Oatman is one of those places that demands an explore. It isn't necessarily a destination, but it is a wonderful pause on anyone's journey.
We spent the night, camped outside of town in order to get an early, non crowded wander.AS THE OLD ROUTE 66 ascends into the Black Mountains of western Arizona, drivers on the Mother Road will go dozens of miles without passing any signs of life—that is, until they are stopped in their tracks by wild burros. This was them all commuting back into town for their day's work (it was 7:30 AM when I took this photo).In 1863, mountain man Johnny Moss struck gold in Oatman, after which its population and gold exports boomed. This boom lasted until 1941 when the United States entered World War II and ordered all Oatman miners to stop mining for gold and to instead excavate minerals for use in the war effort. By that time, however, Oatman had already generated a whopping $40 million in gold revenue ($2.6 billion in today’s market prices).As is true of most mining towns, one day, the miners left. The burros were left behind.And where did the town get its name? The town of Oatman was named after Olive Oatman, a young girl traveling west with a group of Latter Day Saints to establish a Mormon colony in California. Along the way, in 1850, she was captured by the Yavapai tribe in Arizona, where she was held captive for five years until being released nearby the modern-day location of Oatman in 1855. The facial tattooing was a practice of the tribe. She has written books of her ordeal, and like the town which bears her name, she was a survivor.Many movies were made here, with How the West Was Won (1962) being the most famous. Can't you just see James Stewart, John Wayne, Gregory Peck, and Henry Fonda moseying down these streets? We are in good company.After the mining boom was phased out, the people of Oatman had to find a new way to make a profit, and they did just that with Route 66-themed tourism. Oatman couldn’t have been a better place, either, with its Old Western buildings from the early 1900s and its unfenced population of burros. The buildings are awesome and really make one feel transported.The current residents have a sense of humor.We did ponder why they needed this sign!This is the famous Oatman Hotel (1902). Found here is the honeymoon suite, once shared by actors Clarke Gable and Carole Lombard after their 1939 wedding in Kingman. History is everywhere!Every town has a story and I never tire of hearing them. Oatman's is pretty entertaining. I'm happy we took the time to wander.
posted under |
1 comments:
I discovered Oatman when we were in Havasu last year but we didn’t have a chance to go. Maybe next time! I love the burros. And Olive Oatman’s story is sooooo interesting!
Great pictures.
Post a Comment