Goldfield – In the Shadow of the Superstitions

Goldfield Ghost Town, AZ

Between the Superstition and Goldfield Mountains, a mining town was born in the early 1890s with the discovery of high grade gold ore. Goldfield grew quickly to a population of 1,500 residents. However the mines played out and the post office lasted only five years. By 1898, Goldfield was a ghost town. Only the diehard prospectors looking for the legendary Lost Dutchman mine remained. With new technology, the town had a rebirth of sorts when the mine reopened. By 1926, however, the gold vein was fully mined and the “play” was exhausted.

The newly reborn “Youngsburg,” named after George Young, the entrepreneur who deployed the new technologies, again lasted only five years. With the closing of the Post Office, the town was officially back in ghost town status. I submit for your visual evaluation a gallery of photos taken on a cloudy day in the recreated town known as Goldfield Ghost Town.

In 1966, Robert F. Schoose, a ghost town enthusiast, moved into the area and discovered Goldfield. It’s through his vision and hard work that Goldfield is open again. This time, its incarnation is a tourist destination. The streets are populated with period buildings including shops, a brothel, bakery, jail and more. Actors in period costumes wander the streets and on weekends, you can expect a “gunfight” to erupt sometime during your visit. You can even tour a replica mine. Spend a few minutes with us in Goldfield Ghost Town, east of Phoenix in Apache Junction, Arizona.

To view the gallery, click on one of the images below for an enlarged image with navigation arrows that allow you to view the gallery.

Take a 20-minute tour of the town complete with historical narration.

An old miner welcomes all who visit the town

Peterson’s Merchantile invites guests to purchase souvenirs

Our lunch at the Mammoth Saloon was good old fashioned comfort food

We’d just finished lunch and stepped out onto the street when a “gunfight” erupted between the period actors.

The Goldfield church welcomes the faithful

The recreated mine artifacts are an interesting sidelight to the mine tour

The historical information about Goldfield was gleaned from the ghost town’s website.

John Steiner

6 comments

This looks great. I visited a place like this as a kid and the happy memory is still there – hopefully this place makes a go of it so others can make good memories.

photobyjohnbo says:
May 31, 2014 at 2:36 pm
As a kid living in Southern California, one of my treats was Knott’s Berry Farm. We couldn’t afford to go often, but the memories of the old style buildings and the fun activities are still strong. Kids need places like this. In an upcoming post, I will feature Bonanzaville, a museum of buildings and artifacts from Bonanza farms at and before the 1900s.
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- gpcox says:
  May 31, 2014 at 6:34 pm
  I’ll look forward to it!

That leaning outhouse is priceless. 🙂

photobyjohnbo says:
June 3, 2014 at 4:44 pm
Z
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photobyjohnbo says:
June 3, 2014 at 4:46 pm
These smartphones drive me crazy. I meant to reply that they did a great job “accessorizing” the mine. 🙂
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