"She's a tip-top silver mine," said prospector Jack Moore to his partner Bill Corning in 1875. Where to find it: About 50 miles north of Phoenix Best Arizona ghost town near Phoenix: Tip Top Below is a list of five abandoned towns that are rich in history and offer a lot for the curious explorer. With literally thousands of abandoned mines and surrounding communities throughout Arizona, there are plenty of lesser-known ghost towns to check out.
But with their established population and stable tourism flow, they're more "town" than "ghost." Go to for updated information on events, and restaurant and store hours.Chances are you've probably heard people mention Jerome and Bisbee when talking about ghost towns in Arizona. It is near Mineral Park and there are remnants of the mining town it was in the late 1800s and early 1900s. There is also a marker for Cerbat, the third county seat for Mohave County. A marker just past the Chloride Cemetery that states where Metcalf Baker and Andrew Judson were "killed by Indians." Five miles northeast is the site of Mineral Park mining town, which was the county seat from 1873 to 1887.
A marker for the Arizona and Utah/Western Arizona Railway. Nearby, for history buffs, are at least four historical places. 93 south of Las Vegas and north of Kingman, Arizona. In 2005 Purcell repainted the murals with some help from his family and added images using automobile paint.Ĭhloride is off U.S. Before that, it was an area important to the Hualapai who left their mark through the petroglyphs. In earlier years, the area was a favorite picnic spot. Purcell's murals are named "The Journey." In 1966 he began to paint on a 2,000-foot rock formation in the Cerbat Mountains. It is a bit of a hike or can be reached by four wheelers, yet in good conditions, when the road has been graded, a passenger car can make the trip - slowly. While in Chloride visitors will want to take the trek up to the petroglyphs and murals. Yesterdays Restaurant is an oasis in the desert as they serve up more than 120 beers, more than 40 vodkas, an extensive wine list and everything from steaks and seafood to pasta. It is open every Saturday, and gun reenactments by the High Desert Drifters are the first and third Saturdays at high noon. There is an antique store, some tiny shops, a restaurant and the Jim Fritz Museum operated by the Chloride Historical Society. While visiting, travelers could see a cowboy or two: Some travel by truck and some on horseback.ĭrive around and look at the old houses and metal yard art. They are often seen coming into Chloride to get their mail. The outlying land is home to many ranchers, and it is all open range. Movies have been filmed in the area, including Jack Nicholson's "The Rebel Rousers," and many music videos. Roy Purcell, a well-known Southwestern artist, painted murals about a mile out of town on the rocks of the mountains. It almost became a ghost town due to the mines shutting down when workers went to fight in WWII.ĭuring the '50s and '60s the town became a place where musicians and artists lived.
A railroad connection to Kingman carried passengers and ore. The town had a bank, hotels, a pool hall, barber shops, restaurants and saloons. Silver mining was the biggest business in the area, with more than 70 working mines.ĭuring the mining days, about 2,000 people lived in Chloride. The town was founded in the 1860s when silver was discovered in the Cerbat Mountains. It was once served by the famed Butterfield Stage and the Santa Fe Railroad. It was the first incorporated town in Arizona and the home of the state's oldest all volunteer fire department. However, it is inhabited :with almost 400 residents" and has that ghost town feel, as it is so quiet.Ĭhloride has a history of being the longest continually inhabited mining town in Arizona, with the longest continually operating post office in the state. Coming up on the holiday filled with ghosts and goblins, what better thing to do than visit a "living ghost town"?Ĭhloride, Arizona, has far fewer residents than in its beginning years.