
BISBEE RIOT
The Bisbee Riot is on the Old Bisbee Tour, the Bisbee Landmark Tour, the Bisbee Lowell Warren Tour, and the Copper City Territory Tour at Big Jeep Tours - Bisbee AZ
The Bisbee Riot refers to the Battle of Brewery Gulch that happened on July 3, 1919, between the US Army Buffalo Soldiers from Fort Huachuca AZ, and members of the local authorities in Bisbee AZ.

Eight people were seriously hurt and about 50 US Army Buffalo soldiers were arrested.
Early Bisbee history had a reputation for discrimination against minorities. The white residents actively discriminated against Arizona’s Mexican, Chinese, and African American laboring communities. It was a “sundown town" for Chinese Americans and Black laborers had limited employment options.

Furthermore, Bisbee struggled as WW1 ended and copper demand dropped causing some layoffs with local copper miners and residents were still reeling from the controversial Bisbee Deportation in 1917. The US government was still investigating the Bisbee Deportation and those involved. Bisbee's morale struggled.

The Buffalo Soldiers were in town to participate in the Independence Day Parade on July 4, 1919. The soldiers stayed in Warren AZ but went to Old Bisbee AZ the night before the parade to enjoy the nightlife at the Silver Leaf Club in Upper Brewery Gulch's red-light district.

After reports of drunken Buffalo Soldiers fighting and brandishing their pistols, the Bisbee Police Chief, James Kempton, decided it was time to form a posse and remove the firearms from the Buffalo Soldiers.
Kempton enlisted the controversial Cochise County Deputy Sheriff Joseph B. Hardwick as part of the posse. Hardwick had a rough reputation as a lawman who had frequent conflicts with alleged outlaws that resulted in shootings. In fact, Hardwick spent time in jail as a civilian.

Hardwick's instigation along with alcohol-influenced Buffalo Soldiers resulted in an hour-long shootout on Brewery Gulch road in the red light district. Multiple lawmen from both the Bisbee Police and the Sheriff's Department along with multiple Buffalo Soldiers were involved with more than 100 shots being fired.
The Buffalo Soldiers were never punished for the incident and marched in the Independence Day Parade the very next day.

Cochise County Deputy Sheriff Joseph B. Hardwick was subtly run out of the area later and left to work as a Pinal County Deputy Sheriff.