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| Goldfield GhostTown |
For about
five years, Goldfield, Arizona, was a booming town with 4,000 residents. Then
the gold played out and it became a ghost town.
Gold was
discovered around 1892. It wasn’t a high grade of ore, but the mines were
considered some of the richest in the world at that time. In 1890s dollars,
around $3 million was taken out of the mines. That was a lot of money for that
time. That figure translates to $80 million in today’s dollars.
By 1898,
the gold had been mined out, and people left. The post office closed that year,
too.
Located a
few miles northeast of Apache Junction, Goldfield Ghost Town is a thriving
tourist attraction. It’s not on the original town site, but nearby on the
Goldfield Mill hill.
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| Old shovels artistically displayed |
Reconstructed
buildings include a saloon, a couple of eateries, church, sheriff’s office/jail
and small shops. It’s free to wander through the dirt-street town, but the
museums charge admission, and there’s a charge to ride the only narrow gauge
railroad in Arizona.
Rusty
mining equipment can be found throughout the town. This equipment is perhaps
more interesting to see than the buildings, some of which appear to be very
old.
Gunfights
take place hourly on the town’s only street on weekend. The gunfights aren’t as believable as those
staged in Tombstone or Old Tucson, but kids will enjoy them.
The
Superstition Mountain Museum and Apacheland buildings are just a mile away, so
a visit to them and Goldfield could easily make a good day outing.
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| Goldfield Ghost Town |
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| Gunfight at Goldfield |
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| Old mining equipment |
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