Eric created a route for us to explore Far Western Arizona.
We soak in the changing
landscape.
I realize how much I've missed travel and exploration during the last year.
A shot of a fellow traveler &
the Mohave County sign.
Welcome to Historic Oatman
Established 1915
Oatman Elevation - 2,700 feet
This sign has a brief history of
the town
Oatman is named after Olive Oatman. She and her family were part of a group traveling through the area in 1851 when they were attacked by the Yavapai. Olive and her sister, Mary, were taken and did drudge work for their captors.
Lorenzo Oatman searched for his sisters for five years. Olive was found and released. Her face had been tattoed and she no longer spoke or understood English. She was sent to family in Albany, New York where she reassimilated into her native culture.
Olive shared her story with Clergyman Royal Statton who wrote Captivity of the Oatman Girls: Being an Interesting Narrative of Life Among the Apache and Mohave Indians, which remains in print today.
Mining occurred around Oatman in the second half of the 19th Century. Gold was found nearby in 1905. The Oatman Post Office was established in 1906. More mines were established and Oatman's Golden Era continued until the mid 1930s, when the Gold Mines closed.
Wild Burros wander this
section of Route 66.
Route 66 saved Oatman from becoming a Ghost Town. Tourists traveled through and stopped at this Old West Town. After Interstate 40 was built in the 1950s, tourism dropped off and the town was mostly abandoned.
Route 66 and it's iconic
towns & cities.
Restaurants, Gift Shops, Rock Shops, Art Galleries, and more line the town's narrow main street.
Making Memories
Old Time Photo Shop
New Diggins is a Gift Shop
Restaurants include
Bucktooth Burro
Dakota Leather & Gifts
dominates this corner
of town.
for business.
Oatman is a charming, photogenic town that Eric and I could easily spend the day exploring. But, the road beckons... On to our next stop.
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