It calls itself “The City of Murals.” This city of 5,000 souls, 40 miles south and east of Tucson, was founded as a railroad town in 1880. On the day we passed through on our way to Agua Prieta, Sonora, my coffee dealer and I discovered this self-proclamation and the attendant art.
About a dozen murals or more. along the main and side streets.
When I was growing up in southern Arizona, Benson was the spot between Willcox and Tucson on our many trips between those places. And, as a child (circa 1959), my parents bowled at the only bowling alley in that part of Cochise County. It was originally an eight-lane center on the west side of town. At the time, it really put Benson on the map.
Since that time it has become a distant suburb of Tucson (a friend jokingly refers to nearby Vail and Sonoita as “West Benson.”). On this day is was where we turned off the Interstate to head to and return from our destination for the day.
As for the murals, they depict the railroad, mining and cattle history of the area and the town. A series of vaqueros and natives adorn a wall near a Circle K in the center of town.
Down side streets are scenes of the desert where cattle grazed.
The restored railroad station/visitor center depicts the history of the ribbon of steel that took the copper, gold and uranium ores from Tombstone and Bisbee to Tucson. While many artists’ work is showcased here, Doug Quarles is most prominent. The general style reminds me of Bill Singleton’s railroad images on Toole Avenue in Tucson.
The next time you are passing through Benson, either east or west, I recommend you take the exit off of I-10 and take in these beauties.
Relentless
