Article and Photos by Annemarie Eveland 

I recently overheard a conversation between a donkey and a burro. They were comparing their worth to each of them. The donkey was bragging that he was domesticated and a hoofed-type animal. The burro knew he was a wild animal and smaller than the donkey. The donkey has a long narrow face with long ears and is a herbaceous feeder of fruits, veggies, straw, and grass. The donkeys have short hair on the tail, short mane, and a dark stripe along their back. The donkey boasted that it is found worldwide, especially in third-world countries. The use of donkeys as transportation originated in Spain and Northern Africa. They were brought to modern-day Mexico and the US in the 15^th century and were later used heavily in the gold rush. 

However, the burro is basically from the southwest. He has long hair, large ears, cow like tail, and gives out that Hee-Haw sound. Burros reproduce in the wet season. Burros only live 25-30 years. The donkey on the other hand can live 40-50 years. Donkeys can reproduce and they breed year-round. Burros, still today, are found in southwest dry and shrubby regions, not high mountains. The differences between the burro and the donkey, as well as their extended families, are often discussed. However, both the burro and the donkey are the same species Equus Asinus. Although they are from the same family, they do have some different defining characteristics. So, we have set the record straight. 

The burros today at Oatman are descendants of the gold miners and were used as pack animals. Their smaller size fit well in the mines and they had good stamina for hauling the gold out. You can still find some of the burros roaming the streets of Oatman, Arizona. At the busy time of the gold mining, there were 3,000 burros. When the mining stopped when World War II came, all those burros were turned loose into the desert around Oatman. So, now from the burro’s point of view, they are superior because they survived living in the desert on their own foraging from the severe desert offerings the land provided ever since that time.

We now know that the burro and the donkey are the same species. The burro is a specific type of donkey but is wild, not domesticated. The burro is a smaller animal. Although the burro and the donkey are the same species, they do have some different defining characteristics as we mentioned. I learned that the burros can find water as they can smell water two miles away. Burros can also dig for water. 

You can visit the burros in the little village of Oatman, Arizona. I tend to agree with the cute burros. They have had to survive on their own ever since being turned loose into the Arizona desert. Now some of them come down to Oatman’s village Main Street and almost every day they will see tourists wanting to pet them or feed them anything (which now is verboten.) There are grass pellet cubes the shop owners have created to properly feed the little burros.

Located at 2710 ft. elevation in the northwestern part of Arizona, the unincorporated village of Oatman lies in the Black Mountains of Mohave County of Arizona. It was once a booming gold mine that boasted 100 gold mines, many more prospectors, and the burros. I heard that over ten million ounces of gold were removed from the Oatman area during its heydays. Silver was also mined. So, a visit to this historic spot on the historic old Route 66 would be a welcomed journey. 

Now for your adventure in Oatman. I did not do it justice. I had a limited time so I plan to return in the future and spend more time enjoying and discovering its history and the colorfulness of this thriving ghost town. 

There is much to see: lots of color-filled stores, a post office, an old mine, and a hotel where purportedly Clark Gable and Carole Lombard spent their honeymoon. There is also much mining memorabilia lying around. It is a place that holds a lot of history from the gold mining days. 

Founded in 1909 with five different post offices for five different peoples who formed little towns. Today you can get mail stamped with a cancelled stamp. Eleven-year-old Olive Oatman and her sister Maryann (who later died) were captured by the Apache who murdered their family. Eventually, she was traded to the Mohave who befriended her and even tattooed her face with symbols, which I understand meant they considered her special and she was eventually repatriated to a town. This town was named after her. 

There is also the Sitgreaves Pass not far from town which has the memorials on the hillsides. Many who lived in Oatman have asked that their ashes be spread there. People have created memorial altars that commemorate their loved ones. 

I did not make it out to the Fishpond and the Shaffer’s Spring or the Gold Road Mine either. Next time. 

And I missed the gunfighters’ shootouts/showdowns that happen on Main Street, Thursday-Sunday at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. with the Red Ridge Mauraders or the Oatman Outlaws. 

There are some other special events in Oatman: The last Saturday in January, there is the Bed Races. It used to be each brought a bed and all lined up and then raced to the finish line in the town street. “Too many injuries!”, said the insurance people. Currently, there is one bed, and they have five controlled courses. So, contestants run the bed course and then make the bed up on the platform; all is timed of course.

The old hotel hasn’t been open since COVID-19. I heard the walls inside are covered with paper money. In the old days, the miners would post their money with their name written on the bills, so when they needed something (likely a drink?) they would remove their bill to pay. This tradition started in the gold mining era. 

Then in October, the last Friday and Saturday before Halloween, there is the Haunted Mine and the Haunted House. This is definitely not for children and faint-of-heart adults!

Another popular event happens in the sizzling time of the Fourth of July. The sidewalk is the scene of many hopefuls frying their eggs in the sizzling summer heat. The winner gets something refreshing and very cool, I hope. 

For other activities contact the Chamber of Commerce or historian Leanne Toohey.

Most stores are open every day from 9:30 a.m. -5:30 p.m. I did manage to visit some of them. Plan to spend the day and enjoy this historic ghost town village. 



May you and your family or friends just enjoy getting there on historic Route 66 which runs right through the town. Have a memorable, fun day returning with an appreciation for this ghost town too tough to die but is today still alive with the history of its past.