Oatman Burros

Burros worked the Oatman mines in the early 1900's. Today, the descendants of these early residents now come from the hills looking for handouts from town visitors.

Oatman Reinactor

Gun fights take place on a daily basis in Oatman, AZ. Depending on the season, one can catch gun slingers in the act sometime between noon and 3pm.

Hwy 66 Sign to Oatman

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1. The burros that freely roam the streets of Oatman are thought to be the direct descendants from the buros that gold miners brought into the area as pack animals! They are quite an interesting attraction for Oatman!

***Be sure not to feed the burros any food other than the burro food that can be purchased in Oatman! (Babies cannot be fed the burro food; if the baby burro has a sticker on its head stating to not feed it, please don’t!)

2. Mining in Oatman started booming in 1915 when a large claim of gold was found. The town quickly grew as people started flocking with hopes of striking it rich. After Oatman was bypassed by Interstate 40 in the early 1950s, the area almost became a ghost town!

3. Olive Oatman, born 1837, and her family were attacked by Native Americans, thought to be part of a Western Yavapai tribe, in 1851. Olive was captured along with her sister, Mary Ann, and used as slaves. Olive and her sister were then traded to the Mohave tribe. While her sister unfortunately perished to starvation while in captivity due to a drought, Olive survived and returned to her brother in 1856. The now living ghost town of Oatman is named after her!

4. Carole Lombard, an American actress who was popular in the 1920’s and 30’s, had her honeymoon at the Oatman Hotel after she wed Clark Gable. Check out the Oatman Hotel after visiting with the burros!