List of ghost towns in Arizona facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

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Have you ever heard of a ghost town? These are places in Arizona that used to be busy, but now they're mostly empty. Many of Arizona's ghost towns were once lively mining towns. People moved there quickly when valuable minerals like gold or silver were found. But when the mines closed, most people left, and the towns became 'ghosts'. Other ghost towns were places that helped the mines, like mills that processed minerals or supply centers for miners.

What Makes a Ghost Town?
Arizona's Ghost Towns
Images for kids
See also

What Makes a Ghost Town?

The Assay Office in Vulture City, built in 1881.

Ghost towns can look very different from each other. Some have almost no signs of buildings left. Others still have old buildings standing, but no one lives there. Some might even have a few people, but far fewer than when the town was new. A few have become museums or historical sites that you can visit!

To make it easier to understand, here are the main types of ghost towns you might find:

Barren site

There's almost nothing left of the town.
It might be covered by water, or the land has returned to nature.
You might only find a few old foundations.

Neglected site

Only broken-down buildings or piles of rubble remain.
Many buildings might be missing their roofs.

Abandoned site

Buildings and houses are still standing, but almost no one lives there.
Maybe only a caretaker lives there.
The town is no longer used, except for one or two buildings.

Semi-abandoned site

Buildings and houses are still standing, but most are empty.
A few people might still live there.

Historic site

Buildings and houses are still standing.
The site has become a historical place, a museum, or a tourist spot.
It might still be a busy place, but with fewer people than in its past.

Arizona's Ghost Towns

Town name	Other name(s)	Location	County	Settled	Abandoned	Current status	Remarks
Adamana			Apache	1896		Semi-abandoned site	The name Adamana came from "Adam Hanna's" as more people visited.
Adamsville	Sanford		Pinal	1866	1920s	Neglected site	This farming town was mostly destroyed by a flood. Only its cemetery and some ruins remain.
Agua Caliente			Maricopa	1858		Neglected site	You can find an old Hotel, ruins of a stone house, and a swimming pool.
Alamo Crossing	Alimo		Mohave	1899	1918	Submerged	This town is now underwater in Alamo Lake.
Alexandra			Yavapai	1875	c. 1903	Barren site	Located in Peck Canyon, named after Mrs. T.M. Alexander, one of the first people there.
Algert			Coconino	1883	1921	Neglected site	Walls of some school buildings and a trading post are still standing.
Allen	Gunsight, Allen City		Pima	c. 1880	c. 1886	Barren site	Founded by John Brackett Allen, who named it after himself.
Alma	Stringtown		Maricopa	1880		Historic site	This Mormon settlement is now part of Mesa, Arizona.
Alma			Pinal	1891	1898	Abandoned site	You can still see old wooden water tanks, a concrete ore chute, and metal ore buckets.
Alto			Santa Cruz	1907	1933	Neglected site	Adobe walls of the old Post Office and a sign for "Alto Camp" remain. It was a mining area since the 1700s.
American Flag			Pinal	c. 1879	c. 1884		The post office building still stands and is Arizona's oldest surviving territorial post office.
American Ranch	Lee's Ranch		Yavapai	1863	c. 1883	Barren site	This was a stagecoach stop with a large hotel for travelers.
Aravaipa	Dunlap		Graham				Named Dunlap after Burt Dunlap, who started the ranch in 1882.
Aubrey Landing	Aubrey		Mohave	c. 1860	c. 1886	Barren site	This steamboat landing was later covered by Lake Havasu.
Aztec			Yuma	1880s		Semi-abandoned site	It used to be a railroad station.
Barcelona			Pinal	1880s		Site completely devoured by mine	This was a separate town near Kelvin.
Bellevue			Gila	1906	1927	Abandoned site	The town was built to house workers for the Gibson Cooper Mine.
Big Bug	Bigbug, Red Rock		Yavapai	1862	c. 1910	Barren site	Founded by Theodore Boggs.
Bonita			Graham	c. 1885	1950	Abandoned site	This town served Fort Grant.
Boyles	Carpenter		Greenlee	1904	1908	Barren site	A farming and ranching community.
Bradshaw City			Yavapai	c. 1860	c. 1880	Barren site	This town supported the Tiger Mine and was named after its founder, William D. Bradshaw.
Brigham City			Navajo	1876	1881	Historic site	Founded by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints near Winslow. It was abandoned by 1881.
Bumble Bee			Yavapai	1863		Semi-abandoned site	This town is privately owned and has only a few residents.
Calabasas	Calabazas		Santa Cruz	1866	1913	Abandoned site	This town was a Tohono O'odham Village, a Mexican Garrison, and a military base. It was known as the gateway to Mexico.
Camp Crittenden			Santa Cruz	1867	1873	Semi-abandoned site	This is private property, named after Thomas S. Crittenden. It was set up to protect nearby settlements.
Camp Reno			Gila	1867	1870	Neglected site	The United States Army once used this area to watch over the Apache people.
Canelo			Santa Cruz	c. 1904		Semi-abandoned site	Several historic buildings remain, including an old schoolhouse and a Forest Service station.
Canyon Diablo		Exit 230 off Interstate 40	Coconino	1882	Before 1947	Neglected	This town existed because of a railway bridge construction error and disappeared after the bridge was finished.
Cascabel			Cochise	1916	1936	Semi-abandoned site	You can see several occupied adobe homes and ruined adobe walls.
Castle Dome			Yuma	1869	1876	Historic site	This is now the site of the Castle Dome Mines Museum.
Castle Dome Landing	Castle Dome City		Yuma	1869	1884	Submerged	This steamboat landing is now underwater in Martinez Lake.
Chaparral			Yavapai	c. 1895	c. 1918	Barren site
Charleston			Cochise	1879	1888	Neglected site	This site is cared for by the Bureau of Land Management.
Catoctin			Yavapai	c. 1902	c. 1920	Barren site	This was a small mining town.
Cedar			Mohave	c. 1875	c. 1911	Neglected site	A town for gold, silver, and copper mining.
Cerbat	Campbell		Mohave	c. 1869	c. 1912	Neglected site	From 1890 to 1902, the town was known as Campbell.
Cerro Colorado			Pima	c. 1856	c. 1911	Neglected site	There's a story about lost treasure here.
Cherry			Yavapai	1884	1943	Semi-abandoned site	Once a mining town, it's now a retirement community.
Chloride			Mohave	1863		Semi-abandoned site
Clemenceau			Yavapai	1917		Historic site	This town is now part of Cottonwood, Arizona.
Cochise			Cochise			Semi-abandoned site
Colorado City			Yuma	1853	1862	Barren site	This river crossing town was destroyed by a huge flood in 1862.
Contention City	Contention		Cochise	1880	1888	Neglected site	This site is cared for by the Bureau of Land Management.
Copper Creek			Pinal	1880s	1942	Neglected site	Companies have recently thought about opening a mine here again.
Cordes	Antelope Junction		Yavapai	1883	1950s	Semi-abandoned site
Courtland			Cochise	1908	1942	Abandoned site	You can still see the remains of the old jail and a cemetery.
Crown King			Yavapai	1894	1954	Historic site	It has an old saloon and many occupied buildings, including a general store.
Curtis	Arizona City		Yavapai	1889	1907		A former mining town, now a mining operation site.
Dome			Yuma	1892	1904	Neglected site	You can find ruins of an adobe building and a cemetery.
Duquesne			Santa Cruz	1880s	1920s	Semi-abandoned site	Several wooden buildings, including the Westinghouse home, are still there.
Ehrenberg	Mineral City		La Paz	1863	1915	Neglected site	This was a steamboat landing and a ferry crossing on the Colorado River.
Fairbank	Junction City, Kendall, Fairbanks		Cochise	1883	1970s	Abandoned site	This site is cared for by the Bureau of Land Management.
Fortuna	Fortuna Mine		Yuma	1896	1924	Neglected site	You can see the foundation of a general store, a mill, and a reservoir. There's also a hiking trail with signs.
Fort Buchanan	Battle site		Santa Cruz	1857	1865	Barren site	This was a frontier military post during the Civil War era.
Galeyville			Cochise	1881	1882	Barren site
Gillett	Gillette		Yavapai	1878	1880	Neglected site	You can find the Gillett Cemetery and foundations of the Burfind Hotel.
Gila City	Ligurta		Yuma	1858	1863	Barren site	This town was destroyed by a huge flood in 1862.
Gleeson	Turquoise		Cochise	1870s	1940	Semi-abandoned site	First settled as Turquoise in the 1870s, then renamed Gleeson in 1900.
Goldfield	Youngsburg		Pinal	1892,1920	1898,1926	Historic site	Goldfield was revived as Youngsburg in 1920 and is now a tourist attraction.
Goldroad	Acme		Mohave	1902	1942		The town died out when the railroad closed.
Guthrie			Greenlee	1880s	1922	Neglected site	An important railroad stop for the Arizona & New Mexico Railway.
Hardyville			Mohave	1864	1883	Historic site	You can visit the Hardyville Pioneer Cemetery. It was a steamboat landing and a mining town.
Harshaw	Durazno		Santa Cruz	1880	1960	Semi-abandoned site	There's a cemetery, several adobe walls, and old townsite pads still visible.
Helvetia			Pima	1891	1921	Neglected site	A small cemetery with old graves is nearby, and you can still see a small adobe wall and smelter stone wall.
Hilltop			Cochise	1880s	1940s	Neglected site
House Rock			Coconino			Semi-abandoned site
Kentucky Camp			Pima	1874	1912	Historic site	This site is cared for by the US Forest Service.
Klondyke			Graham	c. 1900		Historic site	This site is cared for by the US Forest Service.
La Laguna	Laguna		Yuma	1860	1862	Submerged	This mining camp is now under Mittry Lake.
La Paz			La Paz	1862	1875	Neglected site	This was the site of the first big gold discovery along the Colorado River.
Lochiel			Santa Cruz	c. 1880	1986	Neglected site
Metcalf			Greenlee	1889	1936	Neglected site	A copper mining town that died out when the ore ran out in 1918.
Marinette			Maricopa			Barren site	Sun City was built on this site in the 1960s.
McMillenville	McMillianville, McMillanville		Gila	1876	c. 1886	Neglected site
Mohave City	Mojave City		Mohave	1863	1938	Barren site	This steamboat landing and mining town was later absorbed into the Fort Mojave Indian Reservation.
Mowry	The Patagonia Mine		Santa Cruz	1858	1880	Abandoned	Originally a lead and silver mine, it was renamed after Lieutenant Sylvester Mowry bought it in 1860.
Mt. Trumbull	Bundyville		Mohave	1916	c. 1970	Abandoned site, historic site	Most of the site is abandoned, but there's a rebuilt historic schoolhouse. It was sometimes called Bundyville after the family who settled there.
Nothing			Mohave	1977	2005	Abandoned site	People tried to bring it back after 2008, but by 2011, it was abandoned again.
Oatman			Mohave	1902		Historic site
Obed			Navajo	1876	1877	Barren site
Octave			Yavapai			Neglected site
Oro Blanco			Santa Cruz	1873	1915	Neglected site
Oroville	Oro		Greenlee	1880	1882	Neglected site	A farm community that supported Clifton.
Pantano			Pima	1858	c. 1956	Barren site
Paradise			Cochise	1901	1943	Barren site
Pearce			Cochise	1896	1942	Semi-abandoned	You can find old gold and silver mines, a general store, a cemetery, and several occupied homes.
Pinal City			Pinal			Abandoned site
Ray			Pinal	1958
Reymert			Pinal
Rosemont			Pima			Semi-abandoned	You can see adobe walls and an old house. This area is planned to be part of a new mine.
Ruby	Montana Camp		Santa Cruz	1870s	1941	Historic site	This site has 25 buildings with roofs, including the old jail, houses, a school, and old mine machinery. Ruby is entirely on private property.
San Rafael			Pima			Barren site
Salero			Santa Cruz	1884	1890	Neglected site	An old bunkhouse and assay office are there, but it's now private property.
Santa Claus	Santa Claus Acres		Mohave	1937		Abandoned site
Sacaton (village)			Pinal	1857	1880s	Barren site	One of the 19th-century Maricopa villages.
Sasco			Pinal	1907	1920s	Neglected site
Signal			Mohave	1877	1932
Silver Bell	Silverbell	23 Miles West of I-10 Exit 242	Pima	1952	1984	Barren site	This town was abandoned when the mine closed in 1984. The mine reopened in 1998.
Simmons	Wilson, Williamson's Valley		Yavapai	1871	1934	Barren site	This was a stop on the Hardyville–Prescott Road and had a local post office.
Socatoon Station			Pinal	1858	1870s	Barren site	This was a stagecoach station.
Spenazuma			Graham	1898	1899	Barren site
Stanton	Antelope Station		Yavapai	1863	1905	Historic site	This site is owned and cared for by the Lost Dutchman Mining Association.
Stanwix Station	Flap Jack Ranch, Grinnell's Station		Yuma	1858	1880s	Barren site	This was a stagecoach station and the site of a skirmish during the American Civil War.
Stoddard			Yavapai	1882	1830s	Neglected site	This town had a smelter, school, and stores, supporting copper mines until copper prices fell.
Sunset			Navajo	1876	1887	Abandoned site	Only the cemetery remains today.
Swansea	Signal		La Paz	1908	1937	Abandoned site	This site is cared for by the Bureau of Land Management.
Tiger	Schultz		Pinal	1881	1954	Barren site	All buildings here have been torn down.
Tip Top			Yavapai	1876
Total Wreck			Pima	1879	c. 1890	Neglected site	Smelter walls and a mine still remain. It was also a filming location for the movie Hombre.
Tres Alamos			Cochise	1874	1886	–
Twin Buttes			Pima	c. 1903	c. 1930	Barren site	This town is buried under the Twin Buttes Mine. Only the cemetery remains.
Vulture City			Maricopa	1863	1942	Historic site	This site is privately owned and run as a tourist attraction.
Washington Camp			Santa Cruz	1880s	1920s	Semi-abandoned site
Weaver	Weaverville		Yavapai	1863	1900	Neglected site
White Hills			Mohave
Wilford			Navajo	1883	1926	Barren site	You can find loose rock foundations.
Wolf Hole			Mohave
Zeniff			Navajo	1909	1940s	Barren site	A few walls are still standing among piles of wood and adobe rubble.

Images for kids

Adamsville ghost town marker
Adamsville ghost town water tanks
The Agua Caliente Resort
Stone house ruins in Agua Caliente
American Flag Post Office Ranch – 1877
Big Bug marker
The General Market Store in what once was Big Bug
Front view, Clemenceau Public School
Bank of Clemenceau
Cochise Southern Pacific Railroad train depot
Ruins of the Fort Buchanan Bridge over Sonoita Creek
Fort Crittenden historic marker
Historic Geronimo town marker
The ruins of the 1878 Burfind Hotel in Gillett
Different view of the ruins of the Burfind Hotel in Gillett
Goldfield's Main Street
Old Hyder building
Kofa Hotel, built in 1904
The Morristown Hotel/Store, built in 1899
Morristown commercial building, built in 1920
Oatman Drug Company Building, built in 1915 and listed on the NRHP
Oatman Hotel, originally the Durlin Hotel, built in 1902
Old ranch house in Pearce
Side view of the C.H. Cook Memorial Church, a historic Sacaton church
The grave of Colonel James Patton Perkins in the C.H. Cook Memorial Church Cemetery in Sacaton
Ruins of the 1895 Sentinel train depot
1890 ranch house in Sentinel
Abandoned Twin Arrows trading post, now within the boundaries of Winslow
Abandoned cafeteria in Twin Arrows
Round stone house/tower ruins in Two Guns, now within the boundaries of Winslow
Abandoned zoo building in Two Guns
Vulture City ghost town houses

List of ghost towns in Arizona facts for kids

Contents

What Makes a Ghost Town?

Arizona's Ghost Towns

Images for kids

See also