Cochise, AZ Cochise is an example of a ghost town that was not a mining camp. It was created in the early 1880s as a water and fuel stop along the Southern Pacific railroad. In 1882 railroad telegrapher John Rath built the Cochise Hotel to serve the railroad crews and also put a Wells Fargo office in the front room. cochise1087-021 (Copyright © 2001 by Daniel Ter-Nedden) Buy pictures A post office was granted in 1896. cochise1087-023 (Copyright © 2001 by Daniel Ter-Nedden) Buy pictures Cochise had a peak population of about 3000, as a result of increased ranching in the Sulphur Springs Valley and mining activities that had started in nearby Johnson and Pearce. cochise1085-016 (Copyright © 2001 by Daniel Ter-Nedden) Buy pictures Cochise today still has a couple of residents. The Cochise hotel is open for meals and lodging (after reservation) and is really worth a visit. The guestrooms are all furnished with authentic antiques. cochise1085-019 (Copyright © 2001 by Daniel Ter-Nedden) Buy pictures The silence in Cochise is only broken occasionally by the roar of a passing freitht on the Southern Pacific line, which long ago replaced steam engines with diesels that never stop for water or coal. cochise1087-020 (Copyright © 2001 by Daniel Ter-Nedden) Buy pictures Ghost Town Map - Back to the Ghost Town index