This Arizona ghost town’s traffic cops have four legs and demand carrots as bribes

Route 66’s Rescue and Abandonment of Oatman

Oatman, Arizona was dying in 1924 when its gold mines shut down.

Then Route 66 came to the rescue in 1926, cutting through the steep Black Mountains with hairpin turns so risky that Model T owners paid locals to drive their cars through.

Soon the town buzzed again with seven hotels, twenty saloons, and the famous Durlin Hotel where travelers stuck dollar bills on the walls.

This golden era lasted until September 17, 1952, when a safer bypass opened and Route 66 traffic vanished overnight.

The once-thriving desert town emptied out for decades until nostalgic travelers rediscovered its wild west charm, including the historic Oatman Hotel where Clark Gable once honeymooned.

Gold Fever Hit the Black Mountains in 1863

John Moss found gold in Arizona’s Black Mountains in 1863 and staked several claims, including one named after Olive Oatman, a woman known for being captured by Native Americans.

Mining in the area rose and fell for about fifty years until better technology and cheaper transportation made it more profitable.

The Vivian Mining Company started work in 1904 and set up a tent city called Vivian with its own post office.

During this time, workers built the Durlin Hotel in 1902 for miners, creating the only historic two-story adobe building in Mohave County.

Two Lucky Prospectors Hit a $10 Million Jackpot

Two prospectors struck a massive gold find worth $10 million in 1915, starting one of the last major gold rushes in the American West.

The United Eastern Mining Company’s land produced rich ore that kicked off a boom from 1915 to 1917. The quiet area changed quickly as people rushed in seeking fortune.

From just 30 people in 1916, the population grew to 5,000 by 1917 and reached 10,000 by 1924.

The district eventually produced about $36 million in gold by 1930, with three of Arizona’s greatest gold mines working in the area.

Oatman Grew into a Busy Town Almost Overnight

The Tom Reed, United Eastern, and Gold Road mines became the biggest gold producers in the western United States during peak mining years.

At its height, Oatman had two banks, seven hotels, twenty saloons, and ten stores serving the growing population. More than 200 mines ran by summer 1916, with workers earning good wages that gave them money security.

The mining camp mixed tent housing with permanent buildings, creating a lively community in what had been empty desert mountains just months before.

Flames and Empty Mines Caused Trouble for Oatman

A big fire burned many of Oatman’s smaller buildings in 1921, though the hotel survived the disaster. The worst blow came in 1924 when United Eastern Mines, the main employer in town, closed for good after taking $13.6 million in gold from the ground.

The 1921 fire forced people to rebuild parts of town, but the mining economy already showed signs of weakening.

Some smaller mines kept going, but the great boom days clearly ended as the richest gold veins ran dry.

America’s Main Street Ran Through the Mountains

Route 66 came through town in 1926 when workers built it along the National Old Trails Highway, bringing a steady stream of travelers and their money to Oatman.

The famous highway linked Kingman, Arizona, to Needles, California, right through the steep Black Mountains section where Oatman sat.

The road had many dangerous sharp turns and steep hills, making Oatman an important stop for tired and nervous travelers.

Some people with early Model T Fords felt so scared of the mountain road that they paid locals to drive their cars through the pass for them.

Tourists Kept Money Flowing When Gold Stopped Coming

From 1926 until 1952, the steady traffic on Route 66 kept Oatman’s economy alive even after mining slowed down.

The Durlin Hotel, later called the Oatman Hotel, became the social center of town with its odd custom of visitors sticking dollar bills to the saloon walls.

Movie stars Clark Gable and Carole Lombard reportedly spent their honeymoon at the hotel in 1939, which made the place more famous.

Even the Great Depression couldn’t kill Oatman while Route 66 brought a steady stream of customers through town.

Uncle Sam Closed the Last Mines for War Materials

The government ordered all of Oatman’s remaining gold mining work to stop in 1941 as part of America’s effort during World War II.

Officials decided other metals mattered more than gold for military gear and weapons, so they moved the workforce. Miners from Oatman got sent to other mines that made materials needed for the war effort.

By the time the mines closed, the district had pulled about $40 million in gold from the ground, but the era of mining in Oatman ended for good.

The Mother Road Became Oatman’s Only Lifeline

With all mining completely finished, Oatman relied entirely on Route 66 tourism to survive after 1941. The town changed its focus to serving travelers driving between Kingman, Arizona, and Needles, California.

Local shops switched from helping miners to serving drivers, selling souvenirs and offering food and gas.

The dangerous mountain road that many drivers feared actually became a tourist draw itself, pulling in bold people who wanted to test their driving skills on the winding path.

Highway Engineers Planned a Safer Path in 1950

The State Highway Department started planning a new Route 66 path through Yucca in 1950, spelling trouble for Oatman.

Construction teams began work near Topock, building northeast through Yucca to connect with the existing highway near Kingman.

The whole project aimed to remove the steep, winding path through Oatman and Sitgreaves Pass that many drivers found scary.

By August 1952, workers finished 28 miles of the new road with the final 17 miles still under construction.

The New Highway Left Oatman in the Dust

The bypass opened to traffic on September 17, 1952, finished at record speed for Arizona highway building projects. Route 66 traffic quickly moved to the new bypass, taking Oatman off America’s Main Street.

The new route ran on flat ground close to the railroad tracks, giving drivers a safer and straighter path through the desert.

Oatman suddenly lost the steady flow of drivers that had kept the town alive for 26 years, cutting off its money lifeline almost overnight.

Burros and Nostalgia Saved a Nearly Dead Town

By the 1960s, Oatman had turned into a virtual ghost town as businesses closed their doors and residents moved away to find work elsewhere.

The town barely survived thanks to its unique character and the wild burros that roamed the streets, descendants of animals left behind by miners.

Route 66 nostalgia brought a new wave of tourists in the 1990s as people became interested in experiencing authentic Old West places.

Today Oatman thrives as a tourist attraction where visitors can watch staged gunfights, explore historic buildings, and feed the famous burros that wander freely through town.

Visiting Oatman Hotel, Arizona

The Oatman Hotel at 181 Main Street shows you Route 66’s boom and bust story.

You can peek through the door window at the famous honeymoon suite for free, open daily 10am-6pm weekdays and 8am-6pm weekends. The ground floor has a bar and restaurant, while upstairs there’s a museum.

The walls are covered with thousands of signed dollar bills from visitors going back to the mining days.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

Read more from this brand:

• Room 16 at Arizona’s Hotel Vendome preserves a tragic ghost story
• Greta Garbo vanished from Hollywood for weeks. This Arizona hotel knew where she was hiding.
• The “scandalous” female architect behind the Grand Canyon’s iconic lodges