This listing is about the Southern Arizona ghost towns that we have found. There are more than a baker’s dozen. Ghost Towns in Arizona are mostly about mining, boom, and bust. Some of the Ghost Towns listed survive to a greater or lesser extent. Click here to see Tombstone in the 1930’s when it was almost a ghost town.
Feel free to send us a note and tell us about a Ghost Town in your area. Read our stories below about some of the ghost towns we have found. Click on a hotspot in the map below or scroll down and browse a list. Explore on your own or take a tour. It has been reported that some ghost towns are currently restricted due to vandalism.
Fairbank has an on-site docent most days when the Schoolhouse is open. The Friends of San Pedro River occasionally give tours of Charleston and Millville, as well as the old Clanton Ranch, Contention and the Charleston Cemetery, (hard to find).
We have included Tombstone, Jerome, and Pearce even though some of them have made a successful comeback. Fun towns to visit and explore for the history.
We are definitely fans of the cemeteries in ghost towns and any city with a significant history to offer. You can see our post on interesting cemeteries here. Far from being macabre, they tend to speak to us and tell us a story.
Ghost Towns and Tales of Southern Arizona
Ghost Tours of Southern Arizona
PLEASE BROWSE OUR CONTENT BELOW:
A Visit To The Cochise Hotel, Cochise AZ
It was a Sunday in mid-September when Ms. Karen and I left our home in the Tucson Mountains to travel to the Cochise Hotel to
Sally Reichardt’s Jerome Anniversary Adventure
(Ms. Karen and I sometimes invite knowledgeable others to post on our website. Friend Sally Reichardt lives in the beautiful rolling hills of Sonoita and
Fall Vacation: Jerome & the Grand Hotel
Following our train excursion on the Verde Canyon Railroad in Clarkdale, Arizona (featured in last week’s newsletter), we headed up the hill to the old
Kentucky Camp AZ: A Ghost Town With Accommodations!
More than a hundred years ago, Kentucky Camp was the headquarters for the Santa Rita Water & Mining Company, which was formed to extract placer deposits from the Greaterville Mining District in the foothills of the Santa Rita Mountains 9 miles NW of Sonoita.
Arizona Ghost Towns: A Book Review
We obtained this book from Arizona Highways’ Online Shop. The book’s full title is; ‘Arizona Ghost Towns: 50 of the State’s Best Places to Get
Route 66 & the Burros of Oatman, AZ
We were in Wickenburg for the weekend in May 2021 with Neighbors Ron and Elaine. On Sunday morning we got up early to take the
Ghost Town of Klondyke AZ & the Power Family Saga
Klondyke is a near-ghost town in western Graham County. In the second decade of the 21st century, the only roads out there are still unpaved. The Klondyke cemetery is just southeast of town. There you will find the graves of the Thomas Jefferson “Jeff” Power and his family. Few know the sad story of these […]
Wickenburg & Vulture City: A Visit
Neighbors Elaine and Ron went with Ms. Karen and me to Wickenburg one weekend in late May 2021. To avoid Phoenix traffic we drove from
Ghost Towns & Cemeteries in Southern Arizona
Updated 2021-05-12. We love to wander around old cemeteries, a good excuse for a road trip. Cemeteries give us a sense of history, a sense of
One Hundred Sixty Acres of Dirt: A Book Review
Several months ago, Marsha Arzberger asked me to take a look at her soon-to-be-published book, One Hundred Sixty Acres of Dirt, and comment upon it.
Butterfield Overland Mail Company and the Dragoon Springs Stage Station
Dragoon Springs is located at the northern end of the Dragoon Mountains in Cochise County, Arizona. The springs were an important source of water for
Road Trip to Pearce Arizona Wine Country
We set out last weekend headed for Pearce, Arizona, an all but Ghost Town in Cochise County. Pearce was the site of the Commonwealth Mine,
El Paso & Southwestern: Baja Arizona’s Forgotten Railroad: Part I
The Beginning (This contribution is from Mike Anderson, Bisbee Historian, who earlier wrote our stories about the Bisbee Influenza of 1918 and the Bisbee Deportation)
Ghost Town Trail: Pearce To Courtland To Gleeson!
On a recent Road Trip, we stopped at a few ghost towns, namely Pearce, Courtland, and Gleeson along the Ghost Town Trail. These are all located near Sunsites east of Tombstone.
Castle Dome City: A Mini-Road Trip From Yuma, AZ
Ms. Karen & I had visited Yuma right after Christmas 2016. We discovered so much to see and do that we looked forward to returning
A Day In Santa Cruz County
Santa Cruz County is still sparsely populated and remains an excellent destination for bird and wildlife photographers, hikers, ghost town hunters, kayakers, and other outdoor enthusiasts.
Fray Marcos Monument in Lochiel, a Ghost Town
Lochiel, now a ghost town, is a former border crossing town, 1.5 miles from the Santa Cruz River in the San Rafael Valley in South Central
Beyond Tucson: Things to do In Southeast Arizona
If you are visiting Tucson and have some time on your hands to venture beyond Tucson, we have some suggestions for visiting Southeast Arizona. If
Tour Pearce AZ: A (Sometimes Lively) Ghost Town!
A few people still live in Pearce, AZ. They enjoy the solitude and long north-south expanse of the Sulfur Springs Valley. Not far to their
A Hike to Charleston Cemetery with the FSPR
On April 1, I drove out to the San Pedro River for a Members Only hike provided by the docents of the Friends of the San Pedro
