I love ghost towns, old dilapidated buildings and rusty stuff left behind from other lives, signs hanging from buildings that creak in a breeze. Spooky stuff - perfect for Halloween week. The drive out to this town was pretty, lots of rolling green hills and curvy roads, so it took longer than it would have if it was a straight road, but well worth it for the views.
In the late 1800s someone found evidence of lots of silver in the area and word got out quickly. The area was flooded with miners who lived in a tent city until the town was built. The town had multiple saloons, stores, a hotel and boarding houses, laundry and other services were available. There was even a red light district - but no church.
After about 20 years of mining, the town started declining and the community became a quiet little village. The general store finally closed in 1923, but has been revived as a museum by a couple who purchased it in 1989. After years of cleaning and arranging all the contents that had been stored inside for over 60 years, they have made it into what the general store would have looked like if you had walked in during the early 1920s. There is an amazing array of store equipment as well as tools, mining equipment and parts, clothing, kitchen equipment, and items that had been bartered for goods.
On the way out of town, I saw a fixer-upper house that was for sale.
The house I really liked didn't have a for sale sign on it.
Of course, there's the old "hanging tree" in the middle of the street, which is labeled as the "Chloride National Forest".
After enjoying the quietness of this sparsely populated town, I headed home. I'll be finding more ghost towns in Arizona.
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