Herpetologist Discusses Snake Safety on July 22

BISBEE, AZ – Local herpetologist Steve Reaves, former owner of the Tombstone Rattlesnake Exhibit, will be at the Copper Queen Library on July 22 at 5:30 p.m. to share information about “Snake Identification and Safety.”

Reaves has worked with reptiles for over 20 years and currently operates an invertebrate business that supplies venom to cancer researchers.

Topics will include making property less attractive to rattlesnakes, snake identification, rattlesnake behavior, venom effects, and the importance of snakes in maintaining ecological balance.

The presentation will include a display of live snakes, scorpions, tarantulas, and centipedes.

This program is sponsored by the City of Bisbee and the Friends of the Copper Queen Library and is free and open to the public.

For further information, contact the library at 432-4232.

Neilsen Shares Bonita, “Buffalo Soldier” History

BISBEE, AZ – The National Park Service’s Kathrine Neilsen, stationed at Bonita Canyon/Chiricahua National Monument, will make a special appearance at the Copper Queen Library on July 15 at 5:30 p.m. to reenact scenes from the life of Mrs. Flora Cooper, wife of “Buffalo Soldier” 10th Cavalry “H Troop” Captain Charles L. Cooper as she and her family prepare to leave Bonita Canyon for the last time in 1885.

Throughout the ages, Bonita Canyon has served as home to prehistoric peoples, Apaches, homesteaders, miners, the Buffalo Soldiers, the Civilian Conservation Corps and, most recently, the National Park Service (NPS). Since their arrival, NPS scientists have prepared fascinating studies of life over time in the Canyon.

For example, following the Civil War, African American soldiers who remained in the United States Army were organized into segregated units, including the 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments. Troops E, H, and I of the 10th Regiment established a semi-permanent camp in the Chiricahuas in 1885-1886 called Camp Bonita. This camp has been excavated and documented within the park at Bonita Canyon.

While most locals associate the 10th Cavalry “Buffalo Soldiers” with Fort Huachuca, in 1885 a temporary camp of the 10th Cavalry was also stationed in Bonita Canyon to protect the locals, guard the U.S. Mail, and keep Apaches away from watering holes.

Captain Charles H. Cooper commanded “H Troop,” and his wife and teenaged daughter lived with him in the little two-room cabin that would later become Fawaway Ranch.

Using NPS archeology and the memoirs of the Cooper’s daughter to give insight into life at Bonita Canyon, Neilsen presents her program costumed as Mrs. Cooper, remembering her life among the “Buffalo Soldiers” and packing her trunk yet again to leave Bonita Canyon for the journey to their next assignment.

These free program, held in the Library Meeting Room, is sponsored by the City of Bisbee and the Friends of the Copper Queen Library.

For further information about this or any library program or event, please contact the library at 432-4232.