Arizona is a state rich in history and abounding with once thriving ghost towns. With a mixture of popular tourist locations as well as remote, desolate areas, it would take nearly a year to see them all if you visited one per day! Because of the region’s severe weather and the inability to secure outlying areas from vandalism, many of these ghost towns have been reduced to piles of rubble. Following is a list of the ten best ghost towns to visit in Southern Arizona as well as how to get there.
1. Best-Kept Cemetery:
Named after the double peaks of the nearby mountains, Dos Cabezas (Spanish for “two heads”) is a ghost town in Southern Arizona’s Cochise County, south of Willcox. Gold and silver found in the mountains brought miners and their families to the town in the late 1870’s, with its population reaching approximately 4000 folks. A stage depot soon followed, and eventually became a Wells Fargo station. The town boasted many businesses from a barbershop to a brewery to a brickyard. As mining findings became scarce, people moved on. The Dos Cabezas’ post office was officially closed in 1960.
When arriving at Dos Cabezas, the cemetery will be your first sighting. Distinct from other area ghost towns, this cemetery has been well maintained making it a favorite of genealogists and historians. Other features include an operational frontier relics museum, and buildings such as houses, the stage stop, and the dance hall.
To get to Dos Cabezas, head east on I-10 from Phoenix or Tucson to Willcox. Take SR186 south to Dos Cabezas.
2. Best Spook Factor:
Southern Arizona’s Brunckow’s Cabin, near Tombstone, is not a ghost town per se. However, if you are seeking ethereal sightings it is definitely worth the trip. Built in the mid-1800’s by Frederick Brunckow, a German-born mining engineer, the cabin holds many a dark secret. It is recorded that 21 people have been murdered there, 17 of those prior to 1880. The first killings, according to legend, took place when the mining superintendent left town for supplies. Upon his return four days later, he found the grisly remains of an assayer, a machinist inside the cabin and Brunckow, who was in a mineshaft impaled by a rock drill. The murders were never solved, and there have been numerous reports of ghostly hauntings at the cabin.
If you are brave enough to visit Brunckow’s Cabin, you can get there by heading east on I-10 from Phoenix or Tucson. Take AZ-80 east about eight miles southwest of Tombstone to Charleston Rd. The cabin can be seen from the road.
3. Best Town with an Identity Crisis:
The Southern Arizona railroad junction town of Fairbank went through numerous name changes between its formation in 1881 and the establishment of its post office in 1883. Some folks called the town “Wye” because of the Y-shaped railroad spur. Others dubbed it “Kendall” after a railroad engineer. When the town finally got a post office, it was baptized “Fairbanks.” The letter ‘s’ was dropped upon the realization that the town’s namesake – Nathaniel K. Fairbank, who organized Grand Central Mining Company – didn’t have one.
Upon the end of the silver boom in the 1890’s, the once-thriving city dwindled. In 1901, a wealthy California family acquired the town’s land and evicted all its inhabitants – with the option of renting their own homes to them. Infuriated, many of the remaining locals burned their homes to the ground before departing, giving Fairbank its Southern Arizona ghost town status. Some of the remaining structures include the school, the mercantile, and a handful of homes.
To visit Fairbank, head east on I-10 from Phoenix or Tucson. Take AZ-80 east, and turn right onto AZ-82 to Old Fairbank Road.
4. Best Town Named for a Company:
Sasco is about as far north as a town can be without considered it Central Arizona, but it definitely warrants mention. Named for the Southern Arizona Smelting Company, the town was built in 1907 for workers of the smelter and their families, with a population peak of 600. Between the closing of the smelter and the nation-wide influenza epidemic, the town was deserted by 1919.
Although Sasco is one of the more difficult Southern Arizona ghost towns to reach, it is worth the trouble. Remains to see include The Rockland Hotel, expansive smelter structures, the jail, and a quaint cemetery scattered with simple, white crosses.
To visit Sasco, take I-10 (east from Phoenix, or west from Tucson) to exit 226, which is Sasco Road. Stay on Sasco Road for about 7 miles, past a stockyard. You will see the ghost town to your right. Avoid the area during monsoon season, as you will be traveling on a dirt road.
5. Best Jail:
Prior to becoming a Southern Arizona ghost town, Courtland was quite modern in its heyday. The progressive town of about 2000 inhabitants boasted running water, electricity, telegraphs and telephones, a movie theatre, a public swimming pool, an auto company, and even two newspapers. Although Courtland did survive the depression, its post office officially closed in 1942.
While Courtland offers more than a few structures and mining remains to discover, the most prominent is its jail. The jail’s construction of solid concrete, built sturdily to assure no prisoners would escape, allowed it to stand up to time and the elements.
To travel to Courtland, take I-10 east from Phoenix or Tucson to exit 318. Turn right onto Dragoon Road, drive about 13 miles and make a right onto US-191. After about 26 miles, you will arrive at Courtland Road.
6. Best Rags-to-Riches Story
In 1894, Jimmie Pearce struck gold. He had been a miner some time before, but left the backbreaking job to run a boarding house with his wife. After years of scrimping and saving, they were able to buy a parcel of land, where Jimmie found his gold. The ensuing town was named Pearce, and eventually Jimmie sold his mine, the Commonwealth, for a hefty $250,000. His shrewd wife had the foresight to include a clause in the contract that allowed them to operate a boarding house at the mine, which they ran until the 1930’s.
Many old buildings remain in Pearce, including the still-operating post office, a school, and the general store, which is now a museum.
To get to Pearce, take I-10 east from Tucson or Phoenix to exit 318. Turn right onto Dragoon Road, right again onto US-191, and exit at Pearce Road.
7. Best Turquoise Town
Native Americans mined turquoise in the Dragoon Mountains long before white men arrived there in the late 1800’s. Gleeson, Arizona was originally named for the bluish-green stone, although the miners mainly found copper, silver, and gold in Turquoise. After Jimmie Pearce established the Commonwealth, most forsook Turquoise for greener – or perhaps “golder” – pastures.
In 1900, an Irishman named John Gleeson began prospecting the Turquoise area and opened the Copper Belle mine. The former Turquoise post office reopened as Gleeson, but the mine shut down following World War I. Ruins of a hospital, jail, and saloon are among the sites worth seeing.
To travel to Gleeson, take I-10 east from Phoenix or Tucson to AZ-80 east. Turn left onto Davis Road, and left again at High Lonesome Road.
8. Best Pancho Villa Stomping Ground
Lochiel lays claim to a colorful history. In 1539, a Spanish Franciscan priest named Fray Marcos de Niza entered the San Rafael Valley in this border town on his quest for the Seven Cities of Gold. Pancho Villa found Lochiel – named by a family of ranchers who hailed from Lochiel, Scotland – a prime spot to rustle cattle.
Most of Lochiel’s 400 residents were ranchers, but the many nearby mines in the late 1800’s to early 1900’s supplemented the town. Many old buildings remain to be admired including church, deserted homes, and the old U.S. Customs building.
To reach Lochiel, travel south on I-19 from Phoenix to US-89 south. Turn right on AZ-82, right on Kino Springs Drive, and right onto Duquesne Road, ending in Lochiel.
9. Best Religious Community
Sunnyside is the only Southern Arizona ghost town known to have been completely occupied by a religious group. Sam Donnelly was sent to the area by the Salvation Army to establish a “holiness mission” in Tombstone. He became disenchanted with what he saw as the church’s hypocrisy, and eventually settled in Sunnyside with a few of his Tombstone converts. Friends and correspondents of Donnelly, who lead other converts there, joined them.
The “Donnellites” worked hard at the nearby mine. They lived communally, eating together and pooling their individual incomes and talents. They were an exceedingly generous society, lending a hand whenever they saw a need. In 1897, Brother Donnelly faced scrutiny after accusations of child abuse and detaining inhabitants against their will. The charges were later dismissed. Brother Donnelly died in 1901. His followers buried him at the Lone Star Mine. By 1903, Sunnyside was deserted. There are a handful of buildings still standing in Sunnyside, as well as the skeleton of a windmill and remains of a water tower.
Although it is somewhat of a trek to reach Sunnyside, its remains and lush surrounding are rewarding. Follow I-10 east from Phoenix or Tucson to AZ-83 south. Turn left onto Sunnyside Road. You will need a four-wheel drive vehicle for this dirt road.
10. Best Ghost Town that Isn’t
Although Tombstone is a commonly known tourist favorite, and has a current population of about 1500 people, it still ranks on this list. Warned that all he would find would be his tombstone, prospector Ed Schieffelin brazenly donned the area such as he sought his fortune in the hills.
Visitors to Tombstone can behold such spots as the Bird Cage Theater Museum, Boothill Graveyard, and Wyatt Earp’s house. Tombstone is a cornucopia of Old West history with homes, businesses, and cemeteries that have been lovingly preserved and expertly restored to provide a convincing example of what life was once like in Southern Arizona’s ghost towns.
To experience Tombstone, take I-10 east from Tucson or Phoenix. Turn right onto SR-80 to Safford Street.
