It seemed destined to become a large town until the nearby mines dried up. Just before the turn of the 20th century, Goldfield was home to a general store, boarding, house, multiple saloons, a brewery, meat market, blacksmith shop, and a school house. While it may be a bit more along the lines of “slightly cheesy tourist destination” than some of the towns on this list, it’s worth a visit, and families with kids will especially appreciate the educational entertainment. Goldfield is a former gold mining town turned turned into a tourist attraction about 40 miles east of Phoenix. Related Read: The 7 Best Caves in Arizona for Subterranean Exploration 3. Downtown Jerome, in the area where (a few) people live, there’s a small strip with some galleries, restaurants and tasting rooms - and the “ Haunted Hamburger” restaurant, of course. There are plenty of other places to explore around town even if you’re not into the paranormal, including the Mine Museum and the Jerome State Historic Park’s 1916 Douglas Mansion. Jerome is famous for its hotel hauntings, with numerous bizarre happenings at the Ghost City Inn, Mile High Grill & Inn (a former brothel), the Conner Hotel, and the Jerome Grand Hotel, which is a former frontier hospital said to be haunted by dead miners. The fewer than 100 people who decided to promote it as a historic ghost town, marketed as “the wickedest town in the West.” Was it? Go find out for yourself. In the 1950s, when the last mine closed, almost everyone left. However, since nearly all of them worked in the copper mines, the town went belly-up when the mines dwindled. The mines near Jerome were rich in copper, rather than silver, and nearly 10,000 people lived here. Jerome’s heyday was a bit later than Ruby’s, but not by much. Related Read: 9 Unique Places to Stay in Arizona for an Unforgettable Vacation 2. Those who want to stick around awhile will find the La Siesta Campgrounds about 16 miles north. The mining company left behind their buildings and equipment, while the miners and their families left the mercantile, a three-room school, and playground. Today, there are still 25 buildings standing from its rough and rugged lawless days, with a caretaker there to maintain them in their original state. Only a year later, Ruby was completely deserted. A post office opened in 1910 and operated until the mine closed in 1940. It produced 80 ounces of silver per ton – for the non-miners out there, that’s an awful lot. The Ruby Mercantile (of the infamous Ruby murders) first opened in the 1880s and by 1891, the Montana Mine proved to be a bonanza. Soon, veins of copper, zinc, and lead were uncovered, and by the turn of the century, Ruby was southwestern Arizona’s largest mining camp. However, by the 1860s and 70s, new prospectors claimed additional sites, eventually forming a settlement called “Montana Camp” just below Montana Peak. Miners discovered rich veins of gold and silver in 1854, but mining was limited as the area was Apache territory. While the lack of rain and rough terrain made it a poor choice for agricultural development, the high mineral content drew many prospectors to pursue their dreams of wealth.

Today, it’s just north of the U.S-Mexico border, which made it a lively spot during the time of newly drawn territories and western land grabs. Very close to Tucson (as far as ghost towns ago, anyway), Ruby provides a look at what life in the Wild West was like more than a century ago. Related Read: 6 Spookiest Ghost Towns in Utah for Exploring the Old West 1. Here are eight amazing Arizona ghost towns to add to your road trip plans. The one thing that ties them all together is that they provide a glimpse of the past, a fascinating look at history without actually going back in time. A few support full-time residents, but significantly fewer than what they had at their peak. Some traces of civilization remain in some ghost towns, while others are populated only by buildings in various states of disrepair. Most of these wild west towns are former mining boom towns that were abandoned when the mines shut down, though others were supply points for mining operations nearby. Arizona is home to hundreds of ghost towns, with estimates suggesting as many as 300 throughout the state - depending on how you define “ghost.”

Abandoned places in arizona