List of historic structures in Oatman, Arizona facts for kids

Quick facts for kids List of historic structures in Oatman, Arizona
Town
Oatman Highway/Old US 66 to Oatman
Location of Oatman in Mohave County, Arizona.

Olive Oatman

A wild Burro in Oatman

This article shares pictures and information about some old buildings in the historic mining town of Oatman, Arizona. Oatman is located in the Black Mountains of Mohave County. Two of these buildings are so important that they are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. You'll also learn about the Cool Springs gas station, which helped travelers on the famous Route 66 near Oatman.

A Look Back at Oatman's History

The Black Mountains in northwest Arizona are a very long mountain range. The Hualapai Native-American Tribe lived in this area for a long time. As more settlers moved in, there were disagreements between the Hualapai people and the new arrivals. After a Hualapai leader passed away, a conflict known as the Hualapai War began between 1867 and 1869. The United States Army came to protect the settlers. Even after most Hualapais surrendered due to sickness, smaller fights continued for almost two more years.

How Oatman Began

John Thomas Moss was an explorer and gold seeker from New York. He learned the languages of many local tribes. In 1862, he found gold in the Black Mountains and claimed the land for what became the Moss Mine. A year later, he helped set up a successful mining area called Wauba Yuma Mining District.

Soon, a small town made of tents, called "Vivian," grew in the Black Mountains. More miners and gold seekers arrived, and the tent city got bigger. Miners used burros, which are donkeys, to carry heavy rocks and supplies. Today, you can see wild burros roaming in Oatman. They are the descendants of the burros that were set free when the mines closed and weren't needed anymore.

In 1902, John Durlin built the Drulin Hotel. It offered food and a place to stay for many miners. This hotel was later renamed the "Oatman Hotel" in 1960. It's the only historic two-story adobe building in Mohave County. By 1904, a mining company called Vivian Mining Company started working, and a Post Office opened. A special narrow train track was built between 1903 and 1905. This track ran 17 miles to the Colorado River near Needles, California, helping to move goods and people.

The Town of Oatman Gets Its Name

In 1909, the town of Vivian was officially named Oatman. This was to honor Olive Oatman, a young girl with a remarkable story. When she was 14, her family was attacked by a small group from a Native American tribe. Most of her family was killed, but Olive and her younger sister, Mary Ann, were taken captive. They were later traded to the Mohave people, who tattooed their chins and arms. Olive survived her time in captivity, but Mary Ann sadly passed away. Eventually, Olive was set free after a deal was made.

In 1915, the town became very busy again when two miners found a lot of gold. But in 1921, a huge fire destroyed many buildings in Oatman. The townspeople worked hard to rebuild their small town. Five years later, the main mining company, United Eastern Mines, closed down for good. The town still managed to survive because of travelers using the old U.S. Route 66, which was built in 1920. However, in 1953, Route 66 was replaced by Interstate 40, which bypassed Oatman completely. This made the town much quieter.

In 1995, the Gold Road Mine reopened, but it closed again in 1998 because gold prices dropped. Later, people became interested in Oatman again, especially with the growth of the nearby gaming town of Laughlin, Nevada. Hotels in Laughlin now encourage visitors to explore Oatman. Today, Oatman is a popular place for tourists.

Cool Springs: A Stop on Route 66

Before you reach Oatman on historic Route 66, you'll find the Cool Springs camp and service station. It was first built in 1920. The original building burned down in the 1960s, and a new one was built in its place. Only the pillars from the first building remained. Part of the movie "Universal Soldier" was filmed there. Between the station and Oatman, there's a narrow stone bridge on Route 66. This bridge is in an area known as "Bloody 66" in Sitgreaves Pass. The 18-foot stone bridge was too narrow for two cars to pass safely, which sometimes led to accidents.

Important Historic Buildings in Oatman

Some of Oatman's buildings are so special that they are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. These include:

• The Oatman Hotel – This building was first known as the "Durlin Hotel." It was added to the list on August 25, 1983.
• The Oatman Drug Company Building – This building was added to the list on April 6, 2006.

More Historic Oatman Structures

Here are some other historic buildings you can see in Oatman:

• The Oatman Hotel (originally the Durlin Hotel) – Built in 1902, it's on the National Register of Historic Places.
• The Oatman Theatre – This building was constructed in the 1920s.
• The Oatman Drug Company Building – Built in 1915, it's also on the National Register of Historic Places.
• The Oatman Jail and jail cell – This jail was set up in 1936.
• The Old Building – Today, it's a gift shop.
• The Olive Oatman Restaurant and Saloon – Built in 1925 and named after Olive Oatman.

Also pictured are:

• The Oatman Memorial – You can find this on Main Street.
• The Clark Gable and Carole Lombard honeymoon suite in the Oatman Hotel. It's said that famous actors Clark Gable and Carole Lombard spent their honeymoon here. However, they actually met the press at Lombard's home in Los Angeles after getting married in Kingman, Arizona.

See Also

• Oatman, Arizona
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Mohave County, Arizona