Oatman Vacations, Oatman Vacation Reviews, Tourism Guide

Oatman Vacation Guide

Oatman began as a small gold mining camp. In 1915 two miners found the mother load and that was all it took to put Oatman on the map. The town was named after a girl named Olive Oatman that was captured by Indians and rescued near this location. The mining company closed operations in 1924. With the mining company closed and a fire three years earlier, Oatmans population dropped dramatically. The only thing that kept is alive is that Route 66 goes right through the center of town. Today the town is not much more than a tourist attraction. There is a hotel, in which Clark Gable and Carol Lombard spent their honeymoon. Wild burros wander the streets. There are annual events throughout the year, including a burro bisket toss and a sidewalk egg frying contest. There are all kinds of shops here that sell nearly any souvenir that you could think of. A lot of the items are hand made by the local people.