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A Visitor's Guide to the Top Ten Ghost Towns in the American Southwest
Did you know? Deadwood Gulch was the first community to have a phone, after the White House line, when it was invented in 1876.
TakeawaysThere are many ghost towns on historic Route 66.Mining was a vital part of life in the American Southwest.It took a strong breed of people to survive the Wild West.Each year, thousands of history buffs, adventurers, and curiosity seekers pack their modern day wagons and travel west into the sunset in search of a glimpse into the past. Back to the days before the plains were tamed, the west was still wild, and the buffalo roamed free. Water your horses and head off into the evening sky with me as we explore yesterday's heyday....Wild West Style. Ghost towns are the attraction, and whether you're there to sightsee, learn about the past or just hang out in a historical setting, traveling to these long lost places is something everyone should do.
10. Panamint City, California
The birth of Panamint City has all the makings of a true wild west novel. A group of rogue outlaws sought refuge from the law in the Panamint Mountains. During their hiatus, the group discovered silver in Surprise Canyon - much to their surprise. The outlaws traded in their guns for miner's gear and a city sprang up around the Surprise Canyon mine. At the height of the town's success, the population of Panamint City was 2,000 strong, but as with any criminal, luck eventually ran out. By the next fall, the boom had ended and Panamint City was annihilated by a flood in 1876. All that remains today are a few ruins of outbuildings and the chimney of the mine smelter. Only accessible by a five mile hike from Wicht's Camp, six miles east of Ballarat, Panamint City became part of Death Valley National Park in October 1994.
9. Canyon Diablo, Arizona
Canyon Diablo was given its moniker by Lt. Whipple in 1853. He cursed the canyon for its rough terrain and had to lead his surveying crew several miles off course in order to bypass it because he could not find a way to get through it. Lt. Whipple said it must be the Devil's Canyon. The town cropped up along the railroad in 1880. It took ten years to complete a rail bridge across the canyon. As it turns out, Lt. Whipple had chosen a fitting name. With the closest law agency 100 miles away, crime and criminals found a haven in Canyon Diablo. The main drag through the town, nicknamed Hell Street, once boasted fifteen saloons, gambling halls, four bordellos, and a couple of dance halls. A few honest businesses shared Hell Street with the heathen ones, such as a restaurant and a dry goods store. The first soul to attempt to corral the chaos in the canyon lasted five hours on his job. Five more would later attempt the same feat and ultimately reach the same fate as the first slain lawman within a few weeks. Completion of the rail bridge made it easier for the riff raff to pass through the canyon and the town began to die. The army came in to restore order in later years. Settlers began to leave and the town withered in the wind. Canyon Diablo is located between Meteor City and Flag Staff. Exit #230. The road to Canyon Diablo runs to the right of the old filling station. Four wheel drive vehicles are recommended for the trip.
8. Goldfield, Nevada
When gold was discovered here in 1902, Goldfield blossomed into Nevada's largest city. The Goldfield Mines were a prosperous lot - generating $10,000 a day by 1907. Nicknamed the "Queen of Camps", Goldfield possessed an air of luxury uncommon to mining towns of the time. It was home to various stock exchanges, three newspapers, five banks, and as many railroads. A prize fight worthy of mention in the Guinness Book of Records took place there and won the town national attention. By 1913, attention was shifted to a flood and then on to a fire in 1923, both of which pretty much leveled the town. There are still things to see in Goldfield such as the Santa Fe Saloon (1905), a Victorian-era courthouse (1907), and the occasional ghost sighting at the now defunct Goldfield Hotel. The town is located off Highway 95 - 26 miles south of Tonopah.
7. Jerome, Arizona
Jerome was founded on Cleopatra Hill on top of a copper deposit. It was named for its financing benefactor Eugene Jerome around 1876. Jerome was a very culturally diverse town for its time, comprised of Mexicans, Chinese, Irish, Croatians, Spaniards, and of course, Americans. Jerome's mining company succumbed to high overhead and went bankrupt within two years. Revamped by William Clark, who introduced the railroad in the area, Jerome evolved from a tent city to a prosperous town complete with brick buildings upon the discovery of a second mine in 1916. Billions of dollars in copper were brought out from Jerome's mines over the years and several times the town fell victim to devastating fires. The closure of the mines was proved detrimental to Jerome. The population dwindled from a roaring 15,000 in 1929 to a paltry 50 by the 1950s. Today, Jerome is once again a thriving city, full of art and artisans with quaint little shops lining the street. Population: 400.
6. Ryolite, Nevada
Ryolite is a charming ghost town and one of the most photographed places in the southwest. The town sprang up overnight with the discovery of gold in a vein dubbed "Bullfrog" in 1904. Prospectors from Tonopah and Goldfield converged on the town, which had a population of nearly 10,000 within its first 2 years. Ryolite was a progressive town for its time. A phone system, electric street lights, water companies, an opera house, and orchestra were just a few of the highlights in the picturesque town. However, the prosperity was short lived. In 1907, the instability of the mining business caused a panic to sweep through Ryolite. By 1910, only 700 stragglers remained in Ryolite. Ten years later, all that was left were the varmints. In present day Ryolite, you can still see the frame of a 3 story bank, a 2 story school house, a train depot, and the walls of the original jail. Hundreds of adobe foundations to various homes and businesses are also visible through the grass. Ryolite is located 116 miles northwest of Las Vegas on Hwy 95.
5. Oatman, Arizona
Oatman came to life about 90 years ago as a struggling mining camp. It was named for Olive Oatman who was kidnapped by Indians and rescued near the site where the town was to be located. In 1915 two prospectors hit a 10 million dollar vein and over 2 years time, Oatman's population swelled to 3,500 inhabitants. Luck wouldn't last, though. In 1921 a fire destroyed much of Oatman and in 1925 the mines closed for good. When Interstate 40 came through in 1960 Oatman almost breathed its last. There's still lots of fun to be had in Oatman - from donkey rides to staged shoot outs. Many curio shops and restaurants are also available. There are only two ways in and out of the town. One is paved and the other is dirt. Choose your own adventure.
4. Bodie, California
Bodie was the brainchild of William Bodey. He discovered gold in 1861 near present day Bodie Bluff, his namesake who's spelling was changed to insure proper pronunciation. William Bodey died the same winter and would never see his dream reach fruition. It was slow going for the first seventeen years, but the discovery of the Bunker Hill mine brought the population to 5,000 by 1878. There were few trees in Bodie and lumber was in high demand. A railway was formed in 1881 to meet that demand by transporting lumber from other places for construction in the town. Within a year, the mine company was bankrupt and half the residents of Bodie left town and migrated west. When World War II began, the remaining school and post office closed their doors and the last of the Bodie hold outs moved on. About 150 buildings still remain in Bodie, which has since become a California State Park.
3. Dodge City, Kansas
Dodge City was formed five miles east of Fort Dodge in 1871 with the construction of a three room sod house. This lonely house soon became a popular landing spot for weary travelers and buffalo hunters on the Santa Fe Trail. By 1872 the Santa Fe railroad was nearing the area and Dodge City set a record for growth. It boasted two dry goods stores, a dance hall, an eating counter, barber, blacksmith, and even a saloon next door to the original sod house. There was no law presence or military in Dodge City and people from all walks of life often clashed. Boot Hill Cemetery was formed to meet the demand of burying the ill fated ones. Before its inception, if one could not afford to be buried in the post cemetery at Fort Dodge, they were interred wherever they fell. Dodge City was the buffalo capital from 1872-1874, with nearly one million hides shipped from the town. Buffalo supplies were exhausted and the hunters moved on to other ways of sustenance, such as cattle driving. Five million head of cattle were moved through Dodge City via the Chilsom Trail. Law and order rode into town by the name of Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp. Dodge City adopted an ordinance that allowed no guns north of the deadline - or railroad tracks. Fort Dodge closed in 1882 and by 1886 the cattle drives had ended. The famous main thoroughfare through Dodge City called Front Street has been reconstructed and welcomes 100,000 visitors each year.
2. Tombstone, Arizona
While looking out over the mountains from Camp Huachuca, Ed Shieffelin confessed his dream to prospect the adjacent cliffs to a soldier. The soldier told Shieffelin those mountains were Apache land and all he'd find there would be his tombstone. After dodging the wrath of the Apaches while hiding in those mountains for two months, Shieffelin discovered a silver vein and promptly staked his claim - which he referred to as Tombstone. By 1881, Tombstone was home to 3,000 residents. By 1882, this number would explode to 8,000. The Earp brothers became prominent figures in Tombstone. Wyatt Earp owned a saloon, as did James Earp. Virgil and Marshall Earp became lawmen. Big Nosed Kate sat up the first brothel in a tent where she also sold cheap whiskey. Tombstone eventually became home to the largest red light district in the southwest, but it also earned the name as the most violent city in the southwest. In 1882, a band of rogue cowboys named the Clinton Gang killed Morgan Earp. Every last Earp brother followed his body out of Tombstone and back to California - never to return. Wyatt and Warren Earp along with Doc Holiday spent the next year exterminating members of the Clanton Gang one by one. The famous Birdcage Theater opened in 1882 and also housed a saloon, dance hall, and a brothel. Twenty six deaths occurred inside the theater in its eight years of business. In 1886, a drilling outfit struck water, which delighted the town. The joy was cut short when water began to seep into the mines. Although pumps were installed to drain the mines, many of the miners moved onto copper mines in other towns and Tombstone lost its boomtown status. In 1929, the county seat was moved to Brisbee and the town began to die a quick death. The locals worked to preserve the history of their town and did massive restorations infamous places along Allen Street. The court house and gallows are a now a state park. Tombstone is located 70 miles southeast of Tucson.
1. Deadwood Gulch, North Dakota
Deadwood Gulch, named for the dead trees lining the canyon surrounding it, was founded in 1876 by illegal prospectors who defied government orders to stay out of the newly discovered gold deposits in the Black Hills. News traveled fast and they were unable to keep the prospectors at bay. 1876 birthed a new gold rush in the west. By 1877, Deadwood had morphed from a shanty town comprised of tents to a bona fide city - complete with a sheriff and town officials. Fires were common place in Deadwood and that which was destroyed was always rebuilt. In 1891 the railroad came to town and brought with it an influx of Chinese immigrants. The Chinese established their own district in Deadwood, complete with a fire department, but were shunned by the dominant Caucasian society. Many Chinese fell victim to the tension between the two races. In 1878 the first telephone exchange in Western South Dakota was established in Deadwood. As it progressed into the future, Deadwood could not shake its woolly past. Too many Old West historical figures passed through its borders and some of them never left. Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, and Seth Bullock are all buried in Deadwood's Mt. Moriah Cemetery. Deadwood was home to countless gambling halls until the mid 1940s when they were forced by the government to shut down. The last bordello closed its door for good in 1980. The entire city seems frozen in time and collectively became a national historic landmark in 1964. In 2000, Deadwood's population was 1380.
Well, partner, we've reached the end of the trail. Nothing to see from here except wide open country. Hitch your horse to a tree and grab a cool drink of water. Ride along with me next time as we search for more diamonds in the rough in the enchanting American southwest. Until then..happy trails! |
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