Get Your Kicks on Route 66 – AZ Style

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I’m sure some of us here remember the song that line is from or the TV show from the 1960s of the same name. Well, the longest remaining stretch of that famous (or perhaps infamous) route John Stienbeck once called the “Mother Road” can be found in my home state of Arizona. There are fascinating and entertaining stops along the way for those who like viewing impressive scenery while driving a piece of living history. One of my favorite places to visit is a former mining town located northwest of Lake Havasu in the Black Mountains called Oatman.

Beginning as a small mining camp in the early 1860s when two prospectors struck it rich by finding $2 million in gold. Over the years, Oatman’s population waxed and waned as gold petered out only to be rediscovered. The town was named after Olive Oatman who was abducted by Indians as a young girl and later adopted by the Mohaves. During her years in captivity, and prior to her eventual release at Fort Yuma in 1856, her face was tattooed in the tradition of the Mohave people. Her story became well known, being chronicled in newspapers and books. In addition to having the town named after her and gaining national recognition, Olive was also the inspiration for the character Eva on the television show Hell on Wheels.

The last “gold rush” in Oatman was around 1915 and ended a few years later. These days, Oatman is a popular stop on Route 66 for tourists and adventure seekers and boasts an authentic western atmosphere with its saloons, mining tours, wooden boardwalks, tourist shops, old-timey photographers, and staged shootouts. The  Oatman hotel on the main drag includes a second floor museum which includes the Clark Gable/Carole Lombard honeymoon suite where the couple stayed after their Kingman wedding in 1939. People pinning one-dollar bills on the hotel’s saloon walls is a tradition that has continued for decades.

However, one of Oatman’s biggest claims to fame is the wild burros that have free roaming rights in the town and surrounding desert. These cute little critters are direct descendants of the donkeys used by the original miners in the late 1800s to prospect and pull ore carts. Over the years, the donkeys have become used to tourists and very friendly, thanks to “burro chow” which used to be sold at local shops until the practice was discouraged by the Bureau of Land Management. So far, this reduction in treats hasn’t stopped the burros from coming to Oatman on a daily basis. And, really, they are a big tourist draw, contributing to the town’s economy.

So, if you find yourself traveling Route 66 and looking for a great place to stop for a great western-themed day trip, check out Oatman, Arizona. And when you do, give the burros a scratch between the ears for m

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Cathy McDavid has been penning Westerns for Harlequin since 2005. With over 55 titles in print and 1.6 million-plus books sold, Cathy is also a member of the prestigious Romance Writers of America’s Honor Roll. This “almost” Arizona native and mother of grown twins is married to her own real-life sweetheart. After leaving the corporate world seven years ago, she now spends her days penning stories about good looking cowboys riding the range, busting broncs, and sweeping gals off their feet — oops, no. Make that winning the hearts of feisty, independent women who give the cowboys a run for their money. It a tough job, but she’s willing to make the sacrifice.

31 thoughts on “Get Your Kicks on Route 66 – AZ Style”

  5. Interesting. My husband lived in Arizona for a while before I met him. He still has a brother and family in Kingman.

  6. Good morning Cathy! Thanks for the road trip! I would love to take a trip on Route 66! My husband and I have talked about it!

    Best wishes!

  11. I love your blog today. I have been in Oatman twice, once with a friend, the second time when I introduced my husband to the beautiful very small town. It was a wonderful adventure. We fed the burros, I lined my husband up in the coffin leaning against the wall of one of the buildings, and we perused most of the shops, where the burros used to be welcome to roam. We also visited a mine in the vicinity and went into it to see where the miners used to work, mining. Our trip to Arizona was a wonderful adventure. We were staying in Kingman for a job I was doing and went to a car show full of older autos. Their preservation in the dry air is very interesting. The dry air preserves all but the human body. When traveling there, I drank lots of water and used lots of chapstick. My body was constantly crying out for moisture!! We also saw the bridal suite of Clark Gable and Carol Lumbard.

    • What a fabulous trip. Thanks for sharing your awesome memories, Judy. And, yes, Arizona is dry, dry, dry ?

  12. What a fabulous trip. Thanks for sharing your awesome memories, Judy. And, yes, Arizona is dry, dry, dry 🙂

  13. Good morning, wow, it sounds like you had a great time. It really sounds like a place I would love to go to, Thank you for sharing about it. Have a great day and a great weekend.

  16. We have done stretches of Route 66, but never went to Oatman. We never got to the Arizona stretch. Next time we head out that way, I will make sure we stop by. It sounds like a fun stop. Thank you for sharing.

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