Oatman, Arizona

Oatman was founded about 1908, and by 1931 the area's mines had produced over 1.8 million ounces of gold. By the mid 1930's the boom was over, and in 1942 the last remaining mines were closed as nonessential to the war effort. Burros first came to Oatman with early prospectors and were used inside the mines for hauling rock and ore, as well as for carrying water and supplies. As the mines closed and people moved away, the burros were released into the surrounding hills. The burros in Oatman today are descendants of domestic work animals but are themselves wild.

Oatman, Arizona · United States