Half of the driving fun when traveling to Oatman (Arizona) is following old Route 66 from Kingman (Arizona) to the Colorado River. Historically, this was one of the most intimidating parts of the “Mother Road” and in the days before power steering and disc brakes, travelers would often pay locals to drive their cars over Sitgreaves pass. Although the road is paved, it is very narrow and crooked with many hairpin turns and steep grades as it winds its way across the Black Mountains. When the road signs say “15 MPH,” they really means 15 MPH. There are numerous old vehicles that can be seen down in the ravines as you go around the sharp mountain curves.
The
first stop along the way is Cool Springs, which has the slogan “Something
happened here once.” The original gas station and tourist cabins were abandoned
in 1966 and then in 2001 the property was sold and the new owner rebuilt the
main building and reopened it in 2004. The Cool Springs sign that is now on the
building is an exact replica of the vintage sign visible in old pictures and
post cards. Many of the old post cards also show Thimble Mountain in the
background, which is one of the most recognizable landmarks along Route 66. Since the movie Cars was released, the population of Cool Springs has been increasing and three of Mater's cousins now call Cool Springs home!
Ed’s Camp is the next historic site along the road, but the property is not open to the public. Ed, the original owner, was a prospector and then in 1917 he put up some walls with a tin roof cover (mostly from salvaged building materials) and started offering services to Route 66 travelers. He soon discovered that there was more “gold” in providing tourist services than digging in the dirt, so never did go back to prospecting.
Shaffer Fish Bowl Springs is between Ed’s Camp and Sitgreaves Pass, but I was so busy watching the road that I missed the pull off for the springs.
When you reach the top of the hill, most
people stop at Sitgreaves Pass to take pictures and enjoy the sweeping views of
California, which is visible on the western side of the Colorado River. If you look
closely, you can also see remnants of the Old Beale Wagon Road as it wound its
way down the hill to the settlement of Goldroad.
Goldroad is now a ghost town, but you can still see numerous old building foundations and walls in the gulches, and on the hillsides, that were constructed using native stones found in the area. At one time there were 180 men that worked in the mine and Goldroad had its own post office, general store, and Freight Company. However, when the gold played out, the town was abandoned and the buildings were razed in 1949 to save taxes. In 2007 the price of gold increased and mining resumed at the site.
Oatman began as a tent camp in 1915 when gold was discovered in the area and the population grew to more than 3,500 in less than a year. In 1921 a fire burned down most of the buildings, but somehow the Oatman Hotel was saved. The Hotel is now a historical landmark and is especially famous as the honeymoon stop of Clark Gable and Carole Lombard after their wedding in Kingman (Arizona) on March 18, 1939. Clark Gable loved the town and in later years he often returned to play poker with the miners. However, as part of the Country’s war effort, the mines were closed in 1941 and did not ever reopen.
Today,
Oatman has undergone a renaissance of sorts, thanks to the worldwide interest
in historic Route 66. Tourist now come to Oatman to see the old mine remnants,
historic buildings and “Wild West” gunfights that are held on the streets. Wild
burros freely roam the town and surrounding desert lands and seem to like
having their pictures taken with the tourist; especially if fed “burro chow”
that is readily available from most stores in town (just be careful of where
you walk). The burros are decedents of pack animals that were turned loose in
the desert by prospectors and are now protected by the US Department of the
Interior (DOI).
When leaving town, the Tom Reed Mine ruins can be seen along the side of the road.
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