Oatman is one of a kind. It's tiny with a few old historic storefronts selling tourist kitsch and carrots for the burros. Oatman began as a tent camp in 1915 after two prospectors struck a $10 million gold find. It thrived and grew to 3,500 people in just a year. Now it only has a little over a 100 people. When Oatman was a gold mining town the miners used burros for work. After the mines shut down in the 40's, the burros were allowed to wander freely and to this day they are protected by the Department of the Interior.
They're cute little rascals and kind of like dogs following you down the street in hopes of a treat. The little white burro above, while adorable in all its unicorn-esque glory, was pretty pitiful and made me feel slightly sad at the state of their donkey lives. They seemed broken, like they lost their will to live and these wild animals now seem to rely on tourists for carrot handouts. Seriousness aside, this little village is spectacularly located atop a hill with golden hues all around. It's kind of surreal to walk through the streets crowded with burros set amongst such a stunning setting. 
The sign above says all that needs to be said about the local residents of Oatman and most of the Arizonan population for that matter.
Since this town exists solely based on tourism, there is plenty of entertainment including "shoot-out" reenactments, horse riding and trailers for those of us who lost touch with our country beginnings.
3 comments:
you look great on a tractor! :)
those poor little burros. i hope they get enough food and shelter over the winter months.
When I was in middle school, my family spent like 6 months traveling around and one of our stops was Oatman. I remember thinking it was a pretty cool place. I couldn't see any of your pictures for some reason but I definitely remember the town ;-)
maggie-thanks ;) luckily the burros are taken care, so it's not as depressing
jacque-haha, i love it! an yeah, i'm trying to work out my picture snafu
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