Family visit to Oatman, Arizona, a restored mining town...

"We just have to pay a visit to Oatman!" That's what I told our friends Jerry and Edna Flinn, as we sat side-by-side in the Pioneer Casino in Laughlin, Nevada, enjoying Bloody Mary's and quarter slot machines, on the very chilly Thursday evening of January 11, 2007. With that, we decided to visit the quaint mining town of Oatman, Arizona the next day.

Left: Tourists enjoy the many burros that inhabit Main Street, in Oatman, Arizona. Right: Our van is parked in the foreground of this photo, as we look east along Main Street, in Oatman, Arizona.

Jerry and Edna had visited Oatman before, and they had emailed me photos of the place, that showed a quaint mining town, with tame burros roaming the streets, being fed carrots by tourists. I'd never heard of the place before, but the though of burros roaming around town, co-existing and actually be encouraged by tourists sounded so bizarre that I had to visit the place. So the next day, Friday, Sharlene, Edna Jerry and I took the drive to Oatman, which is about an our from Laughlin, over very secondary roads. From Laughlin, we crossed the river into Arizona, and headed east on Arizona 68 a few miles, until we came to Buck Wash Road, We turned south, and soon lost most traces of civilization, as the road heads into the dry, desert hills. After several miles, it joins with Silver Creek Road, and just outside of Oatman, it joins up with Historic Route 66, which goes by other names, including Oatman Highway, R-10 and Oatman-Topock Highway. Take your pick.

Left: The intersection of Man and Bannon in clearly marked at Oatman. Right: One of the numerous free-range burros gets his photo taken. Note the wooden sidewalks.

As you join Historic Route 66, you'll notice a strange phenomonom, as the locals have decorated many of the sagebrush bushes with decorations, some sporting very unique themes. Check out the chapter about Oatman's decorated sagebrush by clicking on the hyperlink.

Oatman is an old mining town, and it nearly died when the Interstate appeared in the early 1960's, as most of the town's business headed north to the Interstate. Somehow the place managed to survive, as the town transitioned from catering to the Route 66 travelers to catering to tourists. Like many old mining towns in the Colorado Rockies, Oatman re-invented itself as a tourist mecca, replacing the gas stations, restaurants and motels with stores that sell tourist-oriented goods and services, and promoting the existence of the free-ranging burros.

Left: Main Street, Oatman, Arizona. Right: A tourist feeds one of the many burros that inhabit the town, just in front of the Oatman Hotel, where you can enjoy a cold beer and a decent meal.

We noticed that Oatman has done an outstanding job of keeping the place looking like the dusty mining town that it once was, as the streets are dusty, the buildings are rustic, and many are in a slight state of disrepair to render a very authentic appearence. Naturally the buildings are very western in character, and most are relics from the founding of the town in the early 1900's. We especially loved the board sidewalks! Most of the business cater to the needs of the tourists, and if you're looking for a souvenir, particularly one of western character, you'll find it in Oatman. Naturally there are a few bars and restaurants, and the Oatman Hotel, still in the original 2-story adobe building, built in 1902, has a killer bar and an outstanding restaurant. Click on the link to read about the lunch we enjoyed... All of the locals and all of the store staff are dressed in period western garb, and since state law allows open carry of firearms, many sport holstered pistols, for effect. In fact mock gunfights are staged on the main street of Oatman every hour our so. And then there are the free-range burros who roam the streets, coming up to tourists, begging for carrots. If you don't have a carrot, you can purchase one at one of the many carrot vending machines that line the board sidewalks. Where else but Oatman do you find a carrot vending machine?

Left: The cheery wood stove that warms the dining room of the Oatman Hotel. Right: Consternation is starting to appear on the faces of the ATV crowd parked in front of the Oatman hotel, as the snow starts to fall.

One thing that we discovered is it can get cold, very cold, in Oatman, as the town is located in a high desert valley at an elevation of 2700 feet. While dining at the hotel, we could look out the window and see snow falling, which doesn't happen very often in Arizona's high desert mountains. Due to the warm and cheery wood stove in the hotel, we decided to linger, but by the time we left, the flurries were flying, which made Oatman a beautiful, yet cold place. The snow came down for a couple of hours, and stuck to the buildings, but little accumulated on the ground. The snow was dry, as you could still be out in it wearing a cotton jacket, and very little would penetrate. Of course I had to take many photos!

Left: This girl apparently wasn't aware that it was going to snow, as she's only clad in shorts. Right: I watched these guys dismount from the ATVs and race into the saloon to get out of the snow that was falling.

We loved our visit to Oatman, as we got a chance to chat with many friendly locals, wander about the town, take photos, enjoy a fine meal, and enjoy a rare, Oatman snowstorm. The locals are very friendly, and will make you feel at home, and seem to enjoy having you visit their town.

Left: Main Street, Oatman, Arizona, during snow flurries on Friday, January 12, 2007. Right: These burros don't know what to do to get out of the snow.

Back at the Pioneer Hotel in Laughlin, I called up our daughter to check what temperature we'd recorded in our home town of Roseville, and she told me that the temperature had dipped to 19.9 degrees the night before. That's not a record, but it's a 15-year low for Roseville.

Photo: This gunfighter had just emerged, victorious, from a mock gunfight, and his loot is still in his right hand, as the snow starts to fall, which seemed to end the gunfight. The gal to his right seems to want to get out of the snow that is falling, as soon as she can, and she doesn't seem too interested in the gunfighter.

Photo: Main Street, Oatman, Arizona, during a rare snowfall at about 1300, January 12, 2007.

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