Comparing 2 Ghost Towns in Arizona

Always on the lookout for something new when we travel, the term ghost town caught my attention. How could we not seize the opportunity during our visit to Arizona?

Castle Dome City, Arizona

The brochure read, "The old west way of life is gone, but preserved in Castle Dome City, in what they left behind." I batted my eyelashes at Randy and made a comment about how much fun it would be to explore the old west. He simply picked up the brochure I had laid on the table and started reading.

"Did you know it is 7 miles of dirt road?" Nonplussed, I shrugged my shoulders thinking that since we have been in Arizona, I've seen little more than dirt. Visiting a ghost town would simply reinforce my assumptions.

By mid-morning we were in our Mini Cooper and headed to Castle Dome. As we drove, I read some details and shared them aloud, so we both gained some knowledge of our destination.

"There are over 50 weather-beaten buildings that give you the impression that you just discovered a lost city.

Castle Dome sits on the second patented mine in 1871 and it is the longest worked mining district in the state. We found a lot of artifacts they left behind. These items have told us, some amazing things happened here. There are over 300 mines in the Castle Dome District We have explored all the mines and have pulled out most of the artifacts for the museum The town sits on 3 patented mining claims the Floral Temple, Floral Temple extension and the Castle Dome. We just finished restoring the three stamp mill so that should be running this winter. We just bought the Hull mine which is 170 acres so we're expanding the museum over there and plan to do underground mine tours.

The last legitimate miners left Castle Dome around 1979, but soon after that, others came to scam mine investors. In 1998 the museum opened. In 1998- October 31, Fish and Wildlife decided to take out everything that was left from the Castle Dome mining era. We asked permission to salvage everything we could from the manager. We got permission and did so. There were buildings, artifacts, and piles of wood. There wasn't a shortage of Castle Dome mining history - the old newspapers documented well what happened at Castle Dome - who lived here, when, who owned mines, how much silver ore was removed etc. Thus, we moved and collected everything possible, researched the history, and were fortunate enough to even meet folks who lived, and worked here. The best way to put it - Castle Dome City was salvaged, the history was preserved. Another piece of America's old west days is remembered. The mining began in 1864 and ended when the silver prices dropped in 1979 -the silver ore was mixed with lead, and the process to separate the 2 was costly, but there was always a profit until the separating process cost more than the silver was worth.

Castle Dome City was once bigger than Yuma. Some of the mines had everything left in them and were just like they quit working yesterday, so we were able to restock the town nicely." Castle Dome Website

This attraction is a paid walking tour with a cost of $15.00 per person. In my opinion it was well worth the cost of admission to support the continued renovation and preservation of history. All the images shared were taken during our visit.

Upon our arrival we were greeted by a man, one of the many volunteers who support the museum. He explained the original town of Dome City spread out over 14 acres. When the land was sold, their society began the process of gathering all the buildings and artifacts onto one location to share the historical remains. The preservation process must have taken hours over the last years to reach the condition it now stands, an astonishing presentation of the past.

Visitors who wish to hear historical details during the tour are provided a QR code to scan that provides an audio presentation to accompany them as they explore.

Wooden boardwalks connect the buildings, often leading to dirt and gravel paths. Most of the buildings display furniture, clothes, and objects made by the inhabitants of the area from years ago. The curators have taken painstaking efforts to present life as it once by sharing moments from the past captured in a represented scene from the time.

In the corner of the bank stands the original safe. The ceiling and walls are adorned with rich looking panels and the teller's station has bars.

Lined up in the school are students' desks holding books and a chalkboard is centered at the front of the room. In an effort to add life, many rooms contain mannequins wearing authentic clothes from the time period.

The printing office displays a dated metal typewriter and a print setting machine along with many other artifacts left over from when the area was a bustling city.

The town boasts the fact they had numerous bars and brothels. Laminated notes lay around on tables telling tales of the residence that once occupied the building. A quaint detail that adds a personal real life element.

Among the 45 building are homes, a barber shop, blacksmith shop machine shop, hotel, dentist office, and mercantile.

The church was one of my favorite buildings because it showed the community's commitment to their faith by the time, money, and energy invested in its construction. 

Oatman, Arizona

Our next stop, Bullhead City, Arizona, advertised another ghost town. This time the road was paved, windy, and the drive was short. Since we had an afternoon to kill before our golf tee time the following morning, we hit the road. As can be expected, it was a desolate drive through the desert, but I hadn't expected the first sign of life produced itself in the form of a mule.

The literature informed us the many animals roaming the streets remain from the time the town actively mined. When the miners left, many left the burros behind. Now, selling food so the tourists can feed them is a main financial source for the store owners. The animals are wild so close contact is discourage but that didn't keep many humans from approaching them and petting what are now protected by the government.

As mentioned, this town is more of a tourist trap as few of the historical artifacts are being preserved. The town is quite rundown and there are few obvious efforts at restoration. Most of the stores sell souvenirs products that have been purchased from large manufacturers. There are few handmade, or items of much value.

However, beautiful fossils, rocks and minerals can be found: quartzite, geodes, desert rose, fire in the desert, gypsum, amethyst, obsidian, and agates are just a few. We talked about walking through the desert to explore its offering but changed our minds after hearing stories about rattlesnakes and scorpions.

Not far from where we parked, parking is a sparse commodity, there stands the remains of a mine. Visitors are welcome to walk several yards into it to get the feel for the inside of a mine.

If I had to choose one to visit, Castle Dome City would win my vote. But if time allows both are interesting and worth a stroll.

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