Douglas Arizona-The Historic Gadsden Hotel

 Douglas Arizona - a small border crossing town has a history of mining - primarily to treat the copper mined at Bisbee.  

In 1916 Pancho Villa threatened to attack Douglas because he thought the Americans were responsible for his defeat the the Second Battle of Agua Prieta.

In 1926 the missing evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson was found collapsed near a road at the Mexican border town of Agua Prieta.  She was driven to Douglas and told the story of her kidnap, torture and escape.  Large crowds gathered to hear her story and for a brief time Douglas enjoyed a brisk tourist trade.

Douglas has the first international airport in the US

-Bisbee-Douglas International Airport.   

It was also home to Ethnos360 Aviation until they purchased their own land.

Today, the best tourist activities are the historic Gadsden Hotel and good authentic Mexican restaurants.

Gadsden Hotel

The original building was built by a noted architectural firm in 1907

and featured an ornate lobby with marble staircase and pillars 

and Tiffany stained glass windows.

The building burned down in 1928 but was reconstructed 

to be as fireproof as possible.  

He also shot holes in the ceiling as his horse chipped the marble steps.

(according to an eye witness report from a local resident.)

The 7th step 

and the two chips.

The Cafe in the hotel is lovely,  the food is great and there is a fireplace 

that looks beautiful but not really warm.

It has been cold!!

The plaster ceiling is covered with thousands of dollars worth of gold.

The owner hired an artist to create a mural that looked like the Italian countryside.

(I guess she didn't like all the cactus and mesquite landscape)

Tis a beautiful lobby!

And the Tiffany Stained Glass is a real treat!😍