Oatman, AZ....a day trip from Laughlin....

If you are in the Laughlin area and want something different to do, other than gamble, then I would suggest a day trip to Oatman, AZ. It is approximately a 30 mile drive from Laughlin but you feel as though you are going back in time....to the days of the "wild west".

Welcome sign for travelers arriving in Oatman.

Oatman began over 100 years ago as a mining tent camp and quickly became a flourishing gold-mining center. In 1915, some miners struck a $10 million gold find, and within a year, the town's population grew to more than 3,500. But both the population and mining booms were short-lived. In 1921, a fire burned down many of the smaller shacks in town, and three years later, the main mining company shut down operations for good. Oatman survived by catering to travelers on old U.S. Route 66. But in the 1960s, when Route 66 became what is now Interstate 40, Oatman had to reinvent itself. It became a smaller version of a "Tombstone" with many little western-type shops, eateries, staged gunfights and gained a reputation as a fun place to visit. The one feature that it has, that Tombstone is lacking, are the wild burros roaming the streets.

....the burros have the run of the town and often are looking for handouts.

The burros are tame and can be hand fed. Oatman's "wild" Burro's are the descendants of burros brought here by the miners in the late 1800s; when the miners no longer needed them, they were turned loose. Each morning they come into town looking for food. They wander the streets and greet the tourists. Burro pellets are for sale at many of the shops -- the burros will eat all day if you feed them. Shortly before sunset they wander back to the hills for the night.

When we visited the baby burros were still "hanging" with their moms..

This was actually our second visit to Oatman and we chose to eat lunch at the same place we did the first time….the Oatman Hotel. It is a fun and eclectic place with dollar bills, thousands of them, pinned, stapled or taped EVERYWHERE in the restaurant. Many are signed, dated or have a story behind them. They serve a mean hamburger, with good size portions and a very friendly staff.

..."dollars dollars everywhere... but not a one to spend"....

Another tidbit to share is that while driving to Oatman,(if you are coming from Laughlin) on the old historic Route 66, you will find “Christmas” trees along the road.

..."red hat" decorated sagebrush

.....pink ribbons for breast cancer is the theme of this "Christmas tree"

The Christmas trees are actually sagebrush bushes and all are decorated in different themes from beer bottles, to "red hats", to patriotic, to bizarre! When talking to the locals, no one was quite sure how the custom started but it was an added treat on this fun day.