RonnieAdventure #0089 - Chloride and Santa Clause, Mohave County, Arizona

Chloride is considered to be the oldest continuously inhabited mining town in the State of Arizona, and at one time there were more than 75 mines operating in the area that supported a population of over 5,000 inhabitants. Today, the population is listed at 352. However, with the rising price of gold, the Tennessee Mine has reopened using a new low-impact environmental approach to reprocess tailings from previous mining activities.

In the 1840s prospectors first discovered deposits of gold and silver in the area; but mining was not widespread until the 1870s, after a treaty was signed with the Hualapai Indians. By the late 1890s the Arizona and Utah Railway was extended from Kingman to Chloride, which greatly increased the population and the mercantile trade. However, the mines played out and by the 1940s Chloride was nearly a ghost town.

A number of old buildings are still on display and open to the public, including some stores and a restaurant. The town residents have also recreated an old west town (Cyanide Springs) where they hold mock gunfights on the 2^nd and 4^th Saturdays of each month. Cyanide Springs is also home of the Wild Roses, the world’s only all-female gun fighter troupe.

It is interesting to drive around the side streets of Chloride just to view the various yards. Many of the residents display “lawn art,” which consists of anything rusty that you can find discarded in the desert. Some of the items are even for sale. Bring on the American Pickers!

Located on US Highway 93, not far from the Chloride exit, are the abandoned remains of Santa Clause (Arizona). 

Santa Clause was founded in 1937 by a real estate promoter that constructed or moved several buildings to the site, including the old Kit Carson Guest House that was renamed the Santa Clause Inn. The plan was to use the parched desert location to attract land buyers to the area. After twelve years of sparse land sales (even though some parcels of land were sold, no one actually moved there) the property was sold to investors that decided to promote the “Santa Land” idea to tourist as they traveled by on US Highway 93 (the main road from Kingman to Las Vegas).

Santa Clause turned out to be a full-fledged tourist attraction and a must-stop location where kids could see Santa anytime of the year at “Santa’s Desert Retreat.” At Christmas time, letters could be sent to the post office and they would be stamped from “Santa Clause.” A series of buildings were added using a North Pole theme and there was a small pink train with hand-painted renderings of Santa and his elves that kids could ride. Duncan Hines representatives visited the facility and stated that the restaurant was one of the best places to eat along Route 66 (of course, Santa Clause wasn’t located on Route 66, but it helped attract business) and the restaurant became famous for its rum pie. However, over time business declined and the facility was abandoned in 1995.

I only visited the facility one time when it was in operation, but I can still remember the two little grandmother’s that made the pies each morning. And, in my opinion, they were the best pies in the area, even though the restaurant was not located on Route 66.