Miami

An Arizona native told me when he was growing up he thought Globe-Miami was the name of  a single town because they were always linked in weather forecasts.

Miami is a little sister  to Globe and both towns share the challenges that have come with the decline of copper mining in the region. 

That explains a lot about Miami's business district, which has a wealth of historic buildings but few merchants.  Too many buildings are boarded up and begging for renovation. That includes the Traveler's Hotel  (below left) on Sullivan Street. 

The red and blue building (below right) was a Miami firehouse and later a hotel. Colorful downtown buildings have brightened up what would otherwise be a black and white historic district. 

One of the town's most popular restaurant's is Guayo's El Rey, a fixture here since 1938. Greg and Dorine Esparza are third-generation owners of the family business and they've been running it for 30 years. 

The Bullion Plaza Cultural Center & Museum, 150 N. Plaza Circle, tells the stories of the Miami's mining history. It's open Thursday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 3 p.m. At one point it was a segregated school teaching Mexican-American pupils.

Another bright spot  in Miami is the gleaming Our Lady of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church. Built in 1917, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. 

The Copper Miner's Rest bed and breakfast on Chisolm Avenue has an interesting history. It was the Soderman Building constructed from 1917-21 to replace a 1910 frame building.  

​The Sodermans operated operated a rooming house and the Wasa Bar, named for a region in their native Finland.   Naturally, it included a Finnish sauna that was in use until 1950. 

Don't miss nearby Globe to the east: http://www.ontheroadarizona.com/globe.html

Grandma's House of Antiques and Treasures is in a 1912 building.

​The Miami Library, 282 S. Adonis Ave., is in a former gymnasium that houses the Miami High School Sports Hall of Fame. It also has four panoramic photos of Miami from a century ago and other town artifacts. ​

Founded: 1907
Elevation: 3,411
Population: 1,792

The smelter in Miami in April 1940. (Photo by Russell Lee via Library of Congress)

Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church has been serving Miami parishioners for over a century. It's on the National Register of Historic Places.

The shuttered Traveler's Hotel hasn't hosted guest for many years.

At one time, this building at the end of Keystone Street was a firehouse.

A restoration of the Central Building has added bright colors to this block of Sullivan Street.

Guayo's El Rey has been a popular Mexican restaurant here since 1938.

Greg and Dorine Esparza have managed Guayo's El Rey for 30 years.

Bullion Plaza School, built in 1923 for $125,000, was designed by noted Southwestern architect Henry C. Trost. It's now a museum.

A mid-1970s Chevrolet Nova parked along Inspiration Avenue.

A vintage neon sign for the Jarman Shoe Co., founded in 1924.

Miami's Young Men's Christian Association building opened in 1917 with 33 rooms, a swimming pool and fireplace.

Douglas Bruce Berry and his wife Courtney Odom have opened a studio at 512 Sullivan Street in Miami where he makes banjos and she makes music, including the songs for the indie film "The Woman Who Robbed the Stagecoach." Their 1927 Ford is parked outside the shop.