Oatman Arizona
July, 2005
Just south of BHC is the thriving berg of Oatman, Arizona. I've been told by many that it was an interesting place to visit, but Oatman has a reputation as a "biker" town, so I never really got interested - - - until today. I grabbed my camera and headed down that way. I started out very early in the day to avoid any crowds. LOL
Oatman began about 90 years ago as a mining tent camp and quickly became a flourishing gold-mining center. In 1915, two miners struck a $10 million gold find, and within a year, the town's population grew to more than 3,500. But both the population and mining booms were short-lived. In 1921, a fire burned down many of the smaller shacks in town, and three years later, the main mining company, United Eastern Mines, shut down operations for good. Oatman survived by catering to travelers on old U.S. Route 66. But in the 1960s, when the route became what is now Interstate 40, Oatman almost died. Oatman is an authentic old western town with burros roaming the streets and gunfights staged on weekends.
The time of day had the sun in front of me on most shots, so these are not my best photo efforts.
The road to Oatman:
The road through Oatman is actually part of historic Rt66. Oatman is a wide spot in the road between Kingman Arizona and Needles California. I must have driven through here back in the 60s, but I do not remember Oatman.
This sign isn't kidding:
The burros were abandoned by the miners when they pulled out. They are "wild" now. They flourish in the desert. They certainly are not timid. I stopped to take this guy's photo and he came right over to the car:
Here's the rest of his "clan" comin' up the road:
A welcoming sign:
From better times past:
Street scenes. I think they should prohibit on-street parking. The SUVs, ATVs, etc., detract from the "feel" of Oatman:
I'll have to return to check out Fast Fanny's. If this were Nevada, I'd suspect it was one of them bawdy houses:
The Oatman Hotel. Too bad they don't rent rooms any longer. It would be a neat place to stay:
And finally, I don't know what kind of cactus these are, but you can tell that they made good use of our excessive winter rain:
