of miners.
Cloudcroft, NM
The Lodge was built in 1899 by the Alamogordo and Sacramento Mountain Railway as a mountain resort at 9,000 feet, drawing travelers up from the desert heat of the Tularosa Basin. Fire destroyed the original building on June 13, 1909; local doctors lobbied the railroad to rebuild, and the current Lodge reopened in 1911. Guests over the decades reportedly included Pancho Villa, Judy Garland, and Clark Gable, and Conrad Hilton managed the property in the 1930s.