Oatman Arizona
Oatman, Arizona
| Oatman Web Site Oatman has the look and feel of a wild west town. Actually it was a mining community until the copper ran out. The old stores have adapted for tourists and many of them sell local rocks and gems. An Incredible Panoramic View of the Area.
We headed out for Oatman, to escape the wind (ha!) and to check out the Blackstone RV Park on the way. It looks nicer than this one but has no phone hook-ups or trees. Oatman was a kick. The burros, the people, the gunfights, the ambiance, the rickety old buildings, covered sidewalks and narrow street. Yes. I said 'street' not streets. We bought some carrots to feed the burros. They just wander up and down the street looking for handouts. When there is not enough tourist traffic and the townspeople don't feed the as they usually do, they just wander out into the hilly desert to graze.They are so cute... all fuzzy and furry with their winter coats. Clark Gable and Carol Lombard spent their wedding night in the Oatman Hotel after getting married in Kingman. They got married in Arizona to avoid the blood test wait in California. It was cold and windy in Oatman also, but not nearly as windy as it was down here in the valley
Oatman Roads in German Text - Nice Photos! Oatman is the next stop, only a few miles from Goldroad. This weathered old mining town got its beginning in about 1904, when prospectors were attracted to the gleaming white quartz of Elephant's Tooth, a pinnacle east of town. The opportunistic prospectors knew that gold and silver often are found around quartz. Today, Oatman's population is a paltry 150, compared with 12,000 seven decades ago. Like Jerome and Tombstone, Oatman's emphasis is on tourism now. You'll find the usual shops and a smattering of places to eat, such as the Silvercreek Saloon and Steakhouse, Mission Inn Coffee Shop and the Gold City Saloon. "Most of the places serve Indian tacos, which are real good," said Jackie Rowland, president of the Oatman Chamber of Commerce. "There's also this sourdough bread at Cactus Joe's that's unbelievably good. He cuts out the center, toasts it with garlic and spices, then fills the loaf with homemade chili." Cactus Joe's is the shop that was built around a live saguaro. Back up slowly in there. Relatively new is Dirty Dan's shooting gallery, with sound effects wackier than a burro's bray. Speaking of burros, there's a good chance you'll see them (they've become Oatman's meal ticket) doing their burro thing in the middle of Main Street. Almost all of the vendors sell burro food so visitors can hand-feed the little slobbery-mouthed darlings. Burros do own thingHowever, you also may not see any burros. These animals come and go as they please. During the rainier months, when there's plenty to eat out in the foothills, the burros don't always check into town for tourist food. But the old Oatman Hotel is always there. Even if you don't stay there, you should go in and take a look. It's Mohave County's only two-story adobe building and is listed in the National Register of Historic Buildings. Inside, you'll find an odd combination hotel-bar-coffee shop and museum. A perfect breeding ground for ghosts. Reverend Uncle Charlie, the bartender who has had several close encounters with Oatie, is sort of an otherworldy guy himself, resembling the ghostly bartender from The Shining. In addition to his bartender work, he's a gold miner, "gunfighter" and ordained wedding-performing preacher. He said he has felt wind in the hallway outside Oatie's room when it was perfectly still outside. And he said the ghost has an obsession with the song "Okie From Muskogee." "We used to have this jukebox with "Okie From Muskogee" in it, and that song kept playing over and over, even after we unplugged the machine," Reverend Uncle Charlie said. "We had to take the record out, but Oatie didn't like that. The machine broke, and we can't get new ones to work, either." OK, so I spent the night in the ghost room. And yes, weird stuff did happen. Sometime after midnight, I woke up to the sound of riffling coins, like a poker game being played a foot above my head. Two pantry doors leading to nowhere trembled, the old wooden floor creaked as if being walked on, and the room was suddenly as cold as a meat freezer. (That explains the extra quilt hotel manager Tonioli insisted I take). But, as advertised, Oatie was friendly enough. I never felt frightened. I think he just wanted to play cards. Oatie, Clark and CaroleUpstairs, down the hall from Oatie, is the town's second-most-famous room, the place where Clark Cable and Carole Lombard allegedly spent a furtive honeymoon. It's cordoned off now, but visitors are allowed to stargaze into the past.The second leg of this scenic drive, from Oatman to Golden Shores, used to be a rough trip down a loose, gravel road. But as of February, this stretch is completely paved. As you descend southwest around 4,741-foot Boundary Cone, look for abandoned mines scattered over volcanic peaks. To reach Oatman, take I-40 West from Kingman to the Oatman Road (US 66) turnoff. It's about 25 miles from the turnoff at I-40 to Oatman. Along the way, you'll pass through Goldroad. Mining in the area dates to 1863, but Oatman's first mine was claimed in 1902. The Vivian mining company ran the mine and the town was originally known as Vivian. In 1909, the town's name was changed to Oatman, in honor of a woman taken captive by Apache Indians in 1851. The mines were closed in 1942 by order of the War Department, as they were unnecessary to the war effort. Clark Gable spent his honeymoon in Oatman with Carole Lombard. The room can be viewed at the hotel for a $1 fee. A portion of the movie "How the West Was Won" was also filmed in Oatman, the store (photo above) was refurbished for the movie. Today, the owners ban photography inside the store and cheerfully post the sign "Shoplifters will be shot, survivors will be shot again." Oatman today is a gaudy tourist stop. Cars and people line the streets and there are so many shops that some proprieters sell their wares from under tents. Ample build ings from the mining days of Oatman are still standing, including the Hardware store at right and the town Jail. The original town gallows are available for photos. Burros walk the streets and probe pedestrians for carrots or other treats which are sold i n the shops. It is the meeting point for one of the largest motorcycle gatherings outside of Sturgis.
Route 66 - main street of Oatman  66 leading out of Kingman up into the hills towards Oatman Arizona 
Area around Oatman Arizona
An abandoned mineshaft. 
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