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A Guide to American Ghost Towns

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Arizona was one of the last states to actually be admitted into the Union, joining in 1912. Prior to that time it was a rip-snorting territory. Arizona has a rich heritage of copper, silver and gold mining, as well as early Spanish colonization attempts. Stage lines and highways crisscrossed the state, and agricultural communities were started and failed. The Grand Canyon State also "hosted" two of the ten World War Two Japanese Internment Camps.

Arizona has a rich ghost town heritage dating back to the days of the Spanish and up to and including present day communities that are dying. Even though the state is experiencing tremendous growth, there are still around a thousand ghost towns out there waiting for the followers of Ghost Town USA to find and explore. Listed below are just a few of those 1000 or so ghost towns that await YOU in Arizona...The Grand Canyon State.

If you know of any ghost towns in the Grand Canyon State that are not listed here, or know the current status of towns listed with little information, please contact us…

HELP!  (NEW FEATURE) Please check here to find a list of ghost towns that various contacts are looking for.  IF you have any information on these places please e-mail me and I can respond back to those looking for info on these ghosts.

PLEASE NOTE: 

Where photos are indicated thusly (PHOTO!), please use your browser’s “BACK” button to return to this page.  More photos will be added over time.

BISBEE

Cochise Co.

Bisbee is a class E copper-mining town that is still an active community of 8000 people, even though the glory days of mining, when it was booming city of 35,000 people, are long past. Bisbee remains as one of Arizona's most magnificent mining towns and is a must see stop. Narrow streets are lined with colorful buildings of all descriptions -- some open, some closed. It is located on SH 80, in the southeast corner of the state, 50 miles southeast of Benson, and 25 miles west of Douglas.

Lat: 31.4481547, Long: -109.9284084

Lat: 31° 26' 53" N, Long: 109° 55' 42" W

Bisbee was our Ghost Town of the Month  for July 2002.

BRUNCKOW CABIN

Cochise Co.

The melted adobe wall ruins of this famous class B cabin site sit about 600 feet south of the Charleston road at the junction with Brunckow Road, 1.5 miles east of the San Pedro River, eight miles southwest of Tombstone.

BUMBLEBEE

Yavapai Co.

Today’s Bumble Bee is a privately owned re-creation, but is open to the public. The original Bumble Bee on the same site dates to 1879 when it was a stage stop on the Phoenix-Prescott line. There was also some gold mining. A group of the remaining buildings are part of a re-created 1960s era tourist ghost town.

Lat: 34.2008645, Long: -112.1529372

Lat: 34° 12' 03" N, Long: 112° 09' 11" W

CHARLESTON

Cochise Co.

Charleston sits on the west bank of the San Pedro River, 3/4 of a mile north where the Charleston Road crosses the river, 9.4 miles southwest of Tombstone. The site of this 1880s class B milling town is owned by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and is part of the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area, as is Millville (another class B site), on the east bank of the river, directly opposite Charleston.

Lat: 31.6358000, Long: -110.1725000

Lat: 31° 38' 09" N, Long: 110° 10' 21" W

CHLORIDE

Mohave Co.

This class D silver-mining town lies nestled in the Cerbat Mountains, four miles east of US 93, at a point 20 miles north of Kingman. Several hundred folks, the post office and the Chloride General Store anchor the town that once had 2000 people. Other occupied and unoccupied structures remain, along with some ruins.

Lat: 35.4144379, Long: -114.1994006

Lat: 35° 24' 52" N, Long: 114° 11' 58" W

CLIFTON

Greenlee Co.

Like Bisbee and Jerome, Clifton is a still-living class E copper-mining town, which draws on visitors rather than the wealth of its now closed mines. Unlike the former two towns, it is quiet and low key. Clifton sits is filled with colorful, historic structures. Nearby mining towns included Morenci (old and new) and Metcalf.  Clifton is the county seat of Greenlee County.

Lat: 33.0508966, Long: -109.2961826

Lat: 33° 03' 03" N, Long: 109° 17' 46" W

CONTENTION CITY

Cochise Co.

This class B milling town is located along the east bank of the San Pedro River three miles north of Fairbank. See Fairbank for directions.

Lat: 31.7689775, Long: -110.2020211

Lat: 31° 46' 08" N, Long: 110° 12' 07" W

CROWN KING

Yavapai Co.

Crown King is an 1870s era, class D gold-mining camp. It is now a popular summer retreat, with a number of newer cabins mixed in with the old mining town buildings. The town once had 500 buildings, but has much less now. It is located in the Bradshaw Mountains 28 miles west of Bumble Bee and south of Prescott.

Lat: 34.2055857, Long: -112.3384991

Lat: 34° 12' 20" N, Long: 112° 20' 19" W

DOS CABEZAS

Cochise Co.

This sleepy desert mining town is located along SH 186, at the foot of the Cabezas Mountains, about 15 miles southeast of Willcox. This late 1870’s, class D mining town has many adobe structures, ruins, a well-maintained cemetery and a few remaining residents.

Lat: 32.1753571, Long: -109.6133977

Lat: 32° 10' 31" N, Long: 109° 36' 48" W

FAIRBANK

Cochise Co.

Fairbank is a class C ghost railroad station/shipping center along the north side of SH 82, 5.9 miles west of SH 80, at a point four miles north of Tombstone. The site is owned and maintained by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and is a part of the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area.

Lat: 31.7231456, Long: -110.1884107

Lat: 31° 43' 23" N, Long: 110° 11' 18" W

This was our Ghost Town of the Month for Jun/Jul 2005.

GLEESON

Cochise Co.

A class D copper-mining town sitting about 14 teeth-rattling, washboard miles east of Tombstone and a mile west of the end of pavement, nine paved miles west of US 191, at a point about 28 miles north of Douglas. There are a number of interesting ruins and standing buildings, along with a small population.

Lat: 31.7339802, Long: -109.8297941

Lat: 31° 44' 02" N, Long: 109° 49' 47" W

GOLDROAD

Mohave Co.

This wonderful old class B gold-mining town lies alongside old US 66 several miles north of Oatman, and 25 miles west of Kingman. In 1998 it was privately owned and posted against trespass, but the many roofless, rock-walled ruins are highly visible alongside the public highway.  I have not been by the site since then so don’t know if the status has changed.

Lat: 35.0466689, Long: -114.3796810

Lat: 35° 02' 48" N, Long: 114° 22' 47" W

JEROME

Yavapai Co.

Jerome is a fascinating class E former copper-mining town perched on the side of Cleopatra Hill. It sits on SH 89A, midway between Prescott and Sedona. This re-born town is a haven for artists and other urban refugees, but still maintains its pride for the past. Just don't call it a ghost town! The 450 or so citizens may not like that moniker, but the population HAS dwindled a lot from the days when Jerome had 25,000 people.  Even its website proclaims Jerome to be the “Largest Ghost Town in America,” Who am I to dispute that?

Lat: 34.7516884, Long: -112.1162717

Lat: 34° 45' 06" N, Long: 112° 06' 59" W

Jerome was our Ghost Town of the Month for Jul/Aug, 1999.

MINERAL PARK

Mohave Co.

This class B mining town is located in the Cerbat Mountains, east of US 93, at a point about eight miles south of the turnoff to Chloride, a dozen miles north of Kingman. There are active mines in the vicinity, so access may be restricted. The town dates to the 1870s and once had 200 people and a main street lined with adobe, rock and frame saloons, stores, and a post office.

Lat: 35.3708275, Long: -114.1530103

Lat: 35° 22' 15" N, Long: 114° 09' 11" W

OATMAN

Mohave Co.

Hidden in the heart of the Black Mountains, this class D gold-mining town dates back to the early 1900s. It straddles old US 66, about 25 miles southwest of Kingman. Several hundred citizens, a greeting committee of burros, and many picturesque buildings remain in this classic Arizona mining town.  Like Jerome and Bisbee, Oatman is a must see. 

Lat: 35.0263915, Long: -114.3835698

Lat: 35° 01' 35" N, Long: 114° 23' 01" W

Oatman was our featured Ghost Town of the Month for Mar 1999.

PEARCE

Cochise Co.

This class D gold-mining town sits a mile southwest of a large curve on US 191 at a point 18 miles south of I-10 at EXIT 331. Several photogenic buildings remain, including the old store and the jail building. There are also a number of interesting adobe ruins.

Lat: 31.9050865, Long: -109.8206232

Lat: 31° 54' 18" N, Long: 109° 49' 14" W

POSTON

La Paz Co.

About 10 miles south of Parker, on the road through the Colorado River Indian Reservation. Poston was a World War II relocation center for Americans of Japanese ancestry, and was active from 1942 until 1945. I have not been to the site, so don’t know what if anything remains of the old camp.

Lat: 33.9905733, Long: -114.3963424

Lat: 33° 59' 26" N, Long: 114° 23' 47" W

SASCO

Pima Co.

This class B milling town is about 15 miles southwest of Red Rock, which is off I-10, at EXIT 226, 30 some miles northwest of Tucson. The post office was established in 1907 and discontinued in 1919. At its peak, Sasco had 600 residents, stores, saloons, and hotels. Remains include foundations of the smelter, Rockland Hotel, and the jail.  Sasco was an acronym form the name of the Southern Arizona Smelting Company.

Lat: 32.5350680, Long: -111.4395581

Lat: 32° 32' 06" N, Long: 111° 26' 22" W

SILVERBELL

Pima Co.

Two sites...

#1...Silverbell is a class B copper-mining town, south of Sasco. Remains include the cemetery and tailing piles. There are no buildings. Silverbell dates to 1904, and once had 3000 people.

Lat: 32.4306250, Long: -111.5381717

Lat: 32° 25' 50" N, Long: 111° 32' 17" W

#2...Silver Bell was established in 1948, about four miles southeast of the old site. Today, only a few foundations mark the second site. It is located 24 miles west of Rillito, which is on I-10 at EXIT 242, about 18 miles northwest of Tucson.

Lat: 32.3834038, Long: -111.5006893

Lat: 32° 23' 00" N, Long: 111° 30' 02" W

SWANSEA

La Paz Co.

Philip Varney, Arizona's premier ghost town writer has called “The dusty ruin of Swansea, a premier ghost town...” This early 1900s class B copper-mining town is located four miles south of the Bill Williams River, 25 miles east of Parker. It has numerous ruins, but is accessible only via four-wheel drive road.

Lat: 34.1700198, Long: -113.8460490

Lat: 34° 10' 12" N, Long: 113° 50' 46" W

TOMBSTONE

Cochise Co.

A class E/F silver-mining town that caters to visitors. Like Deadwood (SD) and Virginia City (NV), Tombstone is one of the Old West's legendary mining towns. It is full of history, and is a magnet for tourists. The "Town Too Tough To Die" is on US 80, about 75 miles southeast of Tucson.  However, the history is hidden behind a touristy glitz that seems to attract foreign tourists like a magnet.  Even so, it is an interesting and worthwhile stop.

Lat: 31.7128683, Long: -110.0675764

Lat: 31° 42' 46" N, Long: 110° 04' 03" W

VULTURE CITY

Maricopa Co.

This privately owned class C gold-mining town is on Vulture Mine Road, a dozen miles south of US-60 at a point four miles west of Wickenburg. Boomed from the 1860s through the 1880s. There was a small revival in the WW I years. The camp’s picturesque remains include a handful of buildings; some restored, some crumbling, as well as a few ruins. A small entry fee is charged.  This is one of my favorite AZ ghosts and is well worth the detour to reach.

Lat: 33.8216987, Long: -112.8357346

Lat: 33° 49' 18" N, Long: 112° 50' 09" W

Vulture City was our Ghost Town of the Month for Apr 2003.

WHITE HILLS

Mohave Co.

The site of this class B silver-mining town is hard to find. It is located five miles east of US 93, 44 miles north of Kingman. A little rubble and the remains of a reservoir mark where a town of several hundred folks, a dozen saloons, several stores and other amenities thrived a century ago.

Lat: 35.7380448, Long: -114.3974662

Lat: 35° 44' 17" N, Long: 114° 23' 51" W

YUMA TERRITORIAL PRISON

Yuma Co.

Though technically not a ghost town, this is a historic class C/F site and is located at Yuma, in the extreme southwest tip of the state. It is a state park, and is well worth a stop.

Lat: 32.7278247, Long: -114.6152300

Lat: 32° 43' 40" N, Long: 114° 36' 55" W

Historians estimate that there may be as many

as 50,000 ghost towns scattered across the United States of America. During the next five years, Gary B. Speck Publications will be publishing unique state, regional, and county guides called

The Ghost Town Guru's Guide

to the Ghost Towns of *** ™

These original guides are designed for anybody interested in

ghost towns. Whether you are a casual tourist looking for a new and different place to visit, or a hard-core ghost town researcher, these guides will be just right for you. With over 30 years of research behind them, they will be a welcome addition to any

ghost towner's library.

Thank you, and we'll see you out on the Ghost Town Trail!

For more information on the ghost towns of ARIZONA,

contact us at

Ghost Town USA.

E-mailers, PLEASE NOTE:

Due to the tremendous amount of viruses, worms and “spam,” out there, I no longer open any e-mails with unsolicited attachments, OR messages on the subject lines with “Hey”, “Hi”, “Need help”, “Help Please”, “???”, or blank subject lines, etc.  If you do send E-mail asking for information, or sharing information, PLEASE indicate the appropriate location AND state name, or other topic on the “subject” line.  THANK YOU!  :o)

IMPORTANT

These listings and historical vignettes of ghost towns, near-ghost towns and other historical sites in ARIZONA above are for informational purposes only, and should NOT be construed to grant permission to trespass, metal detect, relic or treasure hunt at any of the listed sites.

If the reader of this guide is a metal detector user and plans to use this guide to locate sites for metal detecting or relic hunting, it is the READER'S responsibility to obtain written permission from the legal property owners. Please be advised, that any state or nationally owned sites will probably be off-limits to metal detector use. Also be aware of any federal, state or local laws restricting the same.

When you are exploring the ghost towns of ARIZONA, please abide by the

Ghost Towner's Code of Ethics.