Drive Time: 45 minutes Hours: Anytime Activities: site-seeing, hiking, shopping Accommodations: Dining, lodging, gas Location: Take Historic Route 66 west, past the Powerhouse Visitors Center, go one block, turn left on old Route 66 to continue to first stop sign. Turn right and cross under I-40 then left onto Oatman Road. More Info: Contact he Oatman Chamber of Commerce at (928) 768-6222. Click Here to visit their website
Oatman was once the last stop on Route 66 before entering the once dreaded Mohave Desert. Located 28 miles southeast of Kingman in the Black Mountain at an elevation of 3,000 feet.
Oatman's origins date back to 1902 when prospector Ron Taddock was riding along a trail and spotted something sparkling the sunlight. That sparkle turned out to be gold and the rush was on.
Nowadays the former gold mining town is home to 300 or so residents and a colony of wild burros (descendants of miner's burros) who roam the streets during the day seeking handouts, then disappearing into their desert homes at night.
