Oatman, Arizona

 

After crossing into Arizona, take the first exit off I-40. Turn right after passing the water tower with the Route 66 sign.

Route 66 is a 2-lane road with beautiful scenery of the Black Mountains.

As you near Oatman, you'll likely come across wild burros.

Oatman is a restored old west town of roughly 130 people. It attracts hoards of tourists, estimated at half a million each year. Kitschy shops are abundant.

The real draw of Oatman is to see the wild burros roam the streets. Don't feed them carrots. It's making them too fat. 

The museum was closed because of COVID.

Barn used for burros when Oatman was a gold mining town. The little box with its door open was a one-man jail from 1897.

Entry to the mine.

Abandoned cars.

Oatman is a one-street town.

The town is named after Olive Oatman, She was traveling across western Arizona with her family at the age of 14 when her parents and several siblings were killed. She and her sister were taken captive by an Apache tribe and sold to Mojave Indians. After 5 years, she was released and her story became famous. Her chin was tattoo'd when she was a captive.

The Oatman Hotel is still operating but only as a bar & restaurant. It's reported to be the honeymoon hotel of Clark Gable and Carole Lombard in 1939.

It's very hot in Oatman in the summer, hot enough to have an annual Sidewalk Egg Fry on the 4th of July. This year's festivities were cancelled because of COVID.

The General Store is still open.

Being grouchy, irritable or mean will cost you extra.

Every day at noon and 2:15 pm, there's a gunfight on the streets. Donations are appreciated and benefit the Shriner's.

If there aren't enough visitors to block the street against traffic, the show is cancelled.

The burros even get involved.

This building & Oatman appeared in several movies.

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