Gold King Mine and Ghost Town

March 16, 2010 at 2:02 pm | Posted in Blogging, Photography | Leave a comment
Tags: Antique, Arizona, Ghost Town, Jerome, Machinery, Mine, Mining, Mountain, Petting Zoo, Trucks, Vacation

Spring is in the air, which means summer is right around the corner. In Phoenix that means it’s time to get to higher ground or the ocean. If you opt for the former then why not head two hours north and check out Jerome? Sure, there’s a “Main Street” area where all of the tourists hang out but if you follow the signs you can head a couple of miles outside of the crowds and explore what used to be Haynes, Arizona.

Antique Gasoline Truck

Mining Machinery and Truck

Antique Trucks Miniaturized

It is a privately owned attraction that features antique machinery and an abandoned mine. Some of this machinery works! That includes a 10,000 cubic inch engine which used to power a small town and a giant saw mill. There’s plenty of trucks, cars and tools lying in rust waiting for the owner Don Robertson to get around to fixing them up and turning them from rust buckets into show cars.

In addition to the rusty metal items are some old wooden buildings. There is a dental office, a schoolhouse and even a bordello. None of them are still operating, but they are picturesque.  If you have kids with you they will delight in feeding the animals at the petting zoo. Sodas and trinkets are available in the gift shop.