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Mohave County

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Oatman

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Date Established1902Description

The town of Oatman got it's start in the year 1902 when a half-Mohave man named Ben Taddock located what would become the Vivian Mine, 1/4 mile from the current town. His claim was eventually sold to the Vivian Mining Company of which the town site took it's moniker until 1909. A richer claim was discovered and named The Oatman Claim in 1910 further cementing the name of the town as Oatman. Interestingly enough a man named John Oatman was heavily involved in mining operations in Oatman during this time. John claimed to be the half-Mohave son of Olive Oatman. While it is possible the town was named for John Oatman, local legend says it was actually named for the woman whom he claimed was his mother. Specifically legend says Olive Oatman and her sister were taken by their captors to, and hidden at, Ollie Oatman Spring which is 1/2 a mile from the townsite.

Citation: Will C Barnes, Arizona Place Names (Tucson AZ: University of Arizona Pub.,1960).218.

Additional Citation: Mulford Winsor, If The Highways Could Speak (AZ Dept of Library and Archives,1946)

CountyMohave CountyStateArizonaCountryUnited StatesGeographic Coordinates^[1]Feature ClassPopulated Place

Image

7th and 8th grade students at Oatman School in Mohave County

Arizona Governor George W.P. Hunt and Amos A. Green in Oatman

Arizona Governor George W.P. Hunt in Oatman

Birds-eye view of Oatman

Burros in the town of Oatman

Early street scene in Oatman

Firebell and Hotel at Oatman

Highline at Oatman, Ariz. Gold ore was conveyed to the mill of the Red Lion when this town was an active center. Its picturesque setting, with houses perched on the hillsides and colorful slag, is in the Black Mountains.

Oatman Ariz.

Oatman School in Mohave County

Oatman, Arizona. One of the old gold mining camps, still inhabited and hopeful of a revival. Its colorful buildings are set in mountainous terrain. [Caption by Josef Muench]

State of Arizona Library & Archives Library Extension Service bookmobile at a gas station between Kingman and Oatman, Arizona

Students on the steps of the State of Arizona Library & Archives Library Extension Service bookmobile in Oatman, Arizona

The Tom Reed Mine at Oatman, Ariz. This once important gold mining town is now almost a ghost. The mine buildings and high line seem waiting for another chance and the town, mostly on hillsides or in a canyon, has a picturesque setting in the Black Mtns.

Document

Federal aid road project project statement number 39: Topock - Oatman Highway

Federal aid road project project statement number 44: Oatman - Gold Roads Highway

Goldroads Cemetery

Letter from A Sloff to T. G. Chapman - with response

Letter from R. D. Grosman-with response

Mine Site and Claims Map of Oatman Eastern Gold Mines, Mohave County

Oatman Cemetery

Oatman Grave Site

https://azmemory.azlibrary.gov/nodes/view/239631

PlaceMohave CountyTopicCommunities

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Oatman