Oatman @ the turn of the century and today.
In the early 1900’s Oatman Arizona was a gold mining town. The mines have closed and miners are long gone, but their burros remain. Oatman is now a tourist attraction drawing in visitors from around the world to visit this ghost town off of Historic Route 66.
Although the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) recently requested that the public stop feeding the burros, I noticed visitors with bags of carrots and hay cubes. One exuberant guest shared a few of her cubes with my daughters who fed the friendly animals. 
Baby burros (who were still nursing) wore stickers bearing the universal sign for, “Don’t Feed Me Carrots”.
We popped into a few of the shops which line Main Street and admired the assorted souvenirs. There were polished rocks, hot salsas, desert-themed ornaments, Route 66 t-shirts, roadrunner statues, scorpion and tarantula paperweights to name a few. We bought a canned soda and continued our stroll. Cowboys with rifles caught our attention, and I knew a loud gun battle would ensue. Throughout the day there are staged bank robberies and gun fights. Normally I would stick around to enjoy the show, but my daughters’ are sensitive to loud noises, so I herded them back to the car. We had a great day and a nice excursion.
• What attractions draw tourists to your area?
• Do you like burros and staged gun fights?
• What sticker should be on your forehead?
Comment By: Dennis the Vizsla
October 3rd, 2009 at 7:00 pm
Hmm, I’m pretty sure the attraction that draws people to San Diego is the weather. But the zoo and Sea World probably help a little.
Comment By: Jean Has Been Shopping
October 3rd, 2009 at 7:12 pm
Dennis, I didn’t realize you are in sunny San Diego! Your attractions are always calling out to me and my family!
Comment By: Sherri
October 3rd, 2009 at 7:18 pm
Love the pics too Jeanie Beanie 🙂
Comment By: Jean Has Been Shopping
October 3rd, 2009 at 7:19 pm
You’re the best, commenting on both sites! Thank you!
Comment By: sweetiegirlz
October 3rd, 2009 at 8:44 pm
Fantastic post, i love history, so I enjoyed the before and after pics a lot! I’d love to come there and see this in person. I’m glad you ignored the don’t feed the burros stickers. looks like you guys had a lot of fun. Of course all our touristy stuff here is history themed, Union station, Lewis and Clark trail, railroad this and that, and believe it or not, Kansas city is an artsy town. I’ve enjoyed being here.
Comment By: Jean Has Been Shopping
October 3rd, 2009 at 8:54 pm
It’s really a great lil’ town. There’s a lot of info online like how much gold was discovered there, and when they shut down the mines. I couldn’t believe it when I found that 1900’s photo! I lined it up with a shot I took today, and voila!
Ya, I don’t think we hurt the burros by giving them those little cubes. Gosh, I’ve never seen a tinier cube of hay! I can understand not giving the babies food. We watched them nurse a few times while we were there.
I’d love to see what Kansas City has to offer!
Comment By: Nadezhda Konovalova
October 4th, 2009 at 5:14 am
As always I found some new words for me 🙂 Do burros differ from ordinary donkey?
1)There are a lot of touristic attractions in Kiev and near the city.
2) I love animals and I would definitely love burros! And I love stated fights!!! We do not have many gun fights here but a lot of stated knight fights! Here is a link for you http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xIek364t2k
3) I would have stick “Boo, do not wake a bull” 😀
Comment By: Jean Has Been Shopping
October 4th, 2009 at 8:02 am
I thought there was a difference between donkeys and burros, but when I googled it I found a burro is a small donkey.
Thank you for the link to the sword fights! I will click on that link right now!
Ha! Your sticker is funny!
Comment By: Jean Has Been Shopping
October 4th, 2009 at 8:05 am
Wow, Nadezhda! That looked like a REAL BATTLE! Does anyone ever get hurt?
Comment By: Nadezhda Konovalova
October 4th, 2009 at 8:50 am
I didn’t hear about any claims regarding it. They are professionals.
Comment By: Sunny
October 4th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
I love the baby burros! So sweet. The girls are so good with animals. That’s nice you are giving them so many great experiences.
Comment By: Jean Has Been Shopping
October 4th, 2009 at 12:55 pm
Those babies are adorable! I remember you and JP got to see them a few years ago. There was a brown one and a white one. Looks like some of those burros are going to be mothers any day now!
It was so cute how Pearl put the hay cube on the street. We have this book where Belle puts sugar cubes on the ground to catch a pony. LOL!
Yep, Tom’s scouting around the forest looking for turkeys, so we are playing!
Comment By: thegirlfromtheghetto
October 4th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
Oh, I miss the west. I lived in Vegas one crazy year and had so much fun traveling all over. Thanks for taking me back down memory lane.
By the way, how darn cute are those baby burros? I’m dying of jealousy.
Comment By: Jean Has Been Shopping
October 4th, 2009 at 6:38 pm
They were the cutest! I’d never seen the stickers before.
I’m so glad you’ve experienced the west and my fav. city, Vegas!
Comment By: Gary
October 5th, 2009 at 6:55 am
That looks like a really cool place to visit! My kids would LOVE going there and so would I. 😀
What attractions draw tourists to your area?
John Deere’s corporate office is here, the John Deere golf classic (golf tournament), Mississippi River, riverboat gambling, and many many festivals to name just a few.
Do you like burros and staged gun fights?
DAMN STRAIGHT!
What sticker should be on your forehead?
Do not feed Marlboro’s
Comment By: Jean Has Been Shopping
October 5th, 2009 at 6:16 pm
Wow, you have a lot of great attractions! I’d like to try riverboat gambling. Can you get a room on them too?
LOL – ok, no Marlboro’s for you!
Comment By: Gary
October 6th, 2009 at 7:11 am
No, there are no rooms for rent on the boat but there are nice hotels where the boats dock. 😀
Comment By: Otto Mann
October 5th, 2009 at 7:22 am
more like the Burro of Land Management!
Comment By: Jean Has Been Shopping
October 5th, 2009 at 6:17 pm
ROFL! Why didn’t I think of that, Otto? Very clever!
Comment By: Just a Mom
October 5th, 2009 at 8:48 am
1.) I live 10 minutes away from the Johnson Space Center so that is a pretty big tourist attraction around here.
2.) I can’t say that I have anything against burros or staged gunfights. Now asses and real gun fights, yeah they bother me! 🙂
3.) My daughters would probably put a sticker on my forehead that says, “Beware of Mom!”
Comment By: Jean Has Been Shopping
October 5th, 2009 at 6:18 pm
Oh, Just a Mom, my hubby is a big space nut. He’d love to tour that center.
Yes, true, good point! Asses and real gun fights need to be nixed!
Can I borrow your sticker? I need to put some fear into my daughters. HA!
Comment By: Leese
October 5th, 2009 at 1:40 pm
1) Gosh, I grew up in Philly so yknow, EVERYTHING is a tourist attraction.. even the damn ghettos!! LOL
2) I love everything Old West.. and really do wish Marshall Dillon “got with” Miss Kitty!!!
3) Stickers on my forehead? Heh.. omg.. you don’t have enough room!!!
Comment By: Jean Has Been Shopping
October 5th, 2009 at 6:22 pm
Leese, even your sandwiches are famous!
Maybe your forehead sticker could refer people to your arm sticker which could be a LOT longer. 😀
Comment By: Era
October 6th, 2009 at 7:31 am
Looks like a great time! Now that we are in Texas I am hoping to take a trip to Arizona.
When we were in Florida the nearby attractions were Disney World, Cape Canaveral, and Key West.
Now our nearby attractions include the Austin City Limits Concert/festival and The Alamo.
I’d probably have a sticker saying don’t feed her chocolate, or french fries, or icecream… MMmmm – gotta go eat! See ya.
Comment By: Jean Has Been Shopping
October 6th, 2009 at 8:36 am
You’re a lot closer now, Era. Make sure to stop in New Mexico for some beautiful sights and delicious meals!
The Alamo surprised me. It’s right down town!
LOL! I’m hungry too! Thinking of reheating last night’s pizza and wings. Did you see that game?
Comment By: Jessica Lee Binder
October 7th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
So the burros are wild? Rad!
I should be wearing the opposite sign. Give me food!
Comment By: Jean Has Been Shopping
October 8th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
Yes, they’re wild burros. They come to town each day and leave by sunset.
I will give you one of the bacon cupcakes I picked up yesterday in Vegas!
Comment By: Jessica Lee Binder
October 8th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
bacon cupcake! Lon will be jealous!
Comment By: Tony
October 16th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
Great looking little place. Love the way you did the merging pictures. The sticker on my head would say “Vacant”
Comment By: Jean Has Been Shopping
October 17th, 2009 at 8:04 am
Well, ya know Tony, I can teach you how to merge photos. 😀
Vacant – LOL! Do you have a room for rent? Something with a view please.