Winterhaven
offers truly wonderful activities
in and around Arizona
for active adults
escaping from all
over the country.
Sierra
Vista at a Glance
Sierra
Vista - the 'Hummingbird
Capital of the United
States,' is one of
the fastet growing
communities in Southeastern
Arizona. Sierra Vista
(Spanish for "Mountain
View") is located
just 70 miles southeast
of Tucson. The city
is surrounded by
the Huachuca, Dragoon,
and Mule Mountains,
and is adjacent to
the San Pedro River.
At an elevation of
4,600 feet, Sierra
Vista boasts magnificent
mountain views and
a temperate year-round
climate, lots of
sunshine, and clean,
fresh air.
History
The history
of Sierra Vista began
with the founding
of Fort Huachuca
in 1877. The post
was the home base
of the famed "Buffalo
Soldiers" of the
9th & 10th Cavalry.
The mission of the
post was to secure
the southern borders
of the US and to
protect settlers
from Indian attack.
Initially,
the areas around
Fort Huachuca were
virtually unoccupied,
except for a few
small ranches. Then,
the community gradually
began to grow. In
1956, it was incorporated
as Sierra Vista.
Since then, the city
has steadily grown
to more than 130
square miles and
over 38,000 people.
Shopping
Shopping & Theaters
at the "Mall
at Sierra Vista" The
Mall at Sierra Vista
is a 400,000 square
foot shopping center
featuring Sears and
Dillards department
stores. In nearly 60
shops throughout the
mall, you can find
everything from accessories,
shoes, fashions and
jewelry, to fitness,
electronics, toys and
several specialty shops.
At the end of the day,
take in a movie at
the popular Cinemark
10 screen movie theater.
Community & Activities
Ethel
Berger Center
- Senior Activities
Center
The newly renovated facility is the former Sierra Vista Public Library.
It is a 14,500-square-foot building, which will be used for many community
activites, although senior events will be the most prominent in number.
The center will also house the artifacts which the Museum and Historical
Committee has collected. There is a kitchen and dining area for the Senior
Nutrition project, general meeting rooms, a multi-purpose room with a
stage, a dance studio and a lounge.
Sierra
Vista Regional
Health Center
The
Sierra Vista Regional
Health Center offers
a variety of services,
including in-patient,
out-patient and
ambulatory services,
intensive care
and surgery facilities
and critical air
transport.
The
Arts
Sierra
Vista Symphony
Orchestra The
Sierra Vista Symphony
Orchestra had its beginning
at a conference in
July 1994. Roger Bayes,
minister of music at
the First Baptist Church
of Sierra Vista, and
Daniel W. Howdeshell,
band director at Smith
Middle School on Fort
Huachuca had discussed
the possibility of
organizing a professional
symphony orchestra
in Sierra Vista. An
orchestra was assembled
in the fall of 1994
to give their first
performance under the
direction of Roger
Bayes. The orchestra
performed its second
concert of the season
in the spring of 1995.
These concerts were made possible because
of support from local
residents and businesses,
the Sierra Vista Woman's
Club, and the University
of Arizona, South.
Currently the orchestra
performs four concerts
for the general public
and two children's
concerts each season.
Attendance has averaged
approximately 900 attendees
at each concert.
Buena
Performing Arts
Center
An
impressive auditorium
with a main stage
of 4000 sq. ft.
of performance
and wing space.
The BPAC showcases
symphony orchestras,
ballets, contemporary
bands, theater
productions and
special events.
The facility was
opened in January
of 1992. The main
auditorium can
seat as many as
1345 spectators.
Nature & the
Great Outdoors
Kartchner
Caverns Kept
secret since its
discovery in 1974,
Kartchner Caverns,
which is located
12 miles south of
Benson, Arizona,
was finally announced
to the world in 1988.
Still virtually pristine,
this massive limestone
cave has 13,000 feet
of passages and two
rooms as long as
football fields.
The temperature inside
the caverns averages
68°F year round,
with the humidity
at 99%. Since it
was finally opened
as a state park on
November 12, 1999,
this underground
wilderness will now
remain protected
while offering visitors
a rare tour through
various multi-colored
cave formations.
Kartchner Caverns
is a destination
not to be missed!
Ramsey
Canyon Ramsey
Canyon is a narrow
green gorge on
the eastern slopes
of the Huachuca
Mountain near Sierra
Vista. It is known
as the hummingbird
capital of the
United States,
because it has
more variety of
hummingbirds than
any spot in the
U.S.A. People from
all over the world
visit Ramsey Canyon
to experience its
unique and abundant
bird and wildlife.
Ramsey Canyon has
a long and varied
history of mining,
moonshining, and
lawlessness. Many "ghosts
of past times" remain
up and down the
canyon.
San
Pedro Riparian
Area The
San Pedro Riparian
area, containing
about 40 miles
of the upper San
Pedro River, was
designated by Congress
as a National Conservation
Area (NCA) on November
18, 1988. The primary
purpose for the
designation is
to protect and
enhance the desert
riparian ecosystem,
a rare remnant
of what was once
an extensive network
of similar riparian
systems throughout
the Southwest.
Hiking
trails in
the Huachuca
Mountains
and San Pedro The
Huachucas, south
of Sierra Vista,
have many good hikes
and some very scenic
drives. "Thunder
Mountains" rise to
10,000 feet above
sea level towering
over Sierra Vista
and Cochise College.
Trails climb from
all sides of the
range to Miller Peak
Wilderness, which
contains much of
the high country
between Coronado
National Memorial
and Fort Huachuca.
The San Pedro River,
though only a trickle
at times, nourishes
willows, cottonwoods,
and other streamside
vegetation. Residents
of this choice wildlife
habitat-one of the
richest in the United
States-include 350
bird species, 82
mammal species, and 45 reptile and amphibian
species. Birdwatchers
come here to take
advantage of the
excellent sighting
possibilities.
Bird
watching in
the Humming
Bird Capital
of the U.S. With
its abundant and
diverse wildlife
and spectacular scenery,
it's no wonder southeastern
Arizona is a premier
destination for birders
and other nature
enthusiasts. The
combination of mild
climate, proximity
to the Mexican border
and diverse habitats,
including 9000-foot
mountains and the
last free-flowing
river in the Southwest,
make southeastern
Arizona a major hotspot
for many rare and
unusual animals and
plants. Lands managed
by the U.S. Forest
Service, Bureau of
Land Management,
National Park Service, Arizona Game and
Fish Department,
and The Nature Conservancy
offer a variety of
wildlife viewing
opportunities.Many
rare species of animals
and plants have been
recorded here in
more than a century
of scientific study.
Birders delight in
regular occurrances
of "rarities" such
as Elegant Trogon,
Whiskered Screech-Owl,
Blue-throated and
White-eared hummingbirds,
Sulphur-bellied and
Buff-breasted flycatchers,
and Red-faced Warbler.
Historical
Sites
Fort
Huachuca Founded
in 1877, this cavalry
outpost played
a prominent role
in subduing the
last significant
Indian group ranging
free of reservation
restraints: The
Chiracahua Apache
led by Geronimo.
Fort Huachuca also
served as headquarters
for the Army's
four all-Black
regiments. The
fort is still an
active military
installation today.
Tombstone The
West's wildest mining
town owes its beginning
to Ed Schieffelin,
who prospected the
nearby hills in 1877.
Friends warned him
that all he would
ever find would be
his own tombstone.
But instead of an
apache bullet, he
found silver - ledges
of it - and the rush
was on.
Miners soon built a shantytown on the closest level space to the mines,
then known as Goose Flats. Remembering the grim prophecy given to Schieffelin,
and with tongue in cheek, they changed the name to Tombstone.
In 1881 the Earp and Clanton feud culminated in the famous gunfight near
the OK Corral. A disastrous fire burned out much of the infant town,
but it was immediately rebuilt.
When water began to seep into the shafts, pumps were installed, but the
mines were soon flooded and could not be worked.
By 1886, Tombstone's
heyday was over, but not before $37,000,000 worth of silver had been
taken from the mines.
Bisbee At
the turn of the
20th century, Bisbee
was bigger than
Tucson and Phoenix
put together. Almost
25,000 people lived
in Bisbee by 1904,
and they were stacked
on top of each
other like bees
in a hive. The
hills around Mule
Mountain were covered
with a mix of family
homes built by
prospering entrepeneurs
and miners' shacks
that stubbornly
refused to fall.
Copper first drew
folks to the area,
and the unique
character of the
town keeps them
coming today.
Lakes Although
Arizona is a landlocked
state, its desert dwellers
cool off in the warm
waters of the state's
many lakes. In fact,
Arizona boasts one
of the highest rates
of boat ownership in
the nation. Ironically,
all of Arizona's lakes,
except one, were man-made
by damming various
rivers such as the
Salt, Gila, and Verde
rivers - all of which
eventually feed the
mighty Colorado. Shown
here is Patagonia Lake.
Shopping & Theaters
at the "Mall
at Sierra Vista"
The
Mall at Sierra Vista
is a 400,000 square
foot shopping center
featuring Sears and
Dillards department
stores. In nearly 60
shops throughout the
mall, you can find
everything from accessories,
shoes, fashions and
jewelry, to fitness,
electronics, toys and
several specialty shops.
At the end of the day,
take in a movie at
the popular Cinemark
10 screen movie theater.
Ramsey
Canyon is a narrow
green gorge on
the eastern slopes
of the Huachuca
Mountain near Sierra
Vista. It is known
as the hummingbird
capital of the
United States,
because it has
more variety of
hummingbirds than
any spot in the
U.S.A. People from
all over the world
visit Ramsey Canyon
to experience its
unique and abundant
bird and wildlife.
Ramsey Canyon has
a long and varied
history of mining,
moonshining, and
lawlessness. Many "ghosts
of past times" remain
up and down the
canyon.
The
San Pedro Riparian
area, containing
about 40 miles
of the upper San
Pedro River, was
designated by Congress
as a National Conservation
Area (NCA) on November
18, 1988. The primary
purpose for the
designation is
to protect and
enhance the desert
riparian ecosystem,
a rare remnant
of what was once
an extensive network
of similar riparian
systems throughout
the Southwest.
The
Huachucas, south
of Sierra Vista,
have many good hikes
and some very scenic
drives. "Thunder
Mountains" rise to
10,000 feet above
sea level towering
over Sierra Vista
and Cochise College.
Trails climb from
all sides of the
range to Miller Peak
Wilderness, which
contains much of
the high country
between Coronado
National Memorial
and Fort Huachuca.
The San Pedro River,
though only a trickle
at times, nourishes
willows, cottonwoods,
and other streamside
vegetation. Residents
of this choice wildlife
habitat-one of the
richest in the United
States-include 350
bird species, 82
mammal species, and 45 reptile and amphibian
species. Birdwatchers
come here to take
advantage of the
excellent sighting
possibilities.
With
its abundant and
diverse wildlife
and spectacular scenery,
it's no wonder southeastern
Arizona is a premier
destination for birders
and other nature
enthusiasts. The
combination of mild
climate, proximity
to the Mexican border
and diverse habitats,
including 9000-foot
mountains and the
last free-flowing
river in the Southwest,
make southeastern
Arizona a major hotspot
for many rare and
unusual animals and
plants. Lands managed
by the U.S. Forest
Service, Bureau of
Land Management,
National Park Service, Arizona Game and
Fish Department,
and The Nature Conservancy
offer a variety of
wildlife viewing
opportunities.Many
rare species of animals
and plants have been
recorded here in
more than a century
of scientific study.
Birders delight in
regular occurrances
of "rarities" such
as Elegant Trogon,
Whiskered Screech-Owl,
Blue-throated and
White-eared hummingbirds,
Sulphur-bellied and
Buff-breasted flycatchers,
and Red-faced Warbler.
Founded
in 1877, this cavalry
outpost played
a prominent role
in subduing the
last significant
Indian group ranging
free of reservation
restraints: The
Chiracahua Apache
led by Geronimo.
Fort Huachuca also
served as headquarters
for the Army's
four all-Black
regiments. The
fort is still an
active military
installation today.
an
apache bullet, he
found silver - ledges
of it - and the rush
was on.
Miners soon built a shantytown on the closest level space to the mines,
then known as Goose Flats. Remembering the grim prophecy given to Schieffelin,
and with tongue in cheek, they changed the name to Tombstone.
In 1881 the Earp and Clanton feud culminated in the famous gunfight near
the OK Corral. A disastrous fire burned out much of the infant town,
but it was immediately rebuilt.
When water began to seep into the shafts, pumps were installed, but the
mines were soon flooded and could not be worked. 
Although
Arizona is a landlocked
state, its desert dwellers
cool off in the warm
waters of the state's
many lakes. In fact,
Arizona boasts one
of the highest rates
of boat ownership in
the nation. Ironically,
all of Arizona's lakes,
except one, were man-made
by damming various
rivers such as the
Salt, Gila, and Verde
rivers - all of which
eventually feed the
mighty Colorado. Shown
here is Patagonia Lake.
