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Cochran, Arizona
Cochran, Arizona is located in Arizona
Cochran, Arizona
Cochran, Arizona
Location in Arizona
Cochran, Arizona is located in the United States
Cochran, Arizona
Cochran, Arizona
Location in the United States
Country United States
State Arizona
County Pinal
Founded 1905
Abandoned 1915
Named for John S. Cochran, first postmaster
Elevation
1,640 ft (500 m)
Population
 • Total 0
Time zone UTC-7 (MST (no DST))
Post Office opened January 3, 1905
Post Office closed January 15, 1915

Cochran is a ghost town located in Pinal County, Arizona. A ghost town is a place where most people have left, leaving behind empty buildings. This town was first settled in 1905, when Arizona was still a territory.

History of Cochran

Cochran was named after its first postmaster, John S. Cochran. A postmaster is the person in charge of a post office. This small mining camp was also a stop for trains on the Santa Fe, Prescott and Phoenix Railway. A mining camp is a settlement that grew up around a mine.

The town's post office opened on January 3, 1905. It closed just ten years later, on January 15, 1915. At its busiest, about 100 people lived in Cochran. The town had a general store and a boardinghouse, which was like a small hotel.

Today, not much is left of Cochran. You can still see a few building foundations in the center of where the town once stood. The old railroad tracks are also still there.

The most interesting remains are five large beehive coke ovens. These ovens are across the Gila River in a place called Butte, Arizona. Coke ovens were used to turn coal into a fuel called coke, which was important for mining.

Cochran Coke Ovens - Image01 - 2009-03-19
Coke Ovens near Butte, Arizona

These coke ovens are on private land, so visitors are not allowed to go there.

Where is Cochran?

Cochran is located about 15 miles (24 kilometers) east of Florence, Arizona. Its exact location is 33°06′34″N 111°08′59″W / 33.10944°N 111.14972°W / 33.10944; -111.14972.

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