Desert Messenger

14 www.DesertMessenger.com November 5, 2014 SEE ROCKS PAGE 29 WIFI to all sites (15-30 MG DSL) • Car Wash Crafts • Games • Classes • 24/7 Laundry with Clotheslines 928-927-6443 • 800-213-2243 www.TheScenicRoad.com 480 N. Central Blvd., Quartzsite FREE SUMMER RV STORAGE FOR SEASONAL STAYS! ~ SHEDS only $60/year ~ * Full Bar and Lounge seats 44 * 1st. dining room seats 40 * 2nd dining & Banquet Room seats 60 56480 Hwy. 60 (1/2 mile West of Vicksburg Rd.) 928-859-3057 Now serving BREAKFAST! (8 am-2:30 pm) Full Mexican & American BREAKFAST MENU from Biscuits & Gravy to Chorizo & Eggs! NEW WINTER HOURS! 8 am - 8 pm If You Like Good Tex-Mex Food JUST TRY US This week I will be writing about Oat- man, AZ, one of the places we visited during the summer. But fi rst I would like to say thanks from the bottom of my heart to all of you who have come by to welcome us back. It has been By Jenn Jedidiah Free for RocksInMyHead™ Gold, gemstones, burros and more... ADVENTURES WITH ROCKS a busy summer, this past one. Many folks, including us, dealt with storms and other things that wreaked havoc on our town, damage to our proper- ties, and chaos in our lives. Some of the people we care about won't be back this year. But we, as individuals, and as a town, are strong and resilient. Here at RocksInMyHead, we had lots of growth and new business opportunities, but also much hard work and stress. We traveled some, mostly here in our beau- tiful state of Arizona, though not nearly as much as usual, and worked a whole lot more than normal. We feel like we just barely had a summer, and now we are back, to work long hours here in Quartzsite for the next six months. I am not complaining. It is good to be back. It is going to be a great season here in Q, and we are excited to be a part of it. And I am extremely thankful for, appreciative of, and overwhelmed by the warm welcome we have gotten over the past couple of weeks. Thank you very much for reading, for visit- ing, and for your loyal patronage. We look forward to serving you again this year. OK, now, that's about as much of the warm fuzzies as this rock girl can handle, so... let's go explore Oatman. Oatman is a little town nestled in the Black Mountains of Mohave County, at an elevation of 2710 ft. As with many of the towns here in Arizona, it was founded because of its rich min- eral deposits. In 1863, a mountain man named Johnny Moss discovered gold in the Black Mountains and staked two claims. Some gold was mined at that time, but not very successfully due to the remoteness of the area. Then, in 1902, another prospector named Ben Taddock, was riding the trails near the old Moss claims and came across a large placer deposit of free gold glitter- ing on the ground. Taddock immedi- ately fi led a claim, and soon afterward other miners fl ocked to the area. A tent city sprang up and Oatman's gold rush had begun. The Drulin Hotel was built in 1902, and other buildings soon fol- lowed. Though improvements in trans- portation and technology made mining somewhat easier this time around, Ben Taddock lacked the funds to fully de- velop a mine. In 1903, Taddock sold his claim to Judge E.M. Ross who then sold it to the Vivian Mining Company. The little mining camp was named Vivian and its post offi ce was established in 1904, but its name was changed in 1909 to

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