THIS MONTH: Ghost Towns of the Old West
Did you know that if you visited an Arizona ghost town every day, you'd be busy for nearly a year? Because of elements and vandalism, many of these ghost towns have been reduced to piles of rubble. But if you're looking for a more unusual excursion, you might want to check out one (or more!) of these better-maintained ghost towns:
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Sasco - About 1 Hour
Head west on I-10 to exit 226, and travel down Sasco Road for about 7 miles,
past a stockyard to Sasco. (Avoid the area during monsoon season - much
of the ride is on a dirt road.) Named for the Southern Arizona Smelting
Company, Sasco was built in 1907 for workers of the smelter and their families.
The small town - its population peaked at 600 residents - was deserted
by 1919.
Although it's not easy to get to, Sasco is worth the drive. Visit the remains
of The Rockland Hotel, smelter structures, the jail, and a quaint cemetery
scattered with simple, white crosses (an influenza epidemic was part of the
reason the town was deserted).
Dos Cabezas -
1 ½ Hours
Head east on I-10 to Willcox, taking SR186 south to Dos Cabezas. Named after
the double peaks of the nearby mountains, Dos Cabezas (Spanish for "two
heads") was a popular gold and silver mining town in the late 1870's.
As mining findings became scarce, people moved on.
The cemetery will be your first sighting in Dos Cabezas. Unlike most other area ghost towns, this cemetery has been well preserved. You can also check out the frontier museum as well as remains of houses, the dance hall, and the stage stop.
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Fairbank - 1 ½ Hours
To visit Fairbank, head east on I-10, then AZ-80 east and turn right onto
AZ-82 to Old Fairbank Road. Fairbank - a Southern Arizona railroad junction
town - went by many names: some called it "Wye" because of the
Y-shaped railroad spur; others, "Kendall" after a railroad engineer;
but when the town finally got a post office, it was officially named "Fairbanks." The
's' was dropped after the discovery that the town's namesake was actually
Nathaniel K. Fairbank, who organized Grand Central Mining Company.
In 1901, a wealthy California family bought the land and evicted its residents. Many of the incensed townspeople burned their homes to the ground before departing; the school, the mercantile, and a few homes remain.
Brunckow's Cabin -
1 ½ Hours
Head east on I-10, then east on AZ-80 about eight miles southwest of Tombstone
to Charleston Rd to Brunckow's cabin. Although it isn't actually a "ghost
town", this creepy cabin is worth the trip.
Frederick Brunckow, a German-born mining engineer, built the cabin in the mid-1800's. 21 people have been murdered there over time. The first killings were said to have taken place when the mining superintendent left town for supplies. He returned to find the gruesome remains of an assayer, a machinist, and Brunckow himself, who was in a mineshaft impaled by a rock drill.
Pearce - 1 ½ Hours
To get to Pearce, take I-10 east to exit 318, turn right onto Dragoon Road,
right again onto US-191, and exit at Pearce Road. Jimmie Pearce, a miner
turned boarding house owner bought a parcel of land in 1894. Panning on
his property, Pearce struck gold. After establishing the town in his name,
Pearce sold the mine for a whopping $250,000. Many old buildings - including
the still-operating post office, a school, and the general store, which
is now a museum - remain in Pearce.
Courtland - 2 Hours
To get to Courtland, take I-10 east to exit 318, turn right onto Dragoon
Road, drive about 13 miles and make a right onto US-191. After about 26
miles, you will arrive at Courtland Road. The modern town of about 2000
inhabitants boasted running water, electricity, telegraphs and telephones,
a movie theatre, a public swimming pool, an auto company, and even two
newspapers in its heyday. This ghost town boasts many remains, the most
exceptional being the jail. Constructed of solid concrete, this building
has stood the test of time.
Sunnyside - 2 ½ Hours
You will need a four-wheel drive vehicle to visit this ghost town. Take I-10
east to AZ-83 south and turn left onto Sunnyside Road to get to Sunnyside,
the only Southern Arizona ghost town known to have been completely occupied
by a religious group. The Salvation Army sent Sam Donnelly to establish
a "holiness mission" in Tombstone. Donnelly and a few converts
eventually settled in Sunnyside. Later some of Donnelly's friends joined
them.
These "Donnellites" worked at the nearby mine and lived communally and were known for being outstandingly generous. Donnelly died in 1901, and his followers buried him at the Lone Star Mine; by 1903, Sunnyside was deserted. You can visit the remnants of a small number of buildings still standing, including those of a windmill and water tower.
To further explore ghost towns in Arizona, visit Mike Mogan's website at http://www.azghosttowns.com/nambrow.html. You'll find directions to ghost towns across the state, directions and brief histories of the towns.
© 2008 Good News Tucson™
