Visit Oatman, Arizona

Above, a crasher at the Oatman shootout show. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Along Historic Route 66 in Arizona is the "ghost town" of Oatman.

According to Visit Arizona:

You’ve got to see Oatman to believe it. This tiny town is in a rugged area carved out of the wilderness by determined miners and now populated by more wild burros than people. 

They know how to have fun in Oatman, where good-humored shops line the street and the furriest “residents” – small donkeys descended from miners’ beasts of burden – contribute to the annual fall Burro Biskit Toss. 

More than 500,000 visitors are drawn annually to Oatman’s gold mine history as well as the legend of its namesake. Olive Oatman is entrenched in western lore as a woman who was kidnapped by an Indian tribe, then sold to a friendly local tribe before being freed to her family near what became Oatman. 

Oatman might have suffered the same fate as many Arizona mining towns and faded into a ghost town if not for Route 66 nostalgia and nearby casinos. The town prides itself on maintaining a Wild West feel, down to the wooden sidewalks, staged shootouts and kitschy shops. (You can even adopt a wild burro and take it home!) 

Clark Gable and Carole Lombard allegedly honeymooned at the 1902 two-story adobe Oatman Hotel after marrying in nearby Kingman. Some say the lovebirds’ spirits as well as other former lodgers still vacation there. The hotel remains open as a museum and restaurant. 

Oatman is surrounded by Bureau of Land Management wilderness, which is also home to desert bighorn sheep. Outdoor activities include hiking, camping, hunting, photography, and rock climbing.

And, according to Wikipedia:

 In 1863, mountain man and prospector Johnny Moss discovered gold in the Black Mountains and staked several claims, one named the Moss, after himself, and another after Olive Oatman, whose story was by then well known. For the next half-century, mining waxed and waned in the remote district until new technology, reduced transportation costs, and new gold discoveries brought prosperity to Oatman early in the 20th century. The opening of the Tom Reed mine, followed by the discovery of an incredibly rich ore body in the nearby United Eastern Mining Company's property in 1915, brought one of the desert country's last gold rushes. The boom of 1915-17 gave Oatman all the characters and characteristics of any gold rush boomtown. For about a decade, the mines of Oatman were among the largest gold producers in the American West. 

In 1921, a fire burned down many of Oatman's smaller buildings, but spared the Oatman Hotel. Built in 1902, the Oatman Hotel remains the oldest two-story adobe structure in Mohave County and a Mohave County historical landmark. It is especially famous as the honeymoon stop of Clark Gable and Carole Lombard[9] after their wedding in Kingman on March 18, 1939. Gable fell in love with the area and returned often to play poker with the miners. The Gable-Lombard honeymoon suite is one of the hotel's major attractions. The other is Oatie the ghost. Actively promoted by the hotel's current owners, Oatie is a friendly poltergeist whose identity is believed to be that of William Ray Flour, an Irish miner who died behind the hotel, presumably from excessive alcohol consumption. Flour's body was not discovered until two days after his death, upon which it was hastily buried in a shallow grave near where he was found.

Last Friday, Mitch Geriminsky and I took a day trip to Oatman. I haven't been there since the late 1980s with E Clampus Vitus. There are two ECV plaque in town (but I was only able to find one that was placed by the Lost Dutchman Chapter).

My earlier post were photos from my cell phone. Here are some from my Canon camera:

Above, Mitch Geriminsky feeding the locals. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, a collection of books for sale in one of the shops. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, the main street (Route 66) of Oatman. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, the Olive Oatman Restaurant and Saloon. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, the locals strolling down Route 66. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, the Oatman Hotel. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, inside the Oatman Hotel lobby. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, the stairway leading to the Gable-Lombard honeymoon suite. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, the Gable-Lombard honeymoon suite. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, another shot of the front of the Oatman Hotel. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, the daily shootout is about to begin. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, this building was used in the movie, How The West Was Won (1962). Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, an ECV plaque by the Lost Dutchman Chapter. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, inside the Olive Oatman Restaurant & Saloon. Photo by Armand Vaquer.