Goldfield Ghost Town ~ Arizona

Goldfield Ghost Town is located in Apache Junction next to the Superstition Mountains. The entire Superstition Mountains region is famous for legendary tales of gold, lost riches and tragic events. As far as stories of the old wild west are concerned, there is no better setting for an Arizona gold rush era ghost town than where Goldfield is situated!

Goldfield was a boom town in the early 1890s and just like many other gold rush towns, Goldfield went bust after only a few years passed by. By the late 1890s only a few residents remained. About a decade later, Goldfield turned into a gold ore processing center for other mines in the local region, but after those mines played out, Goldfield permanently returned to its abandoned ghost town status.

The Mammoth Gold Mine in Goldfield was a heavy ore strike that drew many unsavory characters that sought easy opportunities to gain wealth by dubious means. One such character was the Lost Dutchman, who claimed to find a rich gold strike in the Superstition Mountains. When the Lost Dutchman finally met his maker, his death caused plenty of prospectors to seek out his lost mine. Thousands of fortune seekers have ventured into the Superstition Mountains ever since, without questioning whether the tail of the Lost Dutchman Mine was really true or not. 

Many historians say that the Lost Dutchman fabricated the entire Superstition Mountains gold mine story in an effort to cover his own dubious deeds. Apparently there is some old evidence cited in verbal accounts that claim that the Lost Dutchman acquired his wealth by stealing gold from miners that he killed while they were working claims in the Superstition Mountains region, especially around Goldfield. Tales of the early days of the Mammoth Gold Mine prospecting add credence to this story, because a few local miners that struck pay dirt in this place were mysteriously killed and robbed of their gold at just about the same time that the Lost Dutchman first started cashing in his gold.

One thing that the Lost Dutchman did accomplish long after death was to help keep the Goldfield Ghost Town on the map in this modern age. The legend of the Lost Dutchman Mine and the tales of Superstition Mountains gold were all the reasons in the world for preserving the Goldfield Ghost Town as a showcase of old wild west history. Goldfield Ghost Town has now been rekindled as a major tourist destination and thousands visit this historic site each week. That is of course, till the thermometer rises up over the triple digit mark. The heat of summer is more than just intense in this part of the Sonoran Desert, so Goldfield Ghost Town is only open to visitors from late autumn till the end of the spring season.

There are plenty of interesting things to see and plenty of entertaining activities for visitors of all ages to experience in Goldfield Ghost Town. Wandering around in this restored old west boom town is enough to please any wild west history buff. Visitors can take tours of the legendary Mammoth Gold Mine and those with gold fever can try their luck at “panning for the shiny!”  

Other Goldfield Ghost Town attractions include a Superstition Zip-Line, Narrow Gauge Railroad and Reptile Exhibit. Horseback trail riding and a really cool shooting gallery are fun options too. Those who want to see some old west style good guys vs the bad guys action will get a thrill out of the staged gunfights that take place in old historic Goldfield Ghost Town at high noon!

Goldfield is an old west style shopping haven. Everything from Native American silver jewelry to modern works of art made by the local blacksmith can be found in the old shops along main street. The Mercantile Store is where refreshments, hand crafted gourmet fudge and unique confections can be found and there is the old Mammoth Steakhouse & Saloon, which offers great food and plenty of free cowboy western entertainment.  

There are endless old west relics to see and there is always plenty of fun stuff going on at Goldfield Ghost Town, so the entertainment value is well worth the entrance fee! A visitor can easily spend an entire day in this old historic mining camp town and not be bored. Visiting both the neighboring Superstition Mountain Museum along with the Goldfield Ghost Town can all be done in one day and the combined experience will provide plenty of insight into the mysteries of this territory. For this reason, Goldfield Ghost Town belongs high on the winter season bucket list!