Arizona has a lot to offer, but the Ghost Town is a unique highlight. Chloride, a former silver mining community in Mojave County, Arizona, USA, is widely regarded as the state’s oldest continuously inhabited mining town and is just a short drive from the decaying Santa Claus Village.
Located in a census block, this small town counted only 229 residents in 2020. But his one town in Arizona is worth a visit. Nestled on the southwest side of the Serbat Mountains, Chloride looks like any other kitschy western town, save for its bizarre junk he art collection and giant mural display.
Explore the History of Chloride, Arizona
Prospectors discovered resources of silver, gold, lead, zinc and turquoise around the chlorides in the 1840s. Chloride was first produced in he 1860s, but extensive mining did not begin until his 1870s when a treaty was signed with the Hualapai Indians.
Miss May Cryder drove the Silver Spike on August 16, 1899, officially opening the Arizona-Utah Railroad from Kingman to the location.
The town’s population eventually peaked at about 5,000, and Chloride served as the county seat at one point.
At the height of mining, the town had banks, hotels, barbershops, billiard halls, restaurants and salons.
There was a railroad that brought people and minerals to Kingman. With many of its residents serving in World War II, the village was dangerously close to becoming a ghost town when the mine closed.
However, chloride rose to prominence as a sanctuary for artists and musicians in the 1950s and 1960s.
About a mile from town, in the highlands, renowned Southwestern artist Roy Purcell painted murals on rocky outcrops.
Movies such as “The Rebel Rousers” starring Jack Nicholson and numerous music videos have been filmed in the area.
What to see and do with chloride today
These days, most of the population consists of pensioners. The remote land is inhabited by many ranchers and is free-range.
They frequently visit Chloride to receive mail. During the visit, travelers were able to catch a glimpse of one or two cowboys. Some travel by truck, others on horseback.
This community is a chance to stroll through an authentic Old West settlement, and its major attractions, including mock gunfights, Arizona’s oldest post office, and the ‘world’s only all-female gunfighter’, are all You can see it on foot.
On different days, visitors can also explore the mine shafts.
Drive past old houses and metal garden art. Operated by the Chloride Historical Society, the Jim Fritz Museum is housed in the same building as an antique shop, several small shops and restaurants.
Open every Saturday with High Desert Drifters gun reenactments at noon on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays. With over 120 beers, 40 vodkas, an extensive wine list, and everything from steak and seafood to pasta, Yesterday’s Restaurant is an oasis in the desert.
Just drive through the modern section of Chloride to witness the city’s quirky junk art on display along the roadside.
Drivers can stop and take pictures of a flamingo made out of a gas tank, a tin man with a blue hat, and junk trees strung together with rusty objects.
Telephones are used as tombstone decorations at the local cemetery.Each of Chloride’s 20 occupied homes has trash art.
One house has a beautiful bottle tree, while another houses a metal spider and bowling ball caterpillars.
The petroglyphs and murals on the hill are a must-see for visitors to Chloride. Although more difficult to access, these attractions are worth the effort.
A bit of a hike, but doable. Four-wheel drive vehicles can also get there, and in good weather, after the roads have been leveled, regular passenger cars can get there, albeit slowly.
Purcell’s mural is titled “The Journey”. In 1966, he began decorating cliffs over 2,000 feet high in the Serbat Mountains. This place was once a popular picnic destination.
Earlier, the Hualapai had marked the site with their petroglyphs. With the help of her relatives, Purcell recreated his 2005 mural. This time I added a new image using auto her paint.
What is there to do around Chloride?
There are at least four historic sites within distance for those looking for other nearby sites. Arizona and Utah/Western Arizona Railroad Milepost Markers.
The place where Metcalf Baker and Andrew Judson were “killed by the Indians” is commemorated by a stone not far from Chloride Cemetery.
Mineral Park, a mining town five miles northeast, was the county seat from 1873 to 1887.
Cerbat, Mojave County’s third county seat, also has a sign. Located near Mineral Park, you can still see some of the buildings from the late 1800s and early 1900s when it was a mining town.
