Desert Messenger

10 www.DesertMessenger.com October 19, 2016 Desert Messenger offers FREE Classified Ads! Here's the small print: Items for sale under $1000. Private Party Only. 1 per month. Yard/Garage/Craft Sales, Wanted, Give-a-ways, Free, Lost & Found, etc. (non-commercial) For more information, contact Rain at 928-916-4235 or Email: Editor@DesertMessenger.com Gold, gemstones, burros and more ADVENTURES WITH ROCKS ™ www.RocksInMyHead.com 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 mineral deposits. In 1863, a moun- tain man named Johnny Moss dis- covered 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 glittering on the ground. Taddock immediately filed a claim, and soon afterward other miners flocked to the area. A tent city sprang up and Oatman's gold rush had begun. The Drulin Hotel was built in 1902, and other build- ings soon followed. Though improve- ments in transportation and technolo- gy made mining somewhat easier this time around, Ben Taddock lacked the funds to fully develop 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 Viv- ian and its post office was established in 1904, but its name was changed in 1909 to Oatman after a young girl named Olive Oatman was rescued from Apaches near the townsite. The population began growing as the new mine was developed. The Vivian mine produced over 3 million dollars in gold between 1904 and 1907, but by 1907 the vein was just about depleted. The new little mining town began to fall on hard times, and would have disappeared if another rich vein had not been discovered in 1909. Just as the Vivian Mine was about to close, the new Tom Reed Mine opened and Oatman's gold rush boom returned. Another $14 million in gold was dis- covered in 1915 by the United Eastern Mining Company. The mines of Oat- man were among the largest gold pro- ducers in the west for the next decade, and Oatman enjoyed all the amenities of a booming gold town. In 1920, at the time Route 66 was be- ing built, Oatman was at its peak as a mining community. The road was supposed to go through Yucca, but because Oatman had more clout, the Route was built through Sitgreaves Pass and into Oatman, instead. In 1921, a fire burned much of Oat- man and then just three years later the largest mine closed. Fortunately for Oat- man, the birth of Route 66 brought many travelers to the town. Oatman experi- enced a new boom as it be- gan to cater to these travel- ers. The town was rebuilt after the fire and continued to produce gold from the smaller mines. By 1930, Oatman had two banks, seven hotels, ten stores and twice as many saloons. More than 36 million dol- lars in gold had been produced from the mines, new wealth was pouring in from tourist revenue, and there were nearly 20,000 people living there. Oatman continued to be a mining and tourism hub until about 1941. Miners left to work mines in other parts of the country during the 1940's, Route 66 was rebuilt in the 1950's to bypass Sitgreaves Pass and hence Oatman, and in the 1970's Laughlin, Nevada began building up as a tourist mecca, leaving Oatman forgotten. Its popu- lation fell to about 60 people, until the mid 1990's when the Gold Road Mine reopened. Gold Road has closed and reopened several times since then, with the most recent time being in 2010. Gold Road is still open today, and Oatman is again enjoying life as a tourist destination. In addition to gold, Oatman is home to the beautiful gemstone Fire Agate from the Cuesta mines. Oh, and don't forget Oatman's famous wild burros, descendants of the old miners burros from the gold rush days, who wander, or rather own, the streets of Oatman. For information and maps to the Oat- man Fire Agate site, visit RocksIn- MyHead. We have a nice selection of Oatman Fire Agate and Opal Hill Fire Agate, as well as books, maps, supplies, and more for all your rock- hounding, gold prospecting, jewelry making and lapidary adventures. We have rocks, fossils, minerals, gem- stones, gold, silver, copper, and mete- orites, and more. READER'S OASIS BOOKS 690 E. Main - Quartzsite (one block east of Family Dollar) 928-927-6551 T��� ����� ������� �� D����� M��������

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